I think the phrase “tourist trap” gets a bad rap. Did you ever stop to think about this. No one is really trapping you anywhere. You are on your own free will to stay or go. Stop or keep rolling. But there is something that draws your attention. Quite often, as is the case with Dinosaur Gardens in Ossineke, MI, it is something physically huge that catches your attention and begs for a few minutes of your time. Other times, as is also the case with Dinosaur Gardens, an attraction stand the test of time, and becomes almost a rite of passage for families traveling with their children, as their parents did with them as children. 
What started as an eccentric art project in the 1930’s has kept up with the times giving families not only a nostalgic walk down memory lane, but also cutting edge tourist delights.
We wanted the full experience, so we opted for a combo of walking tour and putt putt golf. Adding on the combo, made the putt putt golf only $2 per person, and the Raptor Mini-Golf Retreat course was cute and creative with some of the holes shaped like prehistoric creatures. Many of the holes are under mature shade trees, which is a welcome feature on a hot summer day. Buddy found out the hard way that some of the holes on the side with the stream are trickier than they look, and may have landed a few balls into the water, which were a little tricky to retrieve. 
We also added on the Fossil Dig for $3 per child. Essentially a giant sand box with sifter tools loaded with tiny fossils. Far easier than our fossil adventure at Rockport State Recreation Area. 
This is the type of fossil dig, Bubba could get into! Well, he also did his share of flinging sand at his siblings, who were working so nicely together to try to find the best fossils to take home with them that they hardly noticed. 
They had the option to purchase different size bags of Miner’s Sluice, but since we had just done that a few days earlier, we passed on this experience. The price for the Minder’s Sluice was a bit more for a bit less payout here than at the Panning Co. in Alpena, but if this is your only option to have the experience, I know Buddy and Buggie really enjoyed finding the hidden treasures. For less than $7, you can get a small “pay dirt” bag so that your child can have the experience of panning for gems and fossils.
The current owners of Dinosaur Gardens are the long time owners of Connie’s Cafe, so in 2013, they added a very popular trend in the tourist snack splurges, the Ice Age Frozen Yogurt Bar. This is the typical grab a cup, fill it with your choice of yogurt and toppings galore, and then as parents we cringe as your kids place their cup on the scale, as they are purchased by weight. We have learned some important lessons with this type of frozen yogurt purchase. First, plan on it costing double what you originally had in mind, and second, don’t order one for yourself, but plan to play clean-up crew for your children whose eyes will inevitably be larger their their stomachs for their sugary creation. (For me, this means coaching at least one kid to keep their creation gluten free so that I can eat their leftovers.)
This brings us to the stars of the show, the Dinosaur Garden Walk. This hard packed trail would be stroller and wagon friendly in dry conditions. There are a couple of tables along the walk that would provide a great opportunity to bring along a picnic lunch or snack. You will also want to bring along the bug spray. Buggie must be really sweet and she was getting bit quite frequently, which was really the only way I got the kids out of this section of the park anyway, so maybe it was for the best. 
Bubba was quite the little ham. I didn’t realize that he was really into dinosaurs, but he ran from statue to statue shouting “Mama take my peek-sure!” The hardest task in the garden is keeping the kids for even sort of climbing on the statues. I totally understand. These creations are basically made with fancy paper mache (not really, but that is the best way to describe the process). Some of them are coming up on 100 years old, and have survived the Michigan elements all of these years. There are a few that have not made it, and have gone extinct, yet again. Of course any two year old is going to want to climb onto the tails of these frozen prehistoric figures. I put Buddy on the task of making sure he didn’t try to sit on them. Mainly so that Buddy would also have a constant reminder without his mama harping on him for the hour that we walked the garden. 
With so many different entertainment options, you can really decide how long you would like to stretch your legs at this roadside attraction. We spent a solid two hours exploring and playing, but with Mama as the solo driver, our good times needed to come to an end so that we could begin our long drive home. If you just wanted to do the Dinosaur Garden walk, I would say you could plan on an hour, and if you wanted to do everything, you could easily stretch it into a three hour visit, especially if you brought along a picnic.
If you are considering a vacation or a long weekend trip to Alpena, Michigan, I hope that you will take the time to dive into our other posts that go more in depth into specific topics of our stay:
A Weekend in Alpena with Kids: The Whole Shocking Truth
Kid Approved Places to Eat in Alpena
From Shipwrecks to Underwater Technology with Kids and NOAA
By the Hours – Alpena with Kids: 1, 2, 3…
Rockport State Recreation Area: Where to Actually Find Fossils with Kids
