Experience a slice of mid-century Florida tourism at the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange, where you can spot cement dinosaurs among the ferns and flowers. The prehistoric creatures are the remnants of Bongoland, one of the Sunshine State’s first (albeit short-lived) theme parks.
Location
950 Old Sugar Mill Rd, Port Orange, FL 32129
Hours: 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., every day
Cost: Free, however donations of $1 are appreciated.
Grab a map upon entering so you don’t miss any dinosaurs.
*Note: no dogs allowed except for service dogs
History
Before the dinos moved in, the land was developed as a plantation in 1804 by Bahamian immigrant Patrick Dean. Dean was killed during the First Seminole War in 1818. In the following decades, the plantation changed hands many times until a portion was purchased by Sarah Anderson in 1832. She established the Dunlawton Sugar Mill, named as a combination of her maiden name (Dunn) and the land broker (Lawton). The mill was operated using slave labor until the Second Seminole War. In 1836, the mill was abandoned due to Seminole leader Emathla’s successful attacks.
During the Civil War, the site became a Confederate base where the mill’s kettles were utilized to make salt. Soldiers hitched their horses and camped under what is now called the “Confederate Oak,” a massive, centuries-old live oak tree. After the war, the mill was abandoned again.
Bongoland
In the 1930s, the mill was marketed to tourists as an “Old Spanish Sugar Mill,” before eventually being leased to Dr. Perry Sperber. Bongoland was the brainchild of Sperber, a Daytona Beach dermatologist and dinosaur enthusiast. He hired sculptor Manny Lawrence to create a series of “prehistoric monsters” to be viewed on the park’s tram ride. Bongoland opened in 1948 advertising a replica Seminole village, the dinosaurs, and a captive baboon named Bongo. It closed just five years after opening and sat neglected once again until it was sold to Volusia County in 1963.
Today, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the gardens are open to the public. With their paint long gone and some of the structural chicken wire visible, the dinosaurs appear fragile, making it extra-cool to see the ones who’ve stuck around. The T-Rex recently bit the dust in 2019 (RIP, King) but you can still look for the stegosaurus, dimetrodon, and ground sloth. My hope is that the prehistoric “monsters” of Bongoland remain forever but you should definitely visit while you can!
What’s Nearby?
- Daytona Beach – this is where I went afterwards to eat seafood and crash at a cheap beach-side hotel. No better way to end a day like this.
- Blue Spring State Park
- Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
Book a Place to Stay Near Port Orange
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