Fiberglass dinosaurs for sale

A piece of classic plastic Americana kitsch is on the market. For a little more than a half-million dollars, you can be the owner of a 16-acre parcel of rural Michigan commercial property about 100 miles outside of Detroit with an arcade, gift shop, fake volcano and more than 100 pieces of fiberglass sculptures of dinosaurs, cavemen, cactus and, for some reason, trees that look like they're right out of the "Wizard of Oz." The Prehistoric Forest was a roadside attraction near Onsted, Mich., in the Irish Hills area along U.S. 12, which opened in the 1950s. In its prime, it included a train that wound through the property, taking visitors out to 15 life-sized fiberglass versions of dinosaurs created by James O. Sidwell - some of them hollow, so visitors could climb through the beasts. Although the site has been closed since 2002, some of the creations remain visible from the road, and the site remains enough of an attraction to garner visitors who snap photos of the abandoned park. See some of the photos on the blog IO9.com, or check out a visit via youtube: The current owner now has the property listed for sale through a Jackson, Mich., real estate company - dinosaurs included. And thanks to Detroit-based Plastics News staff reporter Rhoda Miel for this item.