About Dinosaur World
In the hills near Beaver, giant prehistoric creatures once crowded a 65-acre roadside park. Dinosaur World began in 1967 as Farwell’s Dinosaur Park and later became John Agar’s Land of Kong. At its height, visitors wandered among roughly one hundred life-size sculptures of dinosaurs, cavemen, and other imagined creatures.
The attraction grew into what was promoted as the largest dinosaur park in the world. Its most visible landmark was a 40-foot King Kong statue holding a woman in one hand. Other figures included mammoths, dinosaurs, and scenes that mixed popular culture with outdated ideas about prehistory.
Actor John Agar licensed his name to the park during its Land of Kong era. The attraction later adopted the Dinosaur World name and added displays, a theater, and a huge Noah’s Ark mural. The unlikely blend of dinosaurs, giant apes, biblical imagery, and Ozark scenery made it a classic roadside experience.
Dinosaur World closed in 2005. Many sculptures remained on the property afterward, weathering among the trees. The King Kong figure became the best-known survivor and a symbol of the abandoned attraction.
The former park is not open for public exploration. Visitors should not enter the property or approach the statues without permission. Any surviving figures should be viewed only from lawful public areas where visibility and road safety allow.
Even in retirement, Dinosaur World remains wonderfully strange. Its surviving giants recall an era when a hand-painted sign, a concrete monster, and the promise of prehistoric adventure were enough to pull families off the highway.