Bongoland

Port Orange, Florida, United States

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Animals and creatures

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Historical – no longer at this location

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded for its history. It is no longer at this location, so it is not a stop to plan a trip around.

Bongoland was a roadside attraction in Port Orange, Florida, that opened in 1948 and closed in the early 1950s. Four of its concrete dinosaurs still stand at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, which ClickOrlando in May 2025 described as free to enter. Its largest, a T-Rex, fell in 2019.

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PLANNING A VISIT?

Not a stop to travel to

This Big Thing is recorded for its history. It is no longer at this location, so it is not a stop to plan a trip around.

Bongoland

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Approximate location · 29.122° N, 81.009° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Bongoland was a roadside attraction at the Dunlawton Sugar Mill site in Port Orange, Florida. ClickOrlando in May 2025 dated its opening to 1948 and said it was named for its resident baboon. The Observer reported in 2019 that Dr. Perry Sperber leased the property from J. Saxon Lloyd for a theme park that ran from about 1948 to 1952, and that the baboon was called Bongo. Sources differ on the end date: ClickOrlando says it shut in 1952 for lack of public interest, while Bay News 9 in December 2025 says 1953 and also quotes Sperber that it died in the early 1950s.

The Observer said the 'prehistoric monsters' were made of chicken wire and concrete by Dr. M.D. 'Manny' Lawrence, a concrete sculptor from Holly Hill. For the opening he built a 42-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex, a 30-foot Stegosaurus, a 25-foot Triceratops and an 8-foot Dimetrodon.

The T-Rex fell in July 2019. The Observer said the cause was unknown, possibly age, and that heavy rain fell that day. Bay News 9 instead links the fall to a hurricane. Jennie Taylor of Botanical Gardens of Volusia told the paper it was beyond repair and would not be reassembled, though Daytona Rocks had expressed interest in recreating it.

ClickOrlando reports that four dinosaurs remain at the gardens: a 25-foot triceratops, a ground sloth, a dimetrodon and a stegosaurus. Bay News 9 said 'a few of those ancient dino statues still lurk in the undergrowth' and that it is free to wander.

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PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

ClickOrlando reported in May 2025 that the gardens are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Christmas and New Year's Day, with no admission charge but donations accepted. Bay News 9 in December 2025 said it is free to wander and parking costs nothing. Confirm hours before visiting.

ACCESS

Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange is a public garden. ClickOrlando (May 2025) and Bay News 9 (Dec 2025) both describe free entry. Dinosaur statues stand in the grounds; Bay News 9 notes some are in undergrowth.

COMMUNITY

Visitor Log

WHAT'S NEXT

Find another Big Thing nearby

A steel Tyrannosaurus rex statue, about 20 feet tall according to WKMG, stands at DeBary's Community Park. It once marked the Clayton & Sons salvage yard on US 17-92, and the yard's owners donated it to the city, which moved it in 2022.

Animals and creatures

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40 km away

TRANSPARENCY

Sources & research

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