Florida's Abandoned Amusement Park Is Thriving Again As Lush Gardens With Dinosaur Relics

Florida is known for being full of unexpected treasures. Though its 825 miles of sandy shores and thousands more miles of coastline draw in countless visitors, it's also a place where you can find historic Spanish forts like Castillo de San Marcos and Fort San Marcos de Apalache, alligators and crocodiles roaming in the wild, and even mermaid shows your family will get a kick out of. But just outside Daytona Beach, there's another unexpected treasure: Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, whose secret will take you back millions of years into the past. Or at the very least, back to the 1940s.

Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange has quite the storied past. At one point, it was a sugarcane and cotton plantation that switched ownership a few times. Some time after becoming the Dunlawton Sugar Mill (which still used slave labor), it was successfully destroyed by the Seminoles. It also served as a Confederate military base for a time. But by the 1940s, a portion of the area was leased to a dermatologist named Dr. Perry Sperber, who was fascinated with prehistoric creatures. More specifically, Sperber loved dinosaurs. He loved them so much that he decided to build an entire theme park around replicas of the ancient giants.

The park was named Bongoland, and featured several life-sized terrible lizards constructed out of concrete and chicken wire, as well as a recreation of a Seminole village, a miniature train, and some live animals. One of them was a baboon named Bongo. The Jurassic-style park closed to the public just five years after opening. Fortunately, though, the massive dinos have survived the decades since, becoming one with the gardens that thrive there today. Best of all, you can visit them for free anytime.

Since 1985, the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens has existed on the land where Bongoland once stood. Spread across 10 acres in east central Florida, the volunteer-run gardens are home to numerous plants and flowers, from magnolias and azaleas to ferns, succulents, and, of course, palms. To find the dinos, though, you'll want to head closer to the children's garden, where the life-size creatures lurk. 

Among the dinosaurs you may encounter are a triceratops, a stegosaurus, a dimetrodon, and others. At one point, Bongoland even boasted a Tyrannosaurus that was more than 40 feet tall. Sadly, it was knocked down by a hurricane in 2019, but visitors can still see remnants of the statue today. Dino enthusiasts will delight in finding them all and snapping photos along the way.

Outside of the dinos and plants, the gardens also feature multiple walking paths that will take you to other charming points of interest. There's also a tiny gnome village, complete with small statues of wee magical beings, animals, mushrooms, and miniature houses. Past visitors also note the cute stone walking bridge and some peaceful ponds where you'll see other colorful trinkets adding an extra bit of whimsy to the area. You can also see what's left of the old historic sugar mill here. Mostly, though, you'll enjoy having a shady place to enjoy Florida's great outdoors — with a side of dino, of course.

While a worthy stop for any dino-fiend, the gardens formerly known as Bongoland likely won't take up all of your time in the Port Orange area. You can easily include it as a longer trip to the town, or as part of a road trip stop across the Sunshine State.

There are plenty of nearby accommodations to choose from during your visit to Port Orange. Inland, there are a few budget-friendly hotel chains like La Quinta and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson that offer rooms starting at around $85 a night (at the time of writing). Or if you'd prefer to stay beachside, there are plenty of options all along nearby Daytona Shores, ranging from $100-a-night options like Beachside Hotel to slightly more expensive options like the Hilton Vacation Club Daytona Seabreeze Daytona Beach.

Florida's weather is typically warm, humid, and a little bit buggy, so make sure to pack sunscreen and bug spray for your visit. As for what else to do in the area, New Smyrna Beach, considered to be one of the East Coast beaches that are a must-visit for surfers, is less than 20 minutes south of the town. And about an hour north, you can also experience American history with Spanish flair in St. Augustine.