Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is officially closed. This marks the first phase of closures for DinoLand U.S.A., which will eventually become a Tropical Americas land. Take a detailed last look at the carnival area featuring TriceraTop Spin and Fossil Fun Games.
Dino-Rama Entrance
The carnival entrance featured a trio of blue and green dinosaurs on drum-shaped bases holding up a giant Dino-Rama sign. Since the start of Donald’s Dino-Bash several years ago, medallions for this celebration have also been on the supports of the sign.
The medallion features Donald with Daryl, an original character for the celebration. Daryl is a green, yellow, and orange bipedal dino. His species is believed to be the ancestors of Donald’s duck line.
At night, lights illuminated the sign, which read “Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama!”
According to the land’s lore, Chester and Hester are a married couple who lived in Diggs County, Florida. In 1947, the bones of a T. Rex were discovered, leading paleontologists to the town. While the scientists founded the Dino Institute, Chester and Hester turned their old gas station into a gift shop. They eventually developed the carnival, including Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin, and Fossil Fun Games.
The carnival is known for its kitschy mid-century design. The dinosaurs depicted in this area are cartoon-ish, in contrast to the more realistic and scientifically accurate dinosaurs of the Dino Institute.
One of the dinosaurs took a bite out of the sign and held the piece in its mouth.
A Pterodactyl held a “Welcome” sign above the main Dino-Rama signage.
A pair of cardboard cutouts frame the entrance archway. These depict groups of dinosaurs tipping their top hats as they welcome guests to the Dino-Rama.
The back of the archway signs read “Chester & Hester say… See y’all real soon!”
Of course, we won’t be seeing Chester and Hester real soon. We probably won’t be seeing them ever again.
“See y’all real soon” is similar to Mickey’s frequent goodbye “See ya real soon!”
Primeval Whirl was once one of the main attractions of Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama. The time-traveling coaster was the duo’s attempt to capitalize on the time-traveling operations of the nearby Dino Institute. Inspired by classic wild mouse coasters of old carnivals, the ride sent guests spinning through a cartoonish version of the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Primeval Whirl was Animal Kingdom’s first roller-coaster, opening with the rest of the Dino-Rama expansion in 2002. It switched to seasonal operations in 2019 but didn’t operate for much longer. It closed permanently when the parks closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney confirmed its permanent closure later that year and demolished the coaster in 2021. Since then, a blue fence has been up around the former footprint, with some extra picnic tables and umbrellas providing shaded seating.
TriceraTop Spin
TriceraTop Spin also opened in 2002. The Red Baron (aerial carousel) ride featured a marquee decorated with giant top cutouts.
The central part of the ride resembled these tops. A Triceratops was perched at the apex.
Outside the ride was a Triceratops figure balancing a striped ball on its horns.
The Triceratops ride figures were teal green with golden stars. They had two rows, with lever controls to move the dino up and down or tilt it back and forth.
The arms of the ride were lined with lights, as was the shade over the queue. The shade was striped blue and beige, with clouds and colorful swooshes around the tops.
Fossil Fun Games
String lights crisscrossed the carnival area. Past TriceraTop Spin were the Fossil Fun Games. These kiosks were classic carnival games, which guests could play after purchasing vouchers.
The string lights converged at the top of a strength game.
However, this game had not been operational for some time, with a popcorn stand blocking it. The popcorn stand was named Carn-ivores, with dinosaur silhouettes on the roof.
The rolling cooler featured a retro Coca-Cola advertisement.
Another retro cooler featured dinosaur graffiti artwork.
A blue therapod was depicted flexing next to the strength machine.
A sign next to the defunct game declared it “Dino-Whamma!” The sign looked like an asteroid had just hit and it was exploding with fire.
Game vouchers were available at this kiosk, as well as at a nearby merch stand. The kiosk featured a sign depicting two dinosaurs, one holding a mallet and a pair of vouchers.
Among the games were tables with umbrellas. On one lamppost was a classic funhouse mirror, which made guests look distorted.
The games featured colorful shades and marquees with pictures of dinosaurs. They each had punny names like Bronto Score, where guests could play basketball. The marquee featured Brontosauruses playing basketball.
With Bronto Score, guests won a small, medium, or large prize depending on how many baskets they scored. As Dino-Rama ran out of prizes, the large prize note was covered with masking tape.
Each basket was set against a star with smaller stars above it on a fan of stripes.
At Whac-A-Packycephalosaur, guests could whack the titular dinosaur with a hammer in hopes of scoring a prize.
Two Pachycephalosauruses were pictured butting heads on the kiosk’s marquee.
The dinosaur figures that popped out of the holes looked less than pleased about the game. Perhaps Disney picked the Pachycephalosaurus species for this game because they’re known for their thick-domed skulls.
At Mammoth Marathon, guests threw “snowballs” to advance their mammoths in a timed race.
Trophies and blue ribbons were pictured on the marquee. A pair of mammoths stood on red, white, and blue balls to the side of the light-up sign, which also featured a mammoth running with a dust cloud behind it.
Guests had to aim at three tiers of holes — walk, trot, or run. The tier determined how fast their mammoth would move.
There were sixteen stations corresponding to sixteen mammoths. The mammoth figures were each brown-gray and wore a cozy-looking patterned sweater. They had their corresponding number on their side facing players.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place were displayed above the playing field on a sign featuring orange stars.
Fossil Fueler was inspired by retro gas stations. The long-necked dinosaur on the marquee was half dino-half gas pump.
Also on the marquee were pictures of dinosaur-shaped oil drills.
“You gotta have fun! Every race has a winner! First player to fill’er up WINS!” The game was a water shooter, with the goal of “filling” your gas tank first.
Each station had a different dinosaur-themed gas name: Gasodon, Pteroil, Jurgassic, Extincto, Rochtang, Fossilene, and Supremadon.
Guests shot at a target with a black spiral.
The last game was Comet Crasher. The marquee featured a series of comets appearing to spin. A comet was the “o” of the game’s name.
Themed game prizes included Mickey and Minnie wearing DinoLand outfits, and depictions of some of the land’s dinosaur characters.
Guests could take a picture at this cutout photo op. They stood in the driver’s seat of a red car, with a Triceratops in the backseat. A pile of luggage was tied down with rope on the back. Behind the car was a green long-necked dinosaur and a blue therapod, both running towards a Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama sign. A Donald’s Dino-Bash medallion was on the car door.
Among the games was a photo booth. The photo booth featured images of dinosaurs posing for photos.
Guests could take pictures with the Dino-Rama or Disney’s Animal Kingdom logos on the strips.
Inside was the camera, screen, lights, and MagicBand scanner. Guests could add the digital photos to their PhotoPass account.
The back entrance of DinoLand, closest to the Theater in the Wild, was marked by a life-size green dinosaur. Dubbed the “Cementosaurus,” this dino had a light belly and dark spots on its back. Guests walked under the dinosaur to get to Dino-Rama.
On the other side of the Cementosaurus, it was painted with the “Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama” logo.
Billboards & Signs
Hanging around Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures were small advertisement signs. This set read: “Rough scaly skin…making you groan? Don’t despair! Use fossil foam!”
Another read “When in Florida be sure to visit Epcot.” It features the vintage Epcot logo with only “E” capitalized, various country flags in each letter, and a blue globe within the “c.”
Several billboards and signs dotted the rooftops of Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures and the adjacent restrooms.
A dinosaur cutout carried various shopping bags and boxes, including a bag reading “Shop till you’re dizzy.” One of the billboards featured a volcano of sequins reading “We’re ERUPTING with gifts.”
At night, the sequins glittered under lights. Another sign advertised “Merchandise of Extinction.”
A sign above one door read “Prehistoric prices! Mammoth deals!” Another featuring an asteroid said, “Going out of existence sale, everything must go!!”
A windchime hanging from a corner of the building features a Triceratops and Pteranodon. Another sign advertises the shop’s “Ice Age Air-Conditioning.” A dinosaur is pictured with warm clothing in front of an igloo.
One billboard advertises “Extinct Pleasures.” Another features a saber-toothed tiger: “Smilodon sez ‘Have a nice day!'”
More themed signs and billboards were at the back of the gift shop. This entrance was often used for Passholder magnet pick-up.
One sign simply said “Fossils.” Another said “Prehysterical low prices.” Directly above the doors was a sign reading “Welcome to our Dino Store,” featuring a picture of a dinosaur skull.
Because the store was once Chester and Hester’s gas station, there were remnants of that theming leftover. One sign reading “Our T-Rex Souvenirs are King” was clearly a painted-over sign that used to advertise gas. A light-up arrow pointing to the door said “This way to the Prehi-store.”
Further back into the trees was a dinosaur cutout holding a sign. A speech bubble above the sign read “Attention! You are now entering the grounds of”.
The sign then advertised Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama, reading “dinosaurs the way they were meant to be: big, green & fun!”
There was a trio of large billboards in the back corner, next to the Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures restrooms and the Primeval Whirl site.
One featured the Dino Institute, with Aladar the Iguanodon outside. It read, “When visiting Diggs County, see The Dino Institute” with the institute’s logo next to the words. The green Dino-Rama dinosaur was in the corner telling guests “But if you want some real fun…visit Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! Rides! Games! Laffs!”
The green dinosaur was also pictured on this faded sign for a non-existent parking lot. Parking was once 50 cents, but that price was crossed out in favor of $2.
The last billboard depicted the Dino Institute and Dino-Rama side by side with high-contrast colors and giant dinosaurs. It read, “Welcome to Diggs County – where fossils are our way of life!” Standing in the foreground was a paleontologist figure, with a dinosaur skull on the ground beside them. The figure looks, coincidentally, like Indiana Jones.
There were more retro-style signs throughout DinoLand. These similar signs featured a picture of the car photo op. “Hit the brakes… You’re here! Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! Rides! Fun! Games!”
An arrow sign reading “Take your best shot” features a vintage-style camera. Near The Boneyard is a sign reading “Dusty old bones getting y’all down? Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama for fossil-free fun!” It depicts two confused dinosaurs in the play area.
There’s a stop sign with the green dinosaur on top saying, “You just passed Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama!” Other standard road signs include a “Speed Limit 25” sign.
The green dino was also atop “Pedestrian Crossing,” “Roadside Attraction,” and arrow signs.
On a blue fence near the Cementosaurus were advertisements featuring various dinosaurs. Two advertisements said “Gift gags & novelties” and “Games of Chance.” The Cementosaurus was pictured on a generic sign for the Dino-Rama.
Other Dino-Rama Details
DinoLand had brown bins. While the recycling bins were unthemed, the green dinosaur was pictured on the trash can saying “Help keep Dino-Rama! clean.”
Daryl of Dino-Bash was pictured on the “World’s Largest Pin Truck,” which displayed old Disney pins.
On the other side of the fence from TriceraTop Spin was a display of topiary letters spelling out “Dino-Rama.”
The planters were made of license plates. The display was surrounded by white stones reminiscent of bones.
Planters made of painted rubber tires sat outside the restrooms. It featured small shaped plants.
The side of Chester & Hester’s had a mural of a volcano overlooking a scene of dinosaurs and tropical plants. A Hadrosaur figure sat in front of the mural.
Though Dino-Rama is closed, The Boneyard, DINOSAUR, and Restaurantosaurus all remain open. DINOSAUR is set to stay open through 2025 and the remainder of DinoLand is expected to close in early 2026. DINOSAUR will be turned into a new Indiana Jones attraction. Two new attractions will be constructed, one inspired by “Encanto.” The other will be a carousel of Disney characters. Diggs County will become the town of Pueblo Esperanza.
Though technically part of DinoLand, “Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!” will not close or change.
Will you miss DinoLand U.S.A.? Share your memories of the land with us in the comments and on social media.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.