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Fossil Fun Games at Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2015 |
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As you head down U.S. Route 498 through Diggs County at Yester Animal Kingdom you encounter a small amusement park, Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! Although it’s not as good as Disneyland, it can be a lot of fun. |
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The little park is here because husband-and-wife gas station owners Chester and Hester recognized a business opportunity. There were plenty of tourists in the area after dinosaur bones were discovered nearby, leading to the establishment of the Dino Institute with its paleontological exhibits. After a few hours of looking at the serious offerings of the Instutute, the tourists would be looking for something else to do — something genuinely fun. The couple decided to build a roadside attraction in a weathered parking lot across from their gas station and store. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Take a bite out of the sign |
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Ordinary off-the-shelf rides and games would not do. Tourists visiting the Dino Institute would obviously be interested in dinosaurs, so everything needed to be themed to these extinct creatures. Chester and Hester had as much creativity as the Disney Imagineers in far-away Glendale, California, so they filled their little park with all sorts of clever prehistoric references. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2012 Roadside attraction with Fossil Fun Games on a parking lot |
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In addition to two one-of-a-kind rides, TriceraTop Spin and Primeval Whirl, Dino-Rama offers Fossil Fun Games, with one-of-a-kind carnival games, a funhouse mirror, a photo booth, face painting, food, and merchandise. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2018 Cementosaurus and Fossil Fun Games |
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In truth, Chester and Hester are fictional characters invented by those Disney Imagineers. The discovery of dino-fossils here, the arrival of tourists, and the couple’s entrepreneurial endeavors are just an elaborate backstory. It’s the “glue” that ties the disparate elements of DinoLand U.S.A. together. Enjoy the backstory while playing the carnival games of Fossil Fun Games. First you need to buy game vouchers. Then play each of the five games. If all that makes you hungry, have snack or a meal. Finally, buy some merch and have your kids’s faces painted. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2024 The place to get game vouchers |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2005 “Whac-A-Packycephalosaur“ — bop these Cretaceous era dinos with a mallet |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2022 A closer look at “Whac-A-Packycephalosaur” — a dino version of “Whac-A-Mole” |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2005 “Fossil Fueler” — Be the first person to fill your tank in this water-squirt game, and win |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 A closer look at “Fossil Fueler” |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 Fictional gas pump brands of “Fossil Fueler” |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2005 “Mammoth Marathon” — Roll balls to move your wooly mammoth forward; win a prize |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2005 “Comet Crasher” — Win by tossing “comets” into moving goblets |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2005 “Bronto-Score” — Score a prize by shooting basketballs |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Dino-Whamma: Corn-Ivores Hot & Fresh Popcorn and Ice Cold & Refreshing Coca Cola |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2018 Dino Diner: Midway Snacks and Cold Beverages |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Dino Diner menu |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2022 “Shop Till You’re Dizzy” merchandise kiosk |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Animal-themed face painting |
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Because you know the detailed backstory of DinoLand U.S.A, you probably enjoyed Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! more than guests who think that this is just an actual former parking lot with actual off-the-shelf rides, games, and places to spend money, not worthy of being in a Disney park. |
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At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! opened in DinoLand U.S.A. on November 18, 2001 with Fossil Fun Games and TriceraTop Spin. Another ride, Primeval Whirl, opened five months later, on April 18, 2002. Fossil Fun Games and the rest of Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! closed permanently on January 13, 2025. All of DinoLand U.S.A. will become a Tropical Americas land. A ride that takes guests into the magical Casa Madrigal from Disney’s animated movie Encanto (2021) is being built at the site of Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama!. |
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© 2025 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated October 17, 2025 |
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