Cabazon, California

Weird Tourist Attractions and Roadside Oddities

The small desert town of Cabazon, California is famous for it's two roadside oddities--

Dinny and Rex, the Cabazon Dinosaurs

Starting his creations in 1964, Claude Bell scrounged much of the materials for these two roadside oddities. He worked on them for years and was almost finished with the second dinosaur when he died in the late 1980s.

"Dinny", the first of the dinosaurs, is an Apatosaurus.

Dinny is a giant dinosaur in Cabazon CA.

Dinny, one of the Cabazon dinosaurs, has a gift shop full of funky kitschy souvenirs in her belly. Many are, of course, dinosaur oriented.

She is 150 feet long.

One of the huge dinosaur roadside oddities in Cabazon CA.

The stairs in Dinny's tail leading up to the gift shop. Cabazon CA.

Enter her tail and climb a set of stairs to a gift shop in her belly that is brimming with dinosaury items.

Rex, a...you guessed it...Tyrannosaurus Rex, towers over people, semis and palm trees.

One of Rex's giant feet. Rex is a Cabazon Dinosaur. Cabazon CA.

Here's his foot but with nobody sitting on it, the standard roadside oddity photo op, it's kind of hard to tell how big that foot really is.

But then, when you stand back a bit and look up... A huge roadside oddity in Cabazon CA - Rex the dinosaur.

A huge roadside oddity in Cabazon CA - Rex the dinosaur.

...He's really pretty gosh darn big.

There are a couple of chain restaurants by the dinosaurs but to make this particular California adventure complete, the Wheel Inn is the place to go.

It's a kitschy old diner from the 1960s.

The day I was there the waitress was wearing a Flintstoney type dress. To stay with the dinosaur theme, order their dino burger and scrumptious fries to go. Then dine with the dinosaurs at one of the tables under Dinny's belly.

And since you're in the desert, home to a bunch of date groves, a date shake with that dino burger is an absolute must!

Never had a date shake?

MMMMMmmmmmmm. They are good!!!!!

The dinosaurs are just off Interstate 10 in Cabazon. The Wheel Inn is right next to them.

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