David Bridges
Key Highlights
- Closing Date: The New Jersey theme park Field Station: Dinosaurs will close on Nov. 9.
- Dinosaurs for Sale: Several animatronic dinosaurs are listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, with prices ranging from $500 to nearly $3,000.
- Last Events: Visitors can attend special events like the “Jurassic Petting Zoo” and “Dinosaurs After Dark” before the park closes.
- Buyer Responsibility: Buyers must handle all deinstallation and transportation costs for the dinosaurs.
Have you ever wanted to own gigantic, realistic-looking dinosaurs for your backyard? Now might be your chance to scoop some up. Provided you have a few thousand dollars lying around.
The New Jersey theme park Field Station: Dinosaurs is closing Nov. 9, and they’re listing all their dinos on Facebook Marketplace. There are plenty to choose from, including a 52-foot-long Spinosaurus ($2,900), a Hadrosaurus with eggs and nest ($2,450), and a bright blue Parasaurolophus ($2,410).
Some of the dinosaurs have limited movement and voice boxes, along with controls. And everything must go, according to the park.
“Where do 30 plus dinosaurs go when their park closes?” Guy Gsell, the park’s executive producer, told NewJersey.com. “Hopefully to a good home — or maybe a few unexpected places. We’re ready to let the public make their best offers. Just be sure you’ve got a big backyard.”
The theme park opened in Secaucus in 2012 but had to close down in 2015 to make way for a new high school that was being built. Field Station: Dinosaurs moved to the Henry Hoebel Area of Overpeck Park in Leonia, New Jersey, in 2016.
The dinosaurs range in price from about $500 to almost $3,000, depending on the size. Listings for the dinosaurs note that “Buyers are responsible for all deinstallation and shipping/transportation costs,” while explaining that the theme park “will arrange to have all necessary equipment on site. Dinosaurs available for pick-up after November 9.”
The theme park recently appeared on a Fox reality show called The Fixer, where struggling small businesses get help, but it obviously wasn’t enough to keep this New Jersey attraction around.
Anyone who wants to see the theme park for its last hurrah still has an opportunity. There’s the “Jurassic Petting Zoo” Sept. 27 and 28, where visitors can get up-close encounters and “amazing photo ops” next to the dinos.
And there’s a special “Dinosaurs After Dark” event happening Friday and Saturday nights from Oct. 3-25 between 7:00 and 9:30 pm.
From the theme park’s website:
A spooky, funny and thrilling adventure for the whole family featuring a lantern lit tour of the park, games and activities where everyone is a winner, and The Dinosaur Séance, a mysterious thrill ride into the shadowy realm of dinosaur ghosts. America’s only Mesozoic medium and Cretaceous conjurer will be our guide as we journey into the Jurassic (Spirit) World and summon the long-lost spectres of the prehistoric dearly departed. Sometimes scary, sometimes funny but always surprising, the show features new puppets created by the acclaimed fabricators at Palmieri Puppets.
At the end of the night, everyone will gather around the campfire for a dinosaur song-a-long with the Dinosaur Troubadour. A thrilling adventure you don’t want to miss. Limited tickets; reservations highly recommended.
The park is also hosting a “Dogs & Dinos” day on Monday, October 13, from 10 am-5 pm, where visitors are allowed to bring their dogs.
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