Fantastic Fiction: Natural Bridge's Dinosaur Kingdom II

For those who look to the Halterman Weekend to point them towards Roadside America, you are in luck!  Enter Dinosaur Kingdom II, a Mark Cline attraction, in Natural Bridge, VA.  A walk-through outdoor park of sorts, Dinosaur Kingdom II tells the fantastical story of what might have happened if latent dinosaurs had been awakened and used as weapons of mass destruction during the US Civil War.  Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, it's awesome!

Local artist and author Mark Cline has invented a story where, during the battle of Natural Bridge's Saur Hill, dinosaurs cryogenically "sleeping" in nearby caverns are awakened by the sounds of the battle.  The Union then tries to train them to fight the Confederacy--albeit unsuccessfully, largely because the dinosaurs just eat all soldiers without regard to their loyalties.  The story line is pure fun and never intended to be any form of scholarship--but for the nerds in us, it made a great place to discuss the formation of a good story.  In fact, Kim could totally see a field trip here for budding fantasy/sci fi authors.  There's a companion comic book, and seeing the pages from the book posted at parts of the exhibit honestly inspires reading.

If you go, walk slowly on the gravel paths, looking for surprises beyond the path in the woods, and take a second lap instead of exiting when you come to the out door.  For the most part, the dinosaurs don't move and aren't going to startle you, but there are several fun animations to activate by pushing buttons in the "village" through which you enter.  Be sure to check out the concept art featured in the art gallery of the village and watch the fake documentary about the Natural Bridge Civil War paleontologists--it has a bonus feature of one of the very first cartoons, a short about a dinosaur that G, age 4, adored.  Skip the strollers if you can--this gravel on a gentle grade, but enough to lock most wheels.  Relax and enjoy the all-ages fun--we saw couples, groups of teens, families with young kids.  To make a day trip of this adventure, know you are close to Natural Bridge Caverns, where we understand the DK admission stamp will yield a discount, as well as Natural Bridge State Park, not to mention Lexington, VA--a great place for a stroll and visits to various small museums.  For more fantasy-type fun with kids, check out Boxerwood Gardens.

Old-Fashioned Fun: Holden Beach Waterslides

This year on the annual beach trip, E had reached the requisite height to slide on the Holden Beach waterslides, officially known as the Magic Mountain Waterslide of Magic Mountain Fun Park.  The waterslides, just about as old as Kim herself, are in great repair and are a heap of good fun.  They may not be a thriller water park to feature on the Travel Channel, but they are very enjoyable classics with a wonderful retro cool factor.  They remind Kim of the three slides that were on the vintage Myrtle Beach oceanfront near what is now Family Kingdom (they were taken by Hugo and replaced by more modern, honestly less cool slides) and honestly reminiscent of the Water Boggan. She was too young to go to those slides then but not too old to go to Magic Mountain now.  And the height requirements for these slides?  It's not posted in inches--you walk up to a sign and check your height.  We estimate it is around 42-44 inches, but don't quote us.

There are three slides that wind down the hillside including Thunder, the gentlest slide; Lightning, the fastest slide; and Tornado, the slide with the most opportunity for you to bank, or "slide up" on the fiberglass sides, of the slide.  While Thunder features small tunnels, the slides are not truly enclosed at all and serve as a pleasant introduction to water parks for younger kids.  We had a hard time picking a favorite slide, but it was probably Tornado, as Tornado was long enough to make for a nice ride but fast enough to add a little thrill.  The climb up the hill to the slides is a great aerobic activity in and of itself, with the adults present obviously tiring a little more easily.  We did, however, see sliders of all ages.  Kim is glad she went and did the slides herself--the memory of E getting out of the pool, smiling and jumping up and down, hands aloft, waiting on Mom to splashdown will not soon fade.

If you go, plan to spend at least an hour, probably 90 minutes to two hours or so, at this piece of Roadside Americana.  You purchase slide time, and at the time of our visit, the rates were $15 for 90 minutes with all-day and three-hour options available for not much more.  In addition to the three big slides, there are two smaller, very basic slides reserved for small children.  Sliding is done with few rules, except not plummeting on your stomach feet first and being sure to slide solo, and with flexible sliding mats.  After sliding, you emerge in about three feet of water and can easily navigate to the exit of the pool as the water becomes increasingly shallow.  Kim was submerged a few times; E less so. The lifeguards and staff, while serious about important safety like height requirements, are not uptight in the least about managing the lines and pool exits--we never felt rushed, which kept everyone in the friendly, community mood that is appropriate for Holden Beach.  There seemed to be a lull on the day of our visit, owing either to lunch or a slightly overcast sky, that made for essentially no waiting (although waits were generally short anyhow).  If hungry, you can call ahead and place a lunch order at Mankin's across the street or enjoy the small snack bar, which had plenty of ice cream. While we think night slides would be fun, this attraction is closed evenings--the owner, local legend and businessman Jimmy Hobbs, just indicates it is a daytime thing.  All told, this is a great outing--and would be especially splendid for older siblings or new beach friends.