When English teacher Steve Springer retired from the Clark County School District, he still longed to do something with children. After road works in 2005 tore up part of the front yard outside his home in Henderson, Nevada, he had the idea to use his yard for some type of educational exhibit. A few months later, he hit upon the idea of displaying dinosaurs in front of his house. This was the start of a project that transformed Springer’s average suburban home into the Dinosaur House (or, alternately, the Shangrila Prehistoric Park).
Springer, who is also now known as the Dinoman, initially started with a single brontosaurus statue in 2006. Over the years, this has expanded to over 60 different statues, most of which are of prehistoric animals but some of which are fantasy creatures, including dragons. Springer likes to make alterations to the statues over time, and he also decorates for various holidays, so the display may change over any given year. Aside from the statues, games are provided for small children, and Springer likes to hand out toys and candy. Visitors can even make a wish at the Magic Dinosaur Egg.
Some of the neighbors are unhappy with the seemingly garish displays in front of the Dinosaur House, and it also attracts a lot of traffic and people to what would otherwise be a relatively quiet residential area. Nevertheless, the Dinosaur House is also a popular place to visit for local families and for people looking for off-the-beaten-track tourist attractions in the Las Vegas suburbs.
Know Before You Go
The Dinosaur House is located in Henderson on Greenway Road near the intersection with Heather Drive. The house is easily reached by car from other locations in the Las Vegas area, and parking is available on the nearby side streets. For people staying in Las Vegas without cars, the bus route for the Boulder Highway Express terminates at the nearby College of Southern Nevada Henderson Campus, which is about a 15-20 minute walk from the Dinosaur House.
See the website for the Dinosaur House for current visitor hours. Note that the Dinoman likes to give tours of his property but will not do so if the weather is excessively hot, cold, rainy, or windy. Also note that Halloween is the most popular time of year to visit.
