Bedrock City

# Bedrock City (South Dakota)

**Flintstones Bedrock City** was a 62-acre theme park and campground in Custer, South Dakota in the Black Hills which features buildings and characters inspired by *The Flintstones* television series. The facility opened in 1966. It closed in 2015.

The campground was reopened as Buffalo Ridge Campground Resort. As of July 2019, they have taken down all Flintstones items. They have added many more camping sites. They are planning 10 tree houses in 2020 and are currently rebuilding pool.

The sister location in Arizona was put up for sale in 2015 and closed in 2019.

## Description

### **Amusement Area**

The park's entrance included a large gift shop, a drive-in restaurant which featured "Brontoburgers", and a 20-foot tall statue of Dino overlooking the entrance. After entering the park, visitors could ride an 1880s miniature train that takes guests to a western façade, through Dinosaur Canyon, around the park and returns to the depot after passing through a volcano called Mt. St. Wilma. Bedrock's City Hall welcomed visitors to the prehistoric town which includes the homes of the Flintstones, the Rubbles, Mr. Slate, and Mr. Granitebilt. Other features included a working movie cinema, playhouse theatre (featuring a show by the Flintstone Trio: Fred, Wilma, and Dino), radio station, telephone company, grocery store, police department, dentist's office, beauty parlor, stone scraper, fire department, Water Buffalo lodge, auto garage, and bank buildings. Interiors were decorated in the style of the show and featured sculpted and animated characters going about their daily lives in Bedrock. A feature at one end of Main Street was Mt. Rockmore, a replica of nearby Mt. Rushmore with the heads of Fred, Barney, Dino, and Mr. Granitebilt carved into a hill. The park also had a large playground with multiple unique activities

### **Campground**

The campground was tucked away behind the park and included a swimming pool, laundry/arcade, grocery store, putt-putt golf, playground, bathhouses, camping cabins and many campsites.

# Bedrock City (Arizona)

**Bedrock City** was a The Flintstones-themed roadside attraction consisting of an amusement park and RV park at the corner of Arizona State Route 64 and U.S. Route 180 in Coconino County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. The park was opened in 1972, following the owners' success with a predecessor park near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The park had licensed the likenesses of the Flintstones characters, and featured statues, rides, and a diner based on that theme.

In 2015, it was reported that the park's owner, Linda Speckles, was planning to retire and sell the park for $2 million US. The park was closed on January 28, 2019, but reopened in mid-June and remained open through the end of Summer 2019.

# Bedrock City (Dinotown)

**Dinotown** was a dinosaur theme park in British Columbia, which operated from 1975 to 2010. Originally located on Highway 1 at Bridal Falls, B.C. Canada, 15 minutes east of Chilliwack, British Columbia, it opened under the name **Bedrock City** and based around *The Flintstones* licensing. It reopened in 1995 under non-licensed dinosaur theming, and closed in 2010. From 2011 onwards, some temporary Dinotown exhibits operated in other locations.

## History

The Ell family opened Bedrock City in 1975. Buildings were based on the Bedrock city, featured in the Hanna-Barbera animated television series *The Flintstones*. Three other themed attractions held a *Flintstones* license, aside from the Kings Entertainment Company parks.

The park acquired large pipe, angle-iron and cement dinosaurs from Dyck's Dinosaur Park in Maple Ridge. The park included a "Jurassic Exhibit" on loan from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, a paleontology museum in Drumheller, Alberta. As of 2000, the park had a White Spot hamburger and casual dining restaurant, dubbed *White Spot Dinersaurus*.

The attraction would have a promotional *Kids Playce* at the Pacific National Exhibition some years, to preview their attraction. Further abroad, the characters appeared with Katie Couric on NBC's *Today Show*, and appeared at the American Museum of Natural History's Inaugural Trick or Treat with the Dinosaurs.

The park closed on September 6, 2010. The site of Dinotown is to become an 18-acre (7.3 ha) stratified manufactured home park, developed by Tri-R Development Group.

Talks were held with the Greater Vancouver Zoo, in Aldergrove, British Columbia, but they did not proceed further. Talks with the Pacific National Exhibition did not work out. The City of Surrey Economic Development Office approached Ell about relocating. Also listed were locations in South Surrey, Burnaby, and the "largest Ostrich farm in China".

As of April 2011, they were "currently in discussions with multiple lower mainland locations including Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster and Richmond."

In 2012 Dinotown Live was created and set up on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds for the summer and 2013 at Bridal Falls. For the summer of 2014, 2015 and 2016 Dinotown Funland operated at Cultus Lake, B.C. on 5 acres (2.0 ha), across from the Cultus Waterpark.