Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
10 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
14 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
20 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
20 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Vermont Thetford Vermontasaurus

Vermontasaurus

This folk art dinosaur was almost pushed to extinction due to lack of a building permit.

Thetford, Vermont

Added By
joel
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Vermontasaurus   Chris Naka/Atlas Obscura
Vermontasaurus   Chris Naka/Atlas Obscura
Vermontasaurus   Chris Naka/Atlas Obscura
Vermontasaurus   Chris Naka/Atlas Obscura
Vermontasaurus at creation.   HopsonRoad on Wikipedia
Vermontasaurus and Baby Vermontasaurus, after being rebuilt.   Stephen Flanders via Wikipedia
Vermontasaurus, after collapsing   HopsonRoad on Wikipedia
  kensears37 / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to the museum   AmandaHuggenkiss / Atlas Obscura User
A view from inside the museum   AmandaHuggenkiss / Atlas Obscura User
Glider launching   AmandaHuggenkiss / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The massive collection of scrap wood that is vaguely built into the shape of a four-legged creature known as the Vermontasaurus is large enough to have been considered a building at one point. 

Created by Brian Boland, a "retired school teacher and experimental balloon pilot,” the Vermontasaurus is a 122-foot-long, and 25-foot-tall dinosaur sculpture made entirely of scrap wood. Building began on the cobbled creature in 2010 near the Post Mills Airport in Thetford, Vermont. Boland and friends created the monster using discarded planks from Boland's balloon manufacturing business, seemingly just nailing each piece atop one another, creating a chaotic hide. Once completed, the sculpture was subject of local debate as to whether a building permit was required for the great wooden lizard, but eventually, Thetford's Development Review Board allowed the structure to remain without a permit after deeming it as an artwork.

Ironically in June of 2012 part of the sculpture did collapse, but the belly of the beast was rebuilt by Boland and 50 volunteers in an amended form. During the repairs, the group also created an accompanying baby Vermontasaurus!

Related Tags

Dinosaurs Outsider Art Sculptures Animals

Know Before You Go

In addition to several scrap-wood "Vermonasaurs" there is an active airfield with glider launches and a stable filled with vehicles made from surprising objects. The Experimental Balloon & Airship Museum is filled to the rafters with bits of planes, hot air balloons, old medical equipment,  and a tree made from skis & ski poles. 

Community Contributors

Added By

leiris

Edited By

Rachel, kensears37, AmandaHuggenkiss, Michelle Cassidy...

  • Rachel
  • kensears37
  • AmandaHuggenkiss
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • dawnder01

Published

January 16, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermontasaurus
  • http://vhist.com/explore/vermontasaurus/
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/26053
Vermontasaurus
104 Robinson Hill Rd
Thetford, Vermont
United States
43.88636, -72.250786
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Lake Morey Skate Trail

Fairlee, Vermont

miles away

Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

Royalton, Vermont

miles away

East Corinth

Corinth, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 14

Nearby Places

Lake Morey Skate Trail

Fairlee, Vermont

miles away

Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

Royalton, Vermont

miles away

East Corinth

Corinth, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 14

Related Stories and Lists

8 Podcast Episodes About Odd and Amazing Public Art

outsider art

By April White

Vermontasaurus

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • The roadside sign announcing the park.

    Viñales, Cuba

    Parque Prehistórico

    Prehistoric history as seen through the lens of an outsider artist.

  • Staré Město, Czechia

    Kovozoo (Metal Zoo)

    Hundreds of "animals" created from scrap metal, alongside a collection of other oddities.

  • ‘Saved by a Whale’s Tail’

    Spijkenisse, Netherlands

    'Saved by a Whale’s Tail'

    This unique sculpture proved invaluable when it saved a train from careening off the tracks.

  • Junk Metal T-Rex

    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

    Junk Metal T-Rex

    Just outside this metal recycling center stands a prehistoric creature composed of scraps.

  • “Lady-in-the-Lake.”

    Elberta, Alabama

    Barber Marina

    Come for the boats, stay to explore the intriguing assortment of art.

  • Croc’s Sculpture Garden

    Nashville, Tennessee

    George Boedecker's Sculpture Garden

    Dinosaurs invade a suburban Nashville neighborhood.

  • Quartzsite’s camel sculpture.

    Quartzsite, Arizona

    The Red Ghost of Quartzsite

    A scrap-metal sculpture recalls an infamous 19th-century camel.

  • Borrego Springs, California

    Galleta Meadows Estate

    Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.