Somewhere over the rainbow on Route 66 you’ll find this enchanting roadside attraction: the Rainbow Rock Shop Dinosaurs in Holbrook, Arizona.
Rock and petrified wood shops abound in eastern Arizona. It only makes sense as it’s a commodity that is prolific in the area, especially within the popular Petrified Forest National Park.
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What is petrified wood? Petrified wood is a type of fossilized wood that transforms over millions of years. Through a process called mineralization, organic matter in the wood gradually gets replaced by minerals, often silica or quartz, preserving the original structure and cellular details of the wood.
It is illegal to take specimens out of the park, so it’s only natural that shops surround the area that sell petrified wood of all shapes and sizes to tourists who want to take home a souvenir. And many of those shops do anything they can to lure you from the road and make sure their shop stands out above the rest.
Dinosaur statues are a popular theme for these roadside attractions, and attractions as Stewart’s Petrified Wood and Painted Desert Indian Center both erected giant dinosaurs to attract passersby. But one of the most recognizable examples is smack in the center of Holbrook’s Route 66 district: the Rainbow Rock Shop dinosaurs (also known as Indian Rock Shop).
These Holbrook roadside attractions are big cartoonish dinos that peek out over the chain linked fenced in yard. Owner Adam Luna spend more than twenty years crafting eleven dinosaurs of cement and reinforcing rods. They are popular backdrops for fun Route 66 photos, but be warned that the shop owner may or may not charge you $1 for each pic with them.
Of course as with any rock shop, the dinosaurs are just a front for the store. Step inside to find rocks, fossils, geodes, and petrified wood of various sizes along with souvenirs of all types.
Want to see another fun Holbrook roadside attraction? Head down the road and check out (or into) the Wigwam Motel.
More photos of Rainbow Rock Shop Dinosaurs in Holbrook, Arizona
Rainbow Rock Shop Dinosaurs
Address: 101 Navajo Blvd, Holbrook, AZ 86025
Cost: Free to See, May Cost you $1 each for selfies
Hours: 10am–4:15pm, Thursday-Saturday & Monday; 10am-3:30pm, Wednesday; Closed Sunday & Tuesday