Dinosaur hunters are encouraged to look in Gwinnett County — no shovels needed.
Several giant foam dinosaur statues, at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center since last summer, have been moved to seven other locations in Gwinnett parks.
Once considered eyesores by some, the statues were formerly housed outdoors at a Duluth-area shopping center. County commissioners in 2015 decided they could no longer be in a parking lot because they were there without permission.
Gwinnett County's planning department said then that the dinosaurs and other "displays of bright colors" could be considered "visual blight" that would negatively affect neighboring properties. Commissioners let a giant model of the Eiffel Tower stay.
The eight dinosaurs, made of thick foam on a steel frame, were donated to the county in 2018, and have since been in county parks, said Sarah Barlow, Deputy Director of Natural and Cultural Resources in the county's parks department.
Last year, the county held two events focused on the dinosaurs. This year, they will be the focus of a scavenger hunt.
Through the end of next week, clues to the dinosaurs' whereabouts will be posted on the parks' social media channels so patrons can find the Citipati, Daspletosaurus, Maiasaura, Pachycephalosaurus, Pterodactyl, Dilophosaurus and Stegosaurus. They will stay in the parks through the end of the year.
Barlow said she expects the dinosaurs to be on the move again next year, assuming they are still in good shape.
“They have been a huge hit with our citizens and really brought that sense of wonder and whimsy alive, like only dinosaurs can!” she said in an email.
Residents are encouraged to post pictures of the dinosaurs, when they find them, with the hashtag #MeetMeAtThePark. The program is funded by the National Recreation and Park Association and the Walt Disney Company.
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