Bedrock City, an Arizona roadside attraction based on the 1960s animated series “The Flintstones,” has shut its doors after nearly 50 years. In 2019 the Flintstones theme park was replaced by Raptor Ranch, a park with birds of prey open to tourists. Luckily, the new management at Raptor Ranch has decided to keep the park alive indefinitely.
Built over 50 years ago during the Route 66 roadside attraction craze, this lonely concrete replica of a cartoon town has seen better days. An entire theme park with the licensed likenesses of the Flintstones characters. It solidly preserved the Flintstones legacy in appropriate stone-like concrete statues, rides, and even a dinosaur.
History of Flintstones Theme Park
Bedrock City was built by Francis Jerome “Hudi” Speckels (1940-1990) and opened in 1972. Concrete houses were built to resemble the Flintstone and Rubble residences and are furnished with props; a large metal slide resembles a brontosaurus, so kids can mimic the show’s famous title credits sequence.
Due to its isolated location, however, most of its park employees were let go. Over the past four decades, it’s had a steady stream of tourists, but not enough to turn a huge profit. The family that built Bedrock City has decided to sell their open-air Flintstones park.
In 2019 30-acre property was listed for $2 million, and comes with a gift shop, restaurant, convenience store, RV park and campground, all with a prehistoric theme. Same year they sold park to Troy Morris and Ron Brown, who announced that the Flintstones Era was ending and that the property would become an ecotourism destination named Raptor Ranch.
The remaining structures at Bedrock City are in disrepair, with crumbling pavilions and character replicas that need more than just a fresh coat of paint after baking in the desert sun for over 50 years. For Flintstones enthusiasts, the hope is that the park’s unique attractions won’t be reduced to rubble.
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Flintstones Theme Park in Arizona Ticket Price
The admission price is only $8 per person (free for campground guests). Flintstones Park visitors will still be able to slide down the brontosaurus.
Directions
On the west side of AZ-64, just north of its intersection with US-180. 28 miles north of Route 66, and 24 miles south of the Grand Canyon.
