Rex, the Beach Blvd Dinosaur

Rex has always been in my life. I have some fond memories with this old dino. And… YES!
I am home grown
Jax4-​ever

The man, the myth, the legend. Although I didn’t grow up in Jacksonville, I’ve heard tales. For whatever reason, his eyes have never been lit up when I drive by at night, might have to make a night time trek to the beach for that.

Who doesn’t love Rex? I remember when… geez, I think I just officially became OLD. I can’t thank the property owner and the UNF students enough for saving ol’ Rex. Ya’ll are awesome. Rex is awesome.

Okay, so I really go into the Asian/​Hispanic grocery store located at the plaza where this dinosaur lives, eats, sleeps, poops, greets fans/​cars, and whatever else he does on a daily basis.
Reading the reviews from Unilocalers who have lived or grew up in Jax provided me with some information about Rex the dinosaur. Not only is he a landmark focal point for me when I know I’m getting close to the plaza, but the history surrounding this giant orange dino is pretty cool. Thank you all for sharing!

I love driving by this, especially at night when it’s eyes light up! This is one of my favorite Jacksonville icons!

While I personally do not have a history with this sexy Rexy, I love hearing about the stories from the people that do. He goes back quite a long time and it makes me smile that people have rallied around this guy, made plans to save him… and still appreciate him to this day.
I’ve seen him driving down the road many times, but took a moment to say hello in person yesterday. Now, he’s a Rex in a cage, and hopefully not going anywhere, anytime soon.
And, his eye just kill me! Gotta love a Jax icon in all his glory.

Love that guy. Brings back memories driving by ‘em. Glad they didn’t tear Rex down when they developed that lot.

This is an icon for Jacksonville, Florida. Rex used to be at a putt putt golf course and a race car track. I took my two boys there when they were little. The JU students did a project to save Rex and the refurbished him. Looks like he could use some pressure cleaning on his back.

New to Jacksonville, I have driven by this dinosaur plenty of times. I am so glad Rex has a Unilocal page! I have learned so much from you fellow Unilocalers about why he is hanging out in a strip mall of all things and now I get it. Thanks Chris O for posting that photo of what it used to be. Thanks guys for educating me :) 5 stars for Rex. I think he is great! Don’t ever let him become extinct!

A really great old relic of Jacksonville Past. I remember Rex from when I was a teenager, playing mini-​golf on Beach Blvd. Every time we went to the beach we could tell where we were when we passed Rex. (it’s a long way to the beach from Ortega)

Rex! I am SO GLAD they kept him after Goony Golf closed! I have fond memories of going to Goony Golf as a little tyke, and Rex was one of my favorite parts!

It’s not every day that you can tell someone that you drive by a ginormous orange dinosaur on a regular basis with out them wondering if your crazy!

My brother was obsessed with dinosaurs. And mini golf. Reading all the reviews about Rex and how he came to be in his current home makes me miss my days at Goony Golf.
It was really goony. And by goony, I mean difficult. I feel so old when I start my sentences with «Kids these days…», but I do really think they DON’T understand. I’ve been to a few mini-​golf venues over the past few years with various nieces and nephews and they can’t even hold a lit match, let alone a candle to what Goony Golf used to be.
Rex is just one of the few reminders around Jacksonville that while we may be big in (land) size, we’re a small town at heart.

I am also born and raised Jax Bch. I have seen Rex I think from the beginning. I remember playing putt putt trying to send the ball down between Rex’s feet. Now it was David Ash of Ash Properties that moved him to the spot he is today and the art students of FJC («The Big Fletcher on Beach Blvd to us») that restored and painted him. I see him from time to time and he is nice to have as a reminder of the old beach.

Rex, you are just too cool! You’re so big and so orange, and your itty bitty arms are so cute! I smile every time I drive by and see you! I’m sure I’ve seen you a thousand times, but to this day, every time I pass you, I make sure to point you out to whoever may be with me, even though they’ve more than likely seen you a thousand times before too. Stay cool, Rex. I’ll see ya again real soon!

I have been seeing this giant orange dinosaur for at least 40 years! Maybe longer than that. Everybody played gooney golf here and we had birthday parties, church outings, scout field trips around this big fellow! This dino could probably tell some great stories if he were alive to talk— some we’d probably want him to forget! :)
I was just «surfing around Unilocal» and came across this surprise «business» and just had to put my two « UnilocalS» in.

I was born and raised in Jacksonville, and Rex has always been a part of what I call home. I was worried when I left for college a few years ago because Rex was in a bad condition and it looked like they were going to take away a piece of my childhood. I was pleasantly surprised when I got back to find that not only was he still there, but that someone had taken care of him and repainted him.
The person who repainted him deserves a medal and so does the person who created this page for him. :)

I’m not usually someone who says that things should be left in place simply because they are old, but it gives me great joy to drive by this monument to Florida’s historical family fun center (Goony Golf) on Beach Boulevard. I actually played mini golf there once, back when old Rex was perpetually lifting a cave man off the ground and setting him gently down right in front of my ball.
This landmark used to serve as my indicator that I was almost to the beach, when I sat in the back seat of my mom’s car en route to soak up the sun.
If they ever do take it down, it will be missed, and not soon forgotten by those of us who remember its erstwhile glory!

Oh Rex! This little guy is at the heart and soul of Jacksonville. I am so thankful that the people who demolished the Gooney Golf course decided that Rex was just too precious to knock down. [Seriously, they should have decided that about all of Gooney Golf. That place was amazing and do we REALLY need another strip mall?]
I love passing by this lovable creature on my [somewhat rare] drives down Beach Blvd and being flooded with memories of yester year. The funky miniature golf course that took some REAL skill [this was no Putt Putt, thank you very much] was a serious joy in my childhood. And Rex is there to remind us all of what used to be. The Good Ol’ Days. It is very appropriate that he is an extinct animal.
New or old, big or small, young or elderly… everyone loves Rex. And Rex loves everyone. He isn’t partial.

This man – err. reptile has been standing since the beginning of time! Well, I’m not sure how long he’s been up there, but it’s been at least 20 years!
Yes, he has been standing guard of this stretch of Beach Blvd since back in the days of Gooney Golf. I still remember that day circa 1986 when he watched over me as the go-​cart swayed dangerously close to an evil dog chained to a doghouse on the amusement park. Yes, a crazy dog in an amusement park. That is how they ran things here back then.
Well, Gooney Golf soon became a hole in one (hyuck hyuck), but T-​Rex refused to be torn down! Oh no, he stood the test of time. And as winds and rain and the burning Florida sun threatened to turn him into a ball of dust, he survived…
…Up until a few years ago when they turned this almost extinct creature into the blazing glory he is today, complete with eyes that light up the evening sky. Hooray for T-​Rex! He is my hero of Beach Blvd! A true Jacksonvillian icon! Haha
(PS, this is review #400! Hooray!)