When was the last time you saw dinosaurs in a zoo? If it's been a few million years, it's high time for a visit to Swetsville Zoo in Timnath, Colorado. Granted, it's not a zoo in the traditional sense, but rather a sculpture park filled with the crazy creations of Bill Swets. The former dairy farmer and volunteer firefighter began crafting his whimsical creations in 1985, using discarded car parts and industrial junk of all kinds. The result has been an outdoor "zoo" filled with welded metal dinosaurs, bugs, animals, and creatures that defy description that draws upwards of 20,000 visitors a year. Although he has no formal artistic training, it's impossible to look at his three-piece alligator band - complete with drum and banjo - and not smile at the creative genius of this humble man. Swetsville Zoo is less than an hour's drive from the Westin Westminster.
[image via Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce]
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