A T. rex will greet you at ‘Jurassic Park’-themed Airbnb in Washington. Take a look
Todd Perkins was 5 years old when he saw animatronic dinosaurs for the first time at a national history museum.
“Everything was dinosaurs from then on throughout my childhood,” Perkins told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
Now he and his wife Jessica rent out a “Jurassic Park” inspired Airbnb in Washougal, Washington, a town about 23 miles northeast of Portland.
The newly renovated home is nestled at the end of a long gravel road shaded with thick trees, vegetation and ferns. It’s almost jungle-like to resemble Isla Nublar, the fictional remote island the movie was set in.
Guests are welcomed with a sign to “Jurassic Retreat” and then a roar from an animatronic apatosaurus — a long-necked herbivorous dinosaur.
Perkins said he hopes visitors are amazed, the same way the characters were in the “Welcome to Jurassic Park” scene of the 1993 movie.
A tribute to the science fiction film
The three-bedroom, two-bath industrial-style home has themed rooms, a hot tub and five towering animatronic dinosaurs, including a T. rex, triceratops, apatosaurus and two velociraptors.
Perkins helped design the dinosaurs’ coloring and their postures with a manufacturer in China.
One of the bedrooms is themed after paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, a main character in the first film played by Sam Neill. The inspired decorations include a magnifying glass, his iconic hat and paleontology tools like picks and axes.
“Those little details for me is what kind of ties it all together,” Perkins said.
Another room has Dr. John Hammond’s cane and hat. Hammond was a billionaire and the owner of the amusement park who was played by Richard Attenboroguh.
Though the space has many nods to the “Jurassic Park” movie, Perkins said he did not include any of the movie’s logos or exact replicas from it.
Instead, the Airbnb is simply a tribute to the science fiction film. Perkins is not affiliated or endorsed by Universal or Amblin Entertainment.
The Airbnb is ready to book
The couple first came up with the idea to open an Airbnb about three years ago, and it’s their first Airbnb listing.
Once the two bought the home in a rural part of Wahsougal, the Airbnb took about four months to renovate.
Their first guests booked the home at the end of November.
Now guests can rent the home through Airbnb for $300 to $500 a night, depending on the season.
The couple lives in Pasco, about 200 miles east of Wahsougal, with their 10-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter.
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 2:22 PM with the headline "A T. rex will greet you at ‘Jurassic Park’-themed Airbnb in Washington. Take a look."
