From ferocious-looking, life-sized dinosaurs to a larger-than-life beauty skinny dipping in the bay, the Barber Marina in Elberta, Alabama, near the Gulf Shores is full of fiberglass creations by artist Mark Cline. Search for these outdoor sculptures on 10,000 acres of wooded green space near Wolf Bay and Bay La Launch.
Visiting by boat, you may first glimpse a 108-foot woman skinny dipping. Visiting by car, you may first spot a dinosaur. However you get to Barber Marina, you’ll see a quirky collection of roadside art unlike any other.
Barber Marina was founded by George W Barber, Jr., an American businessman, racecar driver, real estate developer, and philanthropist from Alabama. Beginning with the dinosaurs in the woods, he commissioned many of the roadside attractions you’ll find placed throughout the marina from Mark Cline, a foam and fiberglass artist from Virginia.
Although the tiny town of Elberta, Alabama, is just across the bay from Orange Beach, it takes about 45 minutes to wind your way around the water from the Gulf Shores to the town of 1,400 people. But when you do, you’ll see what happens when a fun-loving billionaire connects with a creative genius.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the quirky roadside attractions at Barber Marina in Elberta, Alabama.
Have You Visited Barber Marina?
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How to Get to the Quirky Roadside Attractions at Barber Marina
Follow directions to the Barber Marina at 26986 Fish Trap Road in Elberta, Alabama. After turning south onto Barber Parkway from Fish Trap Road, watch for Bamahenge about a mile down the road on the right. The site isn’t marked, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for it! About a quarter mile past Bamahenge, you’ll see dinosaurs on both sides of the road and the giant sundial. Keep following the main road all the way to the water for additional surprises, ending with Lady in the Lake.
What Does it Cost to Visit Barber Marina?
There is no fee to visit the Stonehenge replica, the Barber Marina dinosaurs, Lady in the Lake, or any of the other roadside attractions at Barber Marina.
Bamahenge, a Full-Size Stonehenge Replica in Elberta, Alabama
With four different stone shapes, Bamahenge is 21 feet tall and 104 feet across, just like the original Stonehenge in England. And, if that isn’t impressive enough, Cline positioned Bamahenge to align flawlessly with the summer solstice. That means if you stand on the west edge of Bamahenge on the morning of June 21st and look eastward toward the entrance, you’ll see the sun rise through the fiberglass stones.
Pro Tip: Discover additional Stonehenge replicas (and parodies) across the United States.
Dinosaurs in the Woods at Barber Marina in Elberta, Alabama
When you’re done exploring Bamahenge, keep heading south on Barber Parkway and watch for prehistoric creatures lurking in the woods along the road. Artist Mark Cline has built more than 400 foam and fiberglass dinosaurs in his lifetime, and four of his creations can be found in the Dinosaurs in the Woods exhibit at Barber Marina.
You’ll find a tyrannosaurus rex, stegosaurus, and triceratops on the right-hand side of the road. And there is a brontosaurus tucked in the woods to the left.
Pro Tip: Because of the limited space available to pull off the road and the trees growing up around him, the brontosaurus is the trickiest dinosaur in the woods to reach.
Giant Sundial in Elberta, Alabama
If you didn’t get enough prehistoric time-telling thrills from Bamahenge, don’t worry. Sandwiched between the t-rex and the brontosaurus is a giant sundial. Perhaps because we visited on an overcast day, or perhaps because none of us knew quite how to read a sundial, this roadside attraction wasn’t as engaging as others at Barber Marina.
Neptune Fountain at Barber Marina
Continuing south to the marina, at the center of a traffic circle that spins Neptune Blvd into Harpoon Drive, is a 30-foot-tall fountain that makes you feel like you’ve been transported from Elberta, Alabama, to Rome, Italy. The fountain features Neptune, the Roman god of water, and the mythical seahorses that pull his chariot through the sea. But Neptune’s seahorses don’t resemble the creatures you spot in an aquarium. The aqua god’s seahorses are Minotaur-like creatures with the head and body of a draft horse and the powerful finned tail of an ocean-dweller.
A Spider Big Enough to Cause Arachnophobia in Insect Lovers
Taking the first exit off of the Neptune fountain-filled traffic circle, keep an eye out for a gigantic steel spider sitting in front of a storage building just to the west of the marina.
Fun Fact: While I have several arachnophobes in my family, George Barber, the businessman behind Barber Marina, must love spooky spiders. At the motorsports park in Birmingham, Alabama, that also bears his name, a similar spider watches over a turn from the infield.
Pro Tip: While we were unable to find the knights standing in the woods, the word on the street is that they are not too far from the big-ass spider. Continue to follow the roundabout to the left, and look for a handful of life-sized copper knights tucked into the natural green space.
Lady in the Lake (But It’s Really a Bay)
When the road ultimately meets the marina, look for a gigantic fiberglass woman skinny dipping in the bay. Although artist Mark Cline called the piece Country Girl Skinny Dipping, everyone else called her Lady in the Lake, and that name stuck.Visitors see the brunette beauty as a doppelganger to different famous women, but the most common description is a cross between country music singer Sara Evans and Academy-award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. Regardless of whose face you see as you gaze at this bathing beauty, she’s definitely the largest fiberglass creation on display at Barber Marina.
Fun Fact: If the 50-foot fiberglass woman stood up in the bay, she’d actually be 108 feet tall.
Bonus Experiences at Barber Marina
In addition to the roadside attractions listed above, keep an eye out for additional pieces of outdoor art and sculptures. You’ll find driftwood carved into crab-shaped chairs, dolphins jumping in front of the main building at the marina, seahorse sculptures lining one of the roads, and an Alabama ‘gator sunning himself on the grass. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, the Barber Marina is a full-service boat yard in addition to a quirky roadside attraction!
To Visit Barber Marina
Location: 26986 Fish Trap Road, Elberta, Alabama 36530
Cost: Free. There is no fee to visit the Stonehenge replica, the Barber Marina dinosaurs, Lady in the Lake, or any of the other roadside attractions at Barber Marina.
Where to Stay: Find the perfect accommodations in the Alabama Gulf Shores area
Have You Visited the Roadside Attractions at Barber Marina in Elberta, Alabama?
Were you able to find all four dinosaurs in the woods? What did you think of Bamahenge? Could you find the knights tucked into the green space near the Neptune Fountain? Did you discover any other outdoor art or sculptures during your visit? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Looking for more information to plan your Alabama vacation? Check out my additional recommendations to help you plan your trip to Alabama, including what to see and do in Alabama, the best places to stay in Alabama, where to eat in Alabama, and more!
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Enjoyed going to see the Beautiful Art and the marina too bad the boat dock is under construction.
Oh, that is a bummer! When were you there?
I was drawn to this article because of the dinosaur picture – I’m dinosaur mad! There are similar types of models around a park in London (around crystal palace park) but I love quirky sculptures in public spaces. I really like the one of the ‘lady in the lake’, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scuplture quite like that.
Now you’ve got me curious about the dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park in London. I wonder if they’re by the same artist as these at Barber Marina?!?