DORM-osaurus

While sections of the original Dino Institute building have since been turned over to the paleontologists working in the area, the remainder of the facility houses dormitories for the grad students.

From the look of things, there's not much for them to do in Diggs County when they're not working the Boneyard. This has led to all sorts of pranks, the most widespread being those of the "osaurus" bandit. He or she has tacked "osaurus" on the tail end of signs all over the place. The largest of these is nailed to the old "RESTAURANT" sign atop the building, changing it to "RESTAURANT-osaurus."

Look around, and you'll find lots of other examples of intern hijinks. A pair of chairs are positioned on the roof (along with a stack of empty beer cans) for a round of archery. Bows and plunger arrows are standing by, and it looks like someone has already gotten off a few shots. A couple of arrows are firmly stuck to the wall of the water tower across the way.

Off to the right are the windows of the dorms themselves. You can definitely college students live here. At one window is a wind chime made of cans. The other has clothes strung out to dry. No spare change to do laundry this week, I guess.

Just because they're a little wild, it doesn't mean these students don't have rules to live by: No Food or Drink in the Bunk Room, No Loud Music After 10, Lights Out at 11.

In the Bunk Room, take the time to look up and look closely. There are literally hundreds of tiny details here to discover, from magazines and record albums to movie posters and book titles (all relevant to Dinoland). Each bunk has a distinct personality. At one, stanchions and velvet rope from an old theater line the edge of the loft. There's even a sign stating "Balcony is Closed." Still another favors a retro style with macrame, candles and a bean bag chair.

Down below is The Hip Joint, a cool hangout that students over the years have cobbled together. The walls of The Hip Joint are covered with plaques awarded to individuals for significant accomplishments... or the lack thereof. Quite a few of them are Zip Awards, presented to the intern who manages to find absolutely nothing ("zip") by the end of the season.

Along the outside edge of The Hip Joint is this old Airstream trailer (which actually belonged to the grandmother of one of the Imagineers who worked on the project).

Inside, it's been made over as the hippest hangout of them all, with cool retro booths and a jukebox stacked with great old songs.

Just what songs, you may wonder? Well, some are real ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" & "She Blinded Me with Science"), some are made up ("Some Encrusted Evening" & "If I Knew You Were Coming, I'd Have Dug a Bone") but all help further the story of Dinoland, U.S.A.