Is this the scariest attraction in Tennessee?

It's called "Backyard Terrors." Aside from the name, we knew there were some dinosaurs to be seen, free to the public, and that was good enough for us to make the drive to Bluff City, Tennessee.

We knew this wasn't some mainstream, corporate attraction, and the length of the winding, rural road leading to this curiosity was unsettling on its own.

We parked in an adjacent lot - or was it the neighbor's front lawn? - and apprehensively approached the one, lonely dinosaur that we saw from the road. It stood behind a few picnic tables, and one of the tables was in use. Were these people eating lunch at their own home, or was this a terrifying Jurassic park?

Luckily, a path led through some trees and bushes to the backyard, where there was thankfully more to this place. Much more!

Yeah. Welcome to Backyard Terrors.

The adorable, kid-friendly dinos quickly gave way to monstrosities like the one pictured above, an enormous Apatosaurus, and others.

The trees and plants were invasive, so guests weren't walking through a park as much as they were walking through a habitat. The dinosaurs were in the trees, flying in the air, feeding by the running stream.

See the tarped off entrance to the right? That's not for the feint of heart.

Then, it got better. Just before the park gives way to a long nature trail, a heavy, black tarp conceals an area that puts the word "Terror" in Backyard Terrors.

Hesitantly, we pulled back the opening flap and stepped into the darkness. It was so dark, we weren't sure if there was a path to follow. It was hot in there. It was humid.

Single file in the cramped darkness - in the middle of the woods, in the middle of east Tennessee - we inched forward. At times, we moved along the path, but in the darkness, we were just as likely to walk into the walls of this scary enclosure.

A faint glow in the distance called us forward through the darkness. Around a pitch black corner, we turned our heads and there, glowing in the waters, just feet away, swam the most vile dinosaur-shark creature we could have ever imagined.

We were startled. We were disoriented.

Our fearful march continued through what turned out to be an amazingly realistic and genuinely scary look at underwater dinosaurs. The darkness was lit only by the bluish mood lighting on these terrifying, floating exhibits. The first pair of eyes and the first set of teeth are permanently etched on my memory.

Visit the backyard, honor-system gift shop and leave a donation on the way out. The people who put together this awesome attraction deserve some love. Go out of your way (you'll have to) to see this one!