At Home: Alexander Jones's Dinosaur Museum

Need to be reminded that “Smilodon” is the scientific name for the saber-tooth cat? Ask Alexander Indiana Jones, the 5-year-old son of serial entrepreneur and multimillionaire Scott Jones—the boy has set up a dinosaur museum in the family’s Carmel home. Alex apparently inherited his dad’s business savvy, too, because he usually asks anyone who isn’t related to him to pay a $1 entry fee. And according to mom VeeVee, who owns a mani-pedi salon, Alex thinks he’d make a good employer as well. He once told her, “My museum is better than your Little Nail Shop because it’s funner, and it’s not pink.”

FIGURINES
Alex ordered most of the 200 animals through Amazon and eagerly awaits the day when he can have new ones shipped via the company’s Prime Air. Though Dad is dubious about the potential service, Amazon says it would deliver packages to customers via an unmanned drone in as little as 30 minutes.

VOLCANO
The child pieced together this circular layout, including plastic trees and a volcano made with Playmobil sets and Legos. “Lest you think we helped, it was all him,” Scott says.

TICKET CAN & STAMPER
Alex offers visitors a ticket and stamps their hands. Torn tickets go into a can. “He seems to naturally be more entrepreneurial than most kids twice his age,” says Dad.

DINOSAUR BOOKS
Every day, Alex uses his reference library, stocked with titles such as The Ultimate Dino-Pedia. “I read them with Daddy,” he says.

LEATHER RHINO
This addition came from an East Coast furniture store. Rhinos, Alex points out, are not extinct.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH
Santa brought Alex this stuffed animal two years ago.

BOUNCY DINOSAUR
This toy was a gift from a friend.

Photo by Tony Valainis

This article appeared in the February 2014 issue.