Dinosaur Days Out
Children’s love of Dinosaurs is not looking like it will be extinct any time soon and here at Raring2go! we can’t believe how many opportunities there are in our area to have fun dinosaur days out with these ancient creatures.
Here are the best places to find them.
Step back in time as you come face to face with some of the largest, most unusual and fearsome animals to ever roam the planet.
Land of the Living Dinosaurs features over 40 life-size, animatronic dinosaurs, making it the largest animatronic dinosaur attraction in the UK. All dinosaurs have moving arms, tails and heads and you can even see them breathing’. Life-like grunts, squawks and mighty roars emit from the prehistoric beasts and along with themed planting, geyser and swamps, the immersive experience makes you feel as if the story of the dinosaurs is unfolding in front of you.
Reaching a huge length of almost 50 feet, one of the newest additions to the Land of the Living Dinosaurs, is a Spinosaurus. This is one of the largest and longest predatory dinosaurs in the exhibit, staying true to scientists’ beliefs that Spinosaurus was the largest predator to ever roam the earth! The exhibit also features a family of Quetzalcoatluses the largest animals to have ever taken to the skies.
See friendly Stegosaurus, ginormous Argentinosaurus and the terrifying T-rex as you journey through the four different time periods, starting with the Permian and ending with the Cretaceous. There is even a chance to dig for fossils in our Dino Dig, meet our baby velociraptor and chat to the knowledgeable Dinosaur Keepers.
2. The Herbert Museum and Art Gallery – Dippy in Coventry
Dippy the dinosaur is a life-size replica of a Diplodocus carnegii skeleton – a 26 metre-long dinosaur that lived 155-145 million years ago. For over 100 years, Dippy has been delighting visitors of all ages at the Natural History Museum in London, and now Coventry families have the chance to discover the Jurassic giant on their doorstep! Dippy the dinosaur is a life-size, plaster-of-paris replica of a Diplodocus carnegii skeleton. It became the first Diplodocus to go on display anywhere in the world when it was gifted to the Natural History Museum by Andrew Carnegie on 12 May 1905. It quickly became a star, capturing hearts and imaginations, and went on to complete a whirlwind tour of the UK in 2017. Diplodocus carnegii lived during the Late Jurassic period, about 155 – 145 million years ago and their skeletons have been found in North America. They were huge, plant-eating dinosaurs, with long whip-like tails. They grew to about 24-26 metres long and probably weighed up to around 15 tonnes. For comparison, a London double-decker bus is around 14 metres long and weighs 12 tonnes.
3. All Things Wild, Near Evesham
All those dinosaur mad youngsters will love the Step Through Time Dinosaur Experience, where you can get up close to these amazing creatures of the past! Stand next to the mighty T-rex and friends, ride the Dino Land Train, search for bones in the Dino Dig or even jump aboard a real-life digger in Dino-Diggerland, you will not get bored! Also, be sure not to miss out on the educational Dino Barn! There’s a pre-historic seas section ‘Monsters of the Deep’, where you can see a unique CGI Prehistoric aquarium, showing the reptiles that swam the Earth’s seas millions of years ago. You can then follow on round to the Dino section, where you can see dinosaur skeletons and fossils, and last but not least, an Ice Age section where you can discover Woolly Mammoths! There is just so much to learn!
All Things Wild also has a mini zoo, farmyard safari and lots of great play areas both inside and out, making it a great family day out, all year round, whatever the weather!
4. Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
In the Marine Gallery, discover the Thinktank Ichthyosaur, a giant sea monster from the time of the dinosaurs. Explore the other animals from the past and present that have adapted to life in the sea, including walrus, penguins and prehistoric marine crocodiles. Other highlights include the mounted skeleton of a prehistoric Giant Deer (Megaloceros) with huge antlers, plus the skull of a Triceratops.
5. Jurassic Wolves Dinosaur Trail
Visitors to Wolverhampton City Centre can look forward to a roarsome adventure with the Jurassic Wolves dinosaur trail and dino-themed events running throughout the school summer holidays. Meet Zeus Europe’s largest walking T-Rex, follow the dinosaur trail, take part in fossil digs and win prizes at this pre-historic celebration brought to you by Enjoy Wolverhampton BID.
- Sat 22 July – Zeus and Baby Dino’s Performance (Bell Square)
- Sat 29 July – Dino Dig (Queen Square)
- Sat 5 August – Dino Dig and Baby Dino’s (Queen Square)
- Sat 12 August – Dino Dig (Queen Square)
- Sat 19 August – Dino Dig and Baby Dino’s (Queen Square)
- Wed 30 August – Zeus and Baby Dino’s Performance (Bell Square)
6. Play@Lower Drayton Farm nr Penkridge
This summer, PLAY@ Lower Drayton Farm’s Dino Discovery Maize Maze is back – bigger and better than ever – and now featuring LIFE-SIZE dinosaurs! As well as the farm’s massive indoor and outdoor play areas, large & small animal zones and friendly animals to meet you’ll head on a quest to help the dino wranglers find their missing charges in the maize maze. SAVE! Get 10% off when booking online by visiting our ‘Save and Win’ pages on the website.
Get outside for some roarsome dinosaur fun at Arley Arboretum. Test your dinosaur knowledge on our dinosaur ranger trail. Do you know what carnivores likes to eat, do dinosaurs lay eggs, why do some dinosaurs have armour? Follow our dinosaur trail and discover if you have what it takes to be a dinosaur ranger! Designed for younger children to complete with their families, every child (over 4) will be given a trail sheet, certificate and small prize as part of their admission ticket. In addition to our dinosaur trail we will also be offering Dinosaur themed forest school activities, with sensory sessions for younger children and their carers, and more adventurous sessions for older children. Look out for family yoga which will also have a dinosaur theme and our rock and fossil day, hosted by the Malvern and Alverley Geopark. Here you can learn about rocks and fossils and how they teach us about life when dinosaurs lived on the planet. You can even bring your own rocks, crystals and fossils to be identified by local experts! With a new play area for 2023, low slacklines, a maze and lots of open spaces for exploring there is plenty to keep the kids busy whilst you enjoy the beauty of the Arboretum and Gardens, even dogs on leads are welcome to join in the fun! Adults – £7, Children (4 – 15) £3.50, children under 4 Free. Additional activities – yoga and forest school incur an additional charge and need to be booked separately.
8. Playland Stourport, Dino Tours
Drive your own explorer jeep through the dinosaur trail. Watch out for the T-Rex!
9. Drayton Manor Dinosaur Trail
Say hello to our pre-historic friends at the Dino Trail located in our Zoo.
10. Dudley Museum at the Archives
Dinosaur Hunters can take a stroll amongst our prehistoric friends at Dudley Museum. You’ll be able to interact with many long dead species including Baryonyx and one of the earliest dinosaurs, Thecodontosaurus. You can even take selfies with the larger than life characters. Walk through the geology and mining gallery where and marvel at some of the 15,000 fossils, many of which are from the scientifically important Wrens Nest area, near Dudley.
11. Bilston Craft Gallery, Dinosaur room
The story of Bilston begins with its internationally-important, rocks and fossils. These precious minerals made it possible for industry to flourish and with it the creativity and ingenuity that helped to define the region. Arriving in the exhibition you will be greeted by a Norton Commando motorcycle and a three-metre long Dromaeosaurus. The exhibition features objects from many of the town’s industries, including cut steel jewellery, bicycles and the world-famous Bilston Enamels, you’ll learn about famous Bilston companies including Sankey, Beldray and Sunbeam. We also have a family-friendly dinosaur room which is home to Barry the Baryonyx, a full-size replica. Also on display are real fossils from the Dr. Fraser Collection and dinosaur fossil casts such as the famous Archaeopteryx, T.rex and Triceratops. You can design your own dinosaur and even dress up like a one!
You can play crazy golf amongst the dinosaurs at Wolverhampton Adventure Golf 18 Hole Family Prehistoric Adventure Golf Course at Perton Park Golf Course in Wolverhampton.
13. Jurassic Creek Adventure Golf at 3 Hammers Golf Complex, Wolverhampton
Take a step back in time and walk with life size dinosaurs as you explore this new course meandering through the waterfalls and crossing the swing bridge whilst playing 18 holes of crazy golf.
