Hands up if you’ve got a toddler who’s obsessed with dinosaurs?
Thankfully, there are dinosaur parks scattered all over the UK that are perfect for kids and families who want to get up close and personal to our prehistoric animal friends during a fun day out.
Before you get too excited, we should stress that these are animatronic dinosaurs rather than the real thing — you’d be surprised at how many people have asked us if they’re real or not 🤦🏻♀️
We’ve got a mix here of standalone dinosaur parks and smaller attractions that are part of bigger wildlife and farm parks. Some parents love the variety you get in the more general wildlife parks, but you might prefer a standalone one if you’re only going for the dinosaurs. And, of course, your choice will probably depend on location too.
Wondering, “what’s the best dinosaur park near me?”
Let’s get straight into it…
The Best Dinosaur Parks For Young Kids
Gullivers Dinosaur and Farm Park
Gulliver’s Dinosaur and Farm Park in Milton Keynes is home to 32 animatronic dinosaurs and dinosaur rides — perfect for dino-crazy toddlers!
Known as The Lost World Of The Living Dinosaurs, there’s plenty to see and do here for all the family. It promises to be an educational trip as well as an entertaining one, as you learn about how these dinosaurs species lived millions of years ago and how they came to be. You can even stay in some of the special accommodation like the Dino Den or Lost World Cabin.
Gulliver’s is also home to a farm park, which contains a petting zoo and tractor ride. Kids under 90cm tall can enter for free so this doesn’t have to be an expensive day out if you have younger children.
Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
If you go down to Crystal Palace Park today, you’re in for a big surprise… because there’s about 30 dinosaur statues hanging out there! You can find them nearby the tidal lake, alongside 5 geological displays and other dinosaur related landscaping. Queen Victoria was even a fan of them back in the day!
While the Crystal Palace dinosaurs might not be the most historically accurate dinosaur park on this list, it is free to visit and an easy day out if you’re in the Southeast London area. Head for the Penge entrance for the park if you want the quickest route in.
Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure
Roarr! is a huge dinosaur park outside of Norwich that will provide a full day of dino adventures for all the family. It all kicks off on the dinosaur trail, which is home to our life-size prehistoric friends. Pre-school kids and toddlers will also love the paleontologist camp, maze, and Dippy-Ville — an indoor soft play area full of interactive floor games and digital walls. There’s also a splash zone for some water fun on a warm day.
There’s plenty to do for older kids too, including a raceway, secret animal garden, putting green, high ropes, deer safari and face painting. Kids under 90cm can visit Roarr! for free.
Dinosaur Isle
If you’re on the Isle of Wight and fancy a trip to a dinosaur park, you can’t go too far wrong with Dinosaur Isle. More of an educational museum experience than some of the parks on this list, Dinosaur Isle is a great choice for dino-crazy kids and future geologists. The Isle of Wight is famous for the many dinosaur related discoveries that have taken place here, so there’s really nowhere better to discover more about them!
There are over 1,000 fossils on display as well as animatronics, artwork and more. Under 3s can enter fo free and the whole museum is family friendly. It’s all indoors as well so this could be a good stop-off if it’s raining (although be prepared for a queue!).
Paradise Wildlife Park
Paradise Wildlife Park is — you guessed it — a zoo/wildlife park that has a section devoted to dinosaurs. The World of Dinosaurs is home to animatronic favourites such as the Velociraptor, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus and many more.
Once you’ve seen the dinosaurs, make sure to check out everything else Paradise has to offer. This includes the big cat area, reptile temple, farmyard, safari golf, pirate’s cover, and the brilliant Discover, Learn and Play Area.
The zoo is located in Hertfordshire and so is a great day trip from London if you’re looking for somewhere convenient to go with the kids. It’s very well set up for families with babies and toddlers, with the cafe providing a food warming area, baby changing facilities, private feeding rooms, an indoor soft play and buggy/wheelchair accessible routes.
The Dinosaur Park
Tenby in Wales is home to the famous Dinosaur Park that’s been beloved by dinosaur fans for many years. The main event is the brilliant Dinosaur Trail where you can spot the huge creatures in their ‘natural’ habitat, but there’s plenty more here for all the family.
Older kids will love the fossil hunts that are held daily, as well as the virtual reality shack, hurricane cars, motorised tractors, super bouncer trampolines, bubble ride and Wales’ only tubey ride. Younger ones certainly won’t be missing out as they can have a go on the dino safari, Herbie cars and even Ting Ting — a little baby Triceratops! Children under 2 can enter for free.
Paultons Park
Paultons Park in the New Forest is most famous for being the home of Peppa Pig World, but it’s also the home of the Lost Kingdom — one of our favourite dinosaur parks. You’ll find plenty of animatronic, life-like, walking dinosaurs here, as well as two large rollercoasters, lots of family dino-themed rides and a large outdoor adventure play area too.
Also at Paultons Park is Critter Creek, Little Africa, Tornado Springs and, of course, Peppa Pig World. Across the 140-acre park is over 70 rides, plenty of food and drink outlets, and lots of fun for all the family. It has routinely been voted the UK’s number 1 theme park and an absolutely perfect place for dinosaur-mad youngsters.
West Midland Safari Park
West Midland Safari Park is another huge animal park that contains a smaller dinosaur park — this one is called The Land Of The Living Dinosaurs. Despite being part of a larger attraction, The Land Of The Living Dinosaurs is actually the UK’s largest animatronic dinosaur attraction so a great day-out pick for families with younger and older children.
It’s equal parts entertaining and educational, and is split into different time periods — Permian, Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Budding paleontologists can also search for fossils in the Dino Dig attraction.
The larger safari park is also a must-see and a great alternative to visiting a zoo. It’s a drive through experience to see the animals but there are plenty more things to see and do besides. Make sure you check out the aquarium, reptile world, penguin cove, meerkat mayhem, African village and the adventure theme park for some brilliant rides.
Jurassic Journey
Dinosaur-mad kids love Jurassic Journey in Great Yarmouth. This walkthrough attraction has over 10 animatronic displays for dino favourites like the T-Rex, Stegosaurus and Velociraptor. The scavenger hunt is sure to keep all the kids happy and entertained, while even adults are likely to enjoy the dig with Professor Possilfossil.
Jurassic Journey is open all year round and it’s completely indoors so it’s another good option for a rainy day. Your ticket entitles you to stay all day but it’s likely that 2 hours will suffice for most. Under 3s can enter for free.
Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park
The Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park is set in 28 acres of gardens in North Devon and is — you guessed it — a combined wildlife and dinosaur park. The animatronic dinosaurs are life-size and span 3 of the most famous prehistoric periods — Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Little ones will love the Dino Express train while older kids will certainly learn something new from the dinosaur museum and the daily talks and encounters.
Dinosaurs aren’t the only thing on the menu at Combe Martin as their wildlife park is home to penguins, primates, meerkats, lions and wolves among other animals. There’s also a huge indoor soft play, Critter Cavern, tropical house and Tomb of the Pharoahs…
Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
If you’re looking for more of an educational experience than the usual animatronics, the Dinosaurland Fossil Museum in Lyme Regis could be a great call. This privately owned museum is home to 16,000 specimens from the local area, including countless fossils and skeletons from the Jurassic marine age.
The museum will introduce the concept of geological time, how we can date rocks, and how present day life can be refracted in the fossil collection. The museum is open every day and under 5s can enter for free. Bear in mind that there’s not a huge amount here for babies and toddlers but older kids and would-be palaeontologists will find it unparalleled.
Looking for more fun things to do with your little ones? Head over to our activities section!
