Thomas Land

Thomas Land is a world of Thomas-themed rides 

and attractions.  

You can see characters like James 

Toby 

Cranky 

Henry 

Gordon 

Flynn

and Harold. 

Thomas, Percy and Rosie make regular appearances, pulling passengers riding in carriages Annie and Clarabel between Knapford station and Tidmouth Halt station. 

Tidmouth Halt Station

Once at Tidmouth Halt station, you find Spencer and an adventure play area 

a dinosaur trail and some zoo animals.

Drayton Manor

Drayton Manor is a theme park with rides for all ages, zoo animals and crazy golf. 

Nearest Town: Tamworth, near Birmingham
County: Staffordshire
Nearest Postcode: B78 3TW

Adult Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 2 years old

Opens: Various times and days throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Various restaurants, cafes and picnic areas.
Facilities: Toilets, accessible toilets, shops, cafes, snacks and ice creams.

How Long We Spent There: 5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly 

Parking: Large car parks
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife you might see: Zoo animals, including tigers, red pandas, monkeys, meerkats, lynx, capybara, tapir, gibbon, marmoset, porcupine, frog, snake and bird like emus, cockatoos, flamingos and rheas.

Information Written: July 2020

Our visit to Thomas Land at Drayton Park in Tamworth, near Birmingham, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Paultons Park

Paultons Park itself is a family theme park that also has 

dinosaurs to spot

animals to watch

adventure play areas and splash pads

a wide variety of rides for all ages 

and a train and several garden walks for anyone who prefers something a little more gentle. 

Peppa Pig World

This Peppa Pig themed part of the park brings the Peppa Pig stories, characters and illustrations to life and allows you to explore Peppa’s town

meet her family and friends

 ride in their trains and boats

cars and helicopters 

and even meet Peppa herself. 

Peppa Pig Prep!

Believe it or not, we visited Peppa Pig World without having watched or read anything about Peppa Pig!

We still enjoyed our first visit, even without knowing the characters, but reading the books definitely made subsequent visits more magical!

George’s Spaceship Playzone

This is a soft play area with slides and climbing frames 

as well as an area for smaller children. 

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs roam around the Lost Kingdom!

We spotted several, including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Velociraptors and the staggeringly large Argentinosaurus. 

The Dinosaur Tour Co. offer dinosaur safaris by Jeep! 

Water Kingdom

Paultons Park has two splash parks – a large splash pad with tipping buckets, fountains and water shooters and another smaller one called Muddy Puddles.

Adventure Play Areas

There are three adventure play areas, including one that is themed around Mr Potato from Peppa Pig and another dinosaur-themed one where you can dig for fossils. 

Nearest Town: Romsey, Near Southampton
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO51 6AL

Adult Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various prices depending on when you go. Please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 1 metre tall

Opens: Various times and days throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Various restaurants, cafes and picnic areas.
Facilities: Toilets, accessible toilets, shops, cafes, snacks and ice creams.

How Long We Spent There: 5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly 

Parking: Large car parks
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife you might see: Penguins, giant tortoises, flamingos, pelicans, tropical birds, owls, fish, lizards and insects.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: April 2021

Our visit to Paultons Park and Peppa Pig World in Romsey, near Southampton, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Epic Fun

LEGOLAND^® is a LEGO^® brick theme park complete with epic music, shows, models, crowds and queues.

Themed Lands

LEGOLAND^® is divided into action-packed themed lands, which combine LEGO^® brick models with rides, water fun, live shows and adventure.

Drench Towers

There is also an enormous water play area called Drench Towers and Splash Safari that has Duplo^® animals (including the polar bear, giraffe and elephant) and interactive water features like water cannons, water slides and fountains. 

Miniland

Miniland features LEGO^® brick models of cities like London, Amsterdam and Paris as well as models of the space shuttle and remote controlled boats.

Legal notice: LEGO^®, DUPLO^® and LEGOLAND^® are trademarks of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

Nearest Town: Windsor
County: Berkshire
Nearest Postcode: SL4 4AY

Opens: Various times throughout the year

Adult Cost Range: Various
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 90cm tall

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at one of the cafes. 
Facilities: Cafes, drinks, snacks, ice creams, picnic areas, toilets, accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: We spent a full day at LEGOLAND^® Windsor Resort and still didn’t manage to see everything!
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: There is a massive car park.
Cost of Parking: From £8

Information Written: October 2016
Information Checked: December 2023

Our visit to LEGOLAND^® Windsor Resort in Windsor is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Lepe Country Park

If you need an energy busting day then plan on paddling, sand castles and fossil finding before the tide comes in and then fairy door hunts, adventure play and a nature walk.

Or if you just want somewhere to relax, just sit back and enjoy the view.

Meadows

Alternatively, walk towards the east end of the beach past wild flower meadows on one side and the sea on the other.

This is a buggy friendly route that leads you to the beach, Lepe Point and Stansore Point, where the path becomes much sandier.

Lepe Point Nature Reserve

Lepe Point Nature Reserve, is a protected area of woodland and meadows with a boardwalk, pond and bird hide.

Stansore Point

Stansore Point is a good place to sit and enjoy the view, whether you want to watch huge ships cruise The Solent or gaze across at the Isle of Wight.

D-Day Remnants

There are D-Day remnants near Stansore Point, including pier heads, construction platforms and slip ways.

You can see pictures and find further details on the New Forest Remembers website.

Fossil Finding

At Stansore Point it is also possible to find fossils of shells, plants and mammal bones, including mammoth bones. I understand it is best to look when the tide is out and to bring wellies in case the clay is exposed.

Have a look at the UK Fossil Collecting website for full details.

You can also have a look at the western end of the beach where you can find fossil shells and corals. 

Dinosaur Footprint

Inside the Visitor Centre is a dinosaur footprint, which was found at Lepe. It is on the floor on the right of the desk by the window.

Fairy Door Trails

There are two trails to choose from – one through the Sensory Garden and another across the wild flower meadows and cliffs. 

The doors are marked on a map and are each in a different type of tree with a little explanation about the kind of fairy living inside. 

Lepe Beach

There is a family beach area, which is a very short walk from the car park. 

Further down the beach, low tide reveals a spit of land where we found crabs amongst the rocks, dug holes to catch the sea, built up huge sand castles and found interesting stones, including one of the bone shaped ‘fossils’ mentioned above.

Lepe Country Park Adventure Play Area

The Lepe Country Park Play Area is a wooden adventure play area with equipment that includes:

• a swing
• a toddler swing
• a basket swing
• insect shaped springers
• a seesaw
• play houses
• a double slide with easy to climb stairs
• an obstacle course with logs, stumps, ropes and nets
• a wooden climbing frame
• a snake balance trail
• picnic tables
• seats.

Nearest Town: Exbury, New Forest
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO45 1AD

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Try the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: Cafe, picnic area, snacks, ice creams, barbecues, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: There are some pathways that are buggy friendly along the seafront.  The beach itself can be hard to push a buggy along because it is divided by wooden posts, many of which have rotted to near sand level and are splintered in places.

Parking: There are two pay and display car parks – one next to the play area and fairy trails and another next to the beach, Visitor Centre and cafe. These are connected by stairs that lead down to the beach but we drove between the two because we were using a buggy. We parked easily in both but it must be very busy at peak times.
Cost of Parking: For April to September start at £2.50 for one hour and an all day ticket costs £9.50.

Wildlife You Might See: Seaside wildlife, seabirds and other birds, butterflies and other insects.

Information Written: September 2017
Information Checked: May 2023

Our visit to Lepe Country Park in Exbury in the New Forest is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Dinosaur Island 

Welcome to Dinosaur Island, a dinosaur-themed adventure play area at Southwater Country Park.

Follow the Footprints

When you arrive, a trail of dinosaur footprints lead you on a five to ten minute walk to Dinosaur Island, where adventure awaits…

Southwater CP Adventure Play Area

The adventure play area is jam-packed with equipment, including:

• basket swings
• toddler swings
• tyre swings
• wooden climbing frames with balance courses and slides
• a long slide with a choice of easy to climb stairs or a cargo net walkway
• baskets suspended in a rope climbing frame
• aerial walkways

• musical walls
• a zip wire
• bridges
• a roundabout
• a seesaw
• a springer
• a spider web climbing frame and
• a sand play area with buckets, pulleys and dinosaur bones to excavate.

Southwater Country Park 

As well as Dinosaur Island, Southwater Country Park has an orienteering course, a lake, a nature area, 

a beach with a swimming area and a water sports centre where you can kayak, canoe, sail and paddle board.

Nearest Town: Horsham, near Crawley
County: West Sussex
Nearest Postcode: RH13 9UN

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: At the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: None

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Good sized car park.
Cost of Parking: From Various depending on when you visit – please see their website for full details.

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans, geese, lizards, butterflies and dragonflies.

Information Written: January 2017
Information Checked: October 2020

Our visit to Dinosaur Island Adventure Play Area at Southwater Country Park in Horsham is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Southwater Country Park 

At the heart of the park is a lake with a beach and swimming area. 

Please note that the beach operates a booking system during the summer holidays – please see their website for details.

Activities

It has an orienteering course and the map is available to buy from the Southwater Country Park Visitor Centre. 

There is also a water sports centre where you can kayak, canoe, sail and paddle board.

Dinosaur Island 

Dinosaur Island Adventure Play Area is a dinosaur-themed adventure play area, where adventure awaits… just follow the footprints!

This is jam-packed with equipment, including swings, slides, things to climb, aerial walkways and a zip wire.

Nearest Town: Horsham, near Crawley
County: West Sussex
Nearest Postcode: RH13 9UN

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: At the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: None

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Good sized car park.
Cost of Parking: From Various depending on when you visit – please see their website for full details.

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans, geese, lizards, butterflies and dragonflies.

Information Written: January 2017
Information Checked: October 2020

Our visit to Dinosaur Island at Southwater Country Park in Horsham, near Crawley, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Dinosaur Museum

The Dinosaur Museum brings dinosaurs to life with life-sized models

skeletons

information about the scientists who discovered dinosaurs

interactive displays

fossil excavation 

and activity sheets with a medal reward at the end.

Nearest Town: Dorchester
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: DT1 1EW

Opens: Daily

Adult Cost Range: £10 to £14.99
Child Cost Range: £5 to £9.99 
Free if: Under 3 years old

Where to Eat: There are lots of places to eat in Dorchester.
Facilities: Toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly ground floor but there is a second floor at the top of a flight of stairs. 

Parking: There are several car parks in Dorchester. I have used the pay and display car park at Durngate Street (DT1 1NA), which is a few minutes walk from the Museum, and also Trinity Street (DT1 1TU), which is about a five to ten minutes walk.  
Cost of Parking: Varies.

Information Written: July 2022

Our visit to the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Priest’s Way

The walk to Keates Quarry and the dinosaur footprints is an easy 3/4 of a mile along paths with sea views. 

When you leave the Spyway car park head towards the sea and then turn right onto Priest’s Way in the direction of Worth Matravers. 

Keate’s Quarry

Along Priest’s Way you walk past a working quarry that is surrounded by stacks of stone. This is limestone from the local area, which has been quarried for centuries, building places like Corfe Castle and Westminster Abbey. 

“Dinosaur Tracks” This Way

A little way after the quarry you come to a gate on the right with a picture of a dinosaur and “Dinosaur tracks” written on it.

Keates Quarry is then just a short walk across the field.

Be sure to bring wellies! It was very muddy when we visited and we had to make stepping stones to reach the gate.

Dinosaur Footprints

The fossilised dinosaur tracks are believed to have originally been made by Brachiosauruses walking on a lagoon’s beach. 

Brachiosauruses were enormous plant eating dinosaurs that could grow to 30m long. They lived 145 million years ago at a time when Dorset was a tropical area covered in swamps, lagoons and forests. 

The footprints are enormous! 

We think we spotted baby dinosaur footprints too.  

Dancing Ledge and the Cliffs

From the Spyway car park you can also walk towards the sea and cliffs and then either walk down the coastal paths or just enjoy the beautiful views. 

I understand you can also see Dancing Ledge, which is an area of cliff that has been quarried into a flat ledge and has a rock pool that was created for local school children. 

Scratched Arse Ware?

Sadly, we didn’t have time to explore the rest of Spyway and discover what Scratched Arse Ware is or see Dancing Ledge but I will update this post after our next visit.

Instead we drove for 20 minutes to Dorchester to see the Dinosaur Museum.

The Paths

When we visited, the paths ranged from smooth to muddy and bumpy. I used an all terrain buggy and think you might struggle with a normal buggy. 

Nearest Town: Swanage
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH19 3HG

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic. 
Facilities: None

How Long We Spent There: 2.5 hours
Buggies: I used an all terrain buggy without any problems, although I could not push it over the muddy fields. I think some of the paths might be too bumpy for a normal buggy.

Parking: There is medium sized car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Seabirds like puffins, shags, guillemots and sea gulls, cows and insects.

Information Written: February 2020

Our visit to the dinosaur footprints at Spyway in Swanage is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Life

The brilliance of this museum is that it displays the fossils and then brings them to life in multiple ways…

drawing the animals around them to illustrate which body part the fossil came from

providing specimens you can touch

showing you the workroom where fossils are removed from rocks

using CGI to show you what the creatures could have looked millions of years ago

providing hands-on, child-friendly activities like fossil excavation, puzzles, colouring and painting

posing a Mesozoic Murder Mystery for you to solve – can you use fossils to work out who ate the plesiosaur?

Find Fossils For Yourself

It also encourages you to go down to Kimmeridge Bay beach and find fossils yourself.

Great Value

The Etches Collection is interactive, modern, fun and informative. It is also great value, as one ticket gives you free entry for a year, and compact, so there are no problems with short attention spans. 

6 Out of 5!

I asked my children how they would rate The Etches Collection and Kimmeridge Bay out of 5 and they said, “6”, which sums it up perfectly – we love coming here.

Nearest Town: Kimmeridge, near Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5PE

Adult Cost Range: £5 to £9.99
Child Cost Range: £0 to £4.99
Free if: Under 5 years or with a ticket bought in the last 12 months.

Opens: Daily

Where to Eat: Cafe, picnic area and a nearby restaurant. 
Facilities: Cafe, shop, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is good sized car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Information Written: November 2019

Our visit to The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in Kimmeridge Bay, near Wareham, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Rock Pooling

Low tide reveals sandy areas and rock pools where we have spotted fish, crabs and anemones. The rocks can be slippery though so take care.

Be sure to plan your visit around the tides. At high tide there is hardly any beach and it would be easy to become cut off. 

The Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve and Snorkel Trail

The sea around Kimmeridge Bay is protected as the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve. There is a 400m long snorkelling nature trail around the marine reserve that has good visibility. 

For details, drop into the Fine Foundation Marine Centre, which is run by the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and has exhibits with information on the bay’s wildlife as well as equipment to hire.

Fossil Hunting

It is easy to find fossils at Kimmeridge Bay. 

This photo shows one of two large fossilised ammonite shells that are visible as you walk along the beach. To find these, turn left at the bottom of the stairs that lead down from the car park and keep your eyes peeled. 

It is also possible to find fossils on or inside rocks lying on the beach (but note that you are not allowed to use hammers). 

If you are very lucky you may even find bones from marine reptiles.  

The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life 

The Etches Collection is a brilliant museum that displays and brings to life the fossils you find at Kimmeridge Bay. It is interactive, modern, fun and informative and a must visit if you are going fossil hunting. 

The museum is about a five minute drive from the beach. We visit  during high tide, whether that is before or after we go to the beach.

Accessibility

The beach is accessed by a steep flight of stairs. The beach itself is fairly flat but the rocks can be slippery when wet. 

There are warning signs that the cliffs are dangerous and can be unstable, so we never go near the cliffs.

Nearest Town: Kimmeridge, near Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5PF

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic. 
Facilities: Portaloo toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: The beach is accessed by a steep flight of stairs that are hard to take a buggy down.

Parking: There is good sized car park.
Cost of Parking: Free but there is a toll road that operates in high season. 

Information Written: October 2019

Our visit to Kimmeridge Bay and The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in Kimmeridge, near Wareham, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Park

Birdworld is the largest area of the park and houses the bird enclosures, including aviaries, cages, open areas, and paddocks. The condition of these enclosures ranges from tired and dated to well-equipped and modern. 

Penguin Island

There are two penguin areas and both have penguin feeding sessions. Penguin Island is a traditional penguin tank enclosure where you can see penguins above and below the water.

Penguin Beach by contrast, is an attempt to recreate Robben Island in South Africa, the natural habitat of the penguins and other birds in the enclosure.

You enter Robben Island as if stepping off a ferry. It was pretty grotty when we visited.  The enclosure itself was better – pretty to look at and fairly spacious with the birds a little freer than in some of the other enclosures. 

Terry Pratchet Owl Parliament

At the time of writing, Terry Pratchet Owl Parliament was the newest enclosure.

From the outside this is a large wooden structure with a magical feel – it incorporates elements of the Discworld books, with little doors and windows. 

From the inside, this feels like a normal bird enclosure (although better landscaped than many) and like the owls could do with some more space. While we were there a snowy owl tried to fly around, bashing into the cage walls. It was uncomfortable to watch.

The Lost Trail

Along the Lost Trail dinosaurs hide along pathways and peer out from the bamboo. The children found it atmospheric and fun. We found a tyrannosaurus head snarling from the bamboo, a massive spider climbing down a tree, and a large diplodocus hiding in a clearing.

Other Things To Do

There is also a willow maze, a safari train, an insect garden, a bug palace, and the chance to buy a bag of food to feed birds around the park. The children loved this as many of the ducks are braver than birds in the wild and will come close. 

Jenny Wren Farm

We all agreed that Jenny Wren Farm was the best part of Birdworld. There are tractors to play on, a multi-play unit for younger children as well as farm animals like sheep, pigs and ducks. 

The encounter enclosures are lovely and offer the chance to cuddle rabbits and guinea pigs, and pet goats and their kids.

Underwater World

This is a small aquarium with a row of fish tanks and one large tank with two dwarf crocodiles and some turtles. It’s not very exciting and a bit run down.

Overall

My children left Birdworld feeling excited about the animals, Jenny Wren Farm in particular, and were keen to go back. I left Birdworld feeling amazed that in 2017 we are still keeping animals in this way and sad that I had just supported it.

With the exception of the farm, I found the visit a pretty miserable experience. I struggled with the atmosphere from the start. 

I would love to see Birdworld retire the birds and other zoo-type animals and concentrate on building up the farm, which could be terrific.

The Play Areas

There are two play areas around Birdworld, both said to be designed for children of 5 to 12 years old.

The first one has:

• a large and modern multiplay with a slide, bridges, ropes and balancing beams. 

The second is near Jenny Wren farm and has:

• a multiplay with a slide, tunnel and bridge
• swings
• a tyre swing
• a wobbly bridge
• hanging logs. 

Nearest Town: Farnham
County: Surrey
Nearest Postcode: RG24 8BQ

Opens: Daily

Adult Cost Range: Various depending on the season. 
Child Cost Range: Various depending on the season. 
Free if: Under 3

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or buy food from the cafe.
Facilities: Cafe, toilets, accessible toilets, picnic area, snacks, ice creams.

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free

Animals You Might See: Owls, penguins, flamingos, love birds, ducks, swans, pelicans, parrots, herons, storks, rheas, emus and various other birds, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, starfish, turtles, piranhas, dwarf crocodiles and various types of fish.

Information Written: March 2017

Our visit to Birdworld and Underwater World in Farnham is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Crystal Palace Dinosaur Play Area

The play equipment includes:

• a sand pit with a dinosaur egg to climb in and dinosaur bones to climb on
• two dinosaurs to climb on
• a dinosaur multiplay unit
• toddler swings
• swings
• a roundabout
• two slides
• a balance beam. 

The Dinosaurs

We found the rest of the statues on the other side of the lake. They were fascinating – huge, charismatic, and exciting. For full details please see Crystal Palace Park.

Everything Else!

There is also a maze, a gorilla statue, a small wooded area, a large sports centre, terraced gardens with statues of sphinxes, boat hire, a cafe, and a small farm with free entry. The boat hire and farm are not open every day so please check the website for details.

Nearest Town: Crystal Palace, near Bromley, London
County: Greater London
Nearest Postcode: SE20 8DT

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Eat at the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets, accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy-friendly.

Parking: There are several different car parks to choose from. We parked easily and for free on Thicket Road (SE20 8DT). You can also try the Crystal Palace Park car park, which is located just off Thicket Road near the junction with the A234.  There were some spaces but not many. There is another larger car park at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (SE19 2BB).  All of these car parks are free.
Cost of Parking: Free and there is free parking on nearby roads too.

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans, geese, Indian runner ducks, parakeets and squirrels.

Information Written: January 2017

Our visit to Crystal Palace Park in Bromley is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Dinosaurs

We found the rest of the statues on the other side of the lake. They were fascinating – huge, charismatic, and exciting.

Iguanodons ate ferns, deer towered above us, ichthyosaurs hauled themselves out of the water, and one particular plesiosaur stared menacingly at us across the lake as if sizing up a potential meal. 

Research Before You Visit

The condition of the statues varies – some have been restored, others are crumbling or in the middle of being restored. 

There wasn’t much information available so do some online research before you go if you are interested in dinosaurs or the history of the statues.

Guess Work

Don’t expect to see statues that show scientifically accurate dinosaurs. The statues were finished in 1854 and were the Victorians’ best guess of how dinosaurs would have looked. 

Some are very inaccurate – the Iguanadon’s nose horn should actually be its thumb! We found the inaccuracy added to the fun – this is not a place that takes itself too seriously.

Crystal Palace Park

As well as crawling with dinosaurs, Crystal Palace Park also has a maze, a gorilla statue, a small wooded area, a large sports centre, terraced gardens with statues of sphinxes, boat hire, a cafe, and a small farm with free entry. 

The boat hire and farm are not open every day so please check the website for details.

The Wildlife

We were amazed by how much there is to do in the park. We saw plenty of wildlife – ducks, geese, a grey heron, lots of parakeets as well as some of the boldest squirrels we have ever encountered.

Crystal Palace Dinosaur Play Area

The play equipment includes:

• a sand pit with a dinosaur egg to climb in and dinosaur bones to climb on
• two dinosaurs to climb on
• a dinosaur multiplay unit
• toddler swings
• swings
• a roundabout
• two slides
• a balance beam. 

Nearest Town: Crystal Palace, London
County: Greater London
Nearest Postcode: SE20 8DT

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Eat at the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets, accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 3 hours
Buggies: Buggy-friendly.

Parking: There are several different car parks to choose from. We parked easily and for free on Thicket Road (SE20 8DT). You can also try the Crystal Palace Park car park, which is located just off Thicket Road near the junction with the A234.  There were some spaces but not many. There is another larger car park at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (SE19 2BB).  All of these car parks are free.
Cost of Parking: Free and there is free parking on nearby roads too.

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans, geese, Indian runner ducks, parakeets and squirrels.

Information Written: January 2017

Our visit to Crystal Palace Park in Bromley, London, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Dippy the Diplodocus

I’ve always loved the Natural History Museum and couldn’t wait to take my children there. I had a specific mission – to show my children Dippy the Diplodocus skeleton before it leaves on 4th January 2017.

The children were amazed by Dippy’s size. They were young so the concept of a skeleton was a little abstract for them but they recognised it as being a dinosaur. 

I wrote this in January 2017. Dippy has now left the Natural History Museum and has been replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. 

The T-Rex

Next stop was the Dinosaur Gallery. Its first exhibit gives you the chance to get up close and personal with a life-size T-Rex that roars and eyes the crowd.

The Dinosaur Gallery

The Dinosaur Gallery is displayed on two levels. There are several dinosaur skeletons suspended from the ceiling that are viewed from a suspended walkway. 

There are also specimens on the floor, including a Diplodocus skull, dinosaur and alligator skin comparisons, hatching dinosaur eggs and a Triceratops skeleton.

The Mammals Gallery

There was so much to see in the Mammals Gallery.

We retreated to the blue whale room and were relieved to find it less crowded and the blue whale itself as mind-blowingly massive as I remembered. 

The Marine Invertebrate Room

The last room we had planned to see was the Marine Invertebrate room. Sadly, it was closed for a puppet show so we decided to call it a day and go for some lunch in a local cafe.

So, So Busy

Choose the timing of your trip carefully. I visited during a peak time and the museum was so busy that the children struggled to see many of the exhibits.

Using a Buggy

I used a buggy but it was difficult – many walkways were narrow, the lift in the blue whale room was not in use and manoeuvring was hard because the rooms were so full of people. 

Next time I will leave all our stuff in the cloakroom.

Useful to Know

1. The museum can be really busy

Google suggests that the museum’s busiest times are school holidays, weekends and Fridays from about 12 noon until about 4pm.

2. Entry queues can build up

When we drove past at 10am the museum had just opened and there was an enormous queue but by 10.50am it was down to about five minutes. When we left the museum at 1pm there was no queue at all but when we drove past at 2pm an enormous queue had built up again.

3. Step-Free Access

The front entrance (Cromwell Road) into the Museum has steps but no ramp. The Exhibition Road entrance has step free access.

4. The Cloakroom

Children under 3 can leave items in the cloakroom for free. Buggies can be left but need to be folded.

5. Check Before You Go

You can check the museum’s website to make sure that all the galleries you want to see are open on the day you plan to visit.

The Natural History Museum at Tring

If you are interested in animal specimens then consider the Natural History Museum at Tring but note that there are no dinosaurs there.

Nearest Town: South Kensington, London
County: London
Nearest Postcode: SW7 5BD

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Cafe, picnic area and nearby restaurants and pubs. 
Facilities: Cafe, snacks, ice creams, shop, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Buggy friendly in theory but difficult when it is busy.

Parking: The museum does not have a car park and but there are NCP car parks in the area, some of which can be booked online.
Cost of Parking: Varies and can be expensive.

Information Written: January 2017

Our visit to Natural History Museum in London is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.