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 today – to show my children Dippy the Diplodocus skeleton before it leaves on 4th January 2017.

The children were amazed by Dippy’s size. The concept of a skeleton seemed 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 Dippy has now left the Natural History Museum and has been replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale.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. Sadly, it was packed with visitors so I struggled to get the children a good view of anything.

 

 

 

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 brought 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

 

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

 

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
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