On a rainy day in August, my family and I took a trip to the Dinosaur Isle Museum on the Isle of Wight to learn more about the dinosaurs that lived on the island over 125 million years ago.
Until we visited I had no idea how many fossils had been found, and continue to be found on the Isle of Wight. The museum is packed full of information the dinosaurs that used to live there as well as some fascinating insights into the local geology. There was a range of exhibits including large life size dinosaur exhibits. There were also some reconstructed landscapes that the dinosaurs would have lived in. Seeing how big some of the dinosaurs actually were really brought home how enormous they were to my kids!
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Dinosaur Isle had lots of hands on activities which also went down well with my boys including the opportunity to make dinosaur rubbings, fossils you could pick up and touch and a scavenger trail sheet to complete. My boys particularly enjoyed the animatronic dinosaur as they could dictate its movements using the controls. The museum was busy as we visited during the summer holidays but there was still plenty of space for my family to see and do everything we wanted to during our visit.
I found it fascinating to watch the palaeologists working in their lab in front of visitors. I also loved all reading about the amazing creatures who lived here long before us as well as how the landscape was formed. I hadn’t realised how much is still being discovered about dinosaurs and how much our understanding of them continues to be updated.
We spent a couple of hours in Dinosaur Isle which is located near the beach in Sandown. There is parking and several cafes nearby. There is also a shop at the end of the museum which is packed full of everything dinosaur fans of all ages might want! All the staff were really friendly and helpful throughout our visit.
Ticket prices and opening times can be found on the Dinosaur Isle’s website – it’s worth checking the opening times on their website as they do change slightly throughout the year. You can also book onto their guided fossil walks on their website too – these take you to sites of geographical interest and sound really interesting. You can find out more here: https://www.dinosaurisle.com
For any dinosaur fans visiting the Isle of Wight, I also recommend going to see the fossilised dinosaur footprints on the beach between Compton and Brook Bay. These can be found at low tide and there is National Trust parking nearby at both Compton and Brook Bay.
Our tickets to Dinosaur Isle were complimentary but all views and opinions are my own.
A mum of two, Naomi Jones is a freelance editor and author of several acclaimed picture books including The Perfect Fit, One More Try, The Odd Fish, How to Catch a Rainbow, How to Make a Story and Thunderboots.
Karen Beddow founded Mini Travellers in 2014 while doing what she loves most...going on holiday!
Mini Travellers is for parents looking for holiday ideas, destination reviews, days out and things to do with the kids. We also have family travel tips, activity ideas and all other things family holiday related. Take a look at some of our latest reviews for holidays and day trips in the UK.