When it comes to free days out in Liverpool then you don’t get much better than the World Museum. It has so much to do, caters for the whole family and it’s inside which with the British weather as unpredictable as it is, can only be a good thing!

This summer there are two new reasons to visit the World Museum, even if you’ve been before. The Dino Takeover and the Bees: A The Story of Survival exhibit.

DINO TAKEOVER

The Dino Takeover takes place every Wednesday and Thursday till 27th August between 10am and 4pm. There are lots of dino related activities happening at various times in different areas of the museum. When we visited we were blown away by the amount of stuff going on considering it was all free!

We arrived at the World Museum at 10.30am to be greeted by life size dinosaurs in the entrance. These immediately grabbed our attention and really made us feel like they had taken over the museum! We were able to talk to the Dinos and their keepers, stroke them and help guide some of the bigger ones back into their tent. It was a great start to our trip.

Once we entered the World Museum we found that everywhere we turned, there was something dino themed to explore and I’m not just talking about static displays. We were able to:

• Meet walking, roaring dinosaurs that interact with visitors and yes, they’re as lifelike and thrilling as they sound! Expect gasps, squeals, and lots of wide eyes.
• Dig for bones like a real paleontologist in a pop up excavation pit.
• Make our own fossils in a fun craft sessions that we could then take home as a keepsake.

We also visited the the museum’s impressive dinosaur gallery for extra dino fun, which features real fossils and life sized skeletons. It’s the perfect place to visit if you have dino loving kids.

Note – none of the activities are chargeable or bookable, you just turn up on the day and get involved. Although you may need to queue if it’s busy so be sure to give yourself a few hours.

Bees: A Story of Survival – A Buzzing New Exhibit

The second reason to visit the World Museum this summer is for the brand new exhibit Bees: A Story of Survival. This exhibit is tucked away in a beautifully designed space within the museum where you can only gain entry with timed tickets meaning it’s nice and quiet and you can really take your time and soak up all the information and enjoy the displays.

This was far more fascinating that I expected it to be and I was also impressed with how immersive and hands on it was, which helped to make it engaging for the children too.

In here you can walk through cleverly designed interactive displays that explore:

• The lifecycle of bees
• Their role in pollination and food production
• The environmental challenges bees face today
• What we can do to protect and support them

I loved how the exhibit was accessible to all ages and genuinely left feeling like I had learnt a lot.

The Bees: A Story of Survival is free for members and under 12’s, £5 for 12-17 year olds and £12 for adults and runs till 28th September.

World Museum Highlights

If you’ve never been to the World Museum in Liverpool before then it’s an absolute must, even without the above two attractions it still has so much to offer in its own right and it’s all free.

Here are some of the permanent highlights you can enjoy year round:

A beautiful aquarium with marine life from around the world including fish, star fish and jelly fish. They have interactive talks on at certain days and times too.

The Bug House which is home to little critters including beatless and spiders plus lots of interactive stations for the children to use for some educational fun. Watch out for the giant spider though!

On the top floor you will find a fascinating space and astronaut gallery that’s perfect for budding scientists.

And of course the incredible dinosaur exhibit which is always there even when the dino takeover isn’t on.

There’s so much to do that you could easily spend the whole day here.

There is also a cafe on site and although you don’t have to visit it you will be impressed if you do! The food is amazing, much more than your average cafe butties. They have a range of kids meals from picnics to chicken goujons and chips along side delicious salads, jacket potatoes and Liverpudlian specials like scouse, all reasonably priced.

If you’re local to Liverpool or visiting the area this summer, I honestly can’t recommend the World Museum enough. Whether your kids are obsessed with dinosaurs, fascinated by bugs, curious about space, or just love running around and discovering new things, this place delivers in every way and it won’t cost you a thing to get it.