Dinosaur World Torquay Review : Days Out With Kids

When it comes to family days out with kids in Torquay, Devon, there’s quite a bit to keep the kids entertained. With The Riviera Centre, Living Coasts and Kents Cavern, there’s plenty to see and do. However we consider Dinosaur World Torquay as something of a hidden gem.

Where Is Dinosaur World Torquay?

Situated by the harbour, it appears to be quite small and unless you were walking by and spotted the dinosaurs located outside, you’d be forgiven for not realising it’s there. It was a relatively short walk from our hotel, The Derwent, and there’s public parking just down the road.

It’s one of our favourite places to visit when we’re in Torquay. All three of my children, aged from three to nine, love dinosaurs and there’s something here to please them all.

Dinosaur World Torquay Review

We were greeted on arrival by enthusiastic staff who gave us our quiz sheet and the lowdown on what to expect. It’s deceptively large inside and the kids were quick to scurry off to hunt for the answers to their clues.

The dinosaurs varied in size, and the larger dinosaurs had signs inviting the children to sit on them – a perfect photo opportunity! The fact it’s so interactive is a massive selling point, especially if you’re visiting with children. There’s nothing worse than visiting somewhere where touching is frowned upon and having to try and stop your kids reaching out and having a feel!

My nine year old likes to consider himself a dinosaur expert, but the walls were jam packed full of dino facts that even he didn’t know! It was refreshing that they didn’t solely focus on the more famous dinosaurs such as the T-Rex and Velociraptors. Whilst they did discuss the old fans’ favourites, they also gave us facts about the lesser known creatures, which we were thankful of. No chance of my nine year old becoming bored!

They had models depicting the famous Velociraptor scene from Jurassic Park which had our three year old transfixed! The kids also loved the massive T-Rex skull and accompanying noises!

There was the opportunity to learn about not only dinosaurs, but also famous palaeontologists, as the kids were encouraged to hunt for fossils. There was even the chance to touch real fossilised dinosaur poo! The kids thought this was both hilarious and disgusting when they discovered it was real!

Is There Anything Else at Dinosaur World Torquay?

There was a craft room, where the little ones could rest their legs and colour and draw using the pencils and stencils provided. The kids enjoyed being able to take a moment to sit down and chat about what they had seen up to that point, as they got creative.

After we had finished our quiz, we walked out into a dinosaur themed gift shop –  a dino enthusiast’s dream! They sold everything from t-shirts to colouring books. A member of staff then engaged with the children, and checked the answers to the quiz. Each child was awarded with a certificate and the opportunity to sit upon a Deinonychus!

The quiz questions are changed periodically so if you make an annual trip it wouldn’t get too repetitive.

We would definitely recommend a visit if you’re in the area. At £6.95 each, with children aged two and under going for free, it really is good value for money. They’re open daily from 11am – 5pm during the summer months.

I was offered complementary tickets in exchange for this honest review. As always, opinions are my own.