Days Out: Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure Park review

One of my earliest memories is the Dinosaur Park at Lenwade. That’s what it was called in the 90s. There were no fairground rides, soft play or splashpads but that towering model of a brachiosaurus was there and there’s a photograph of a 4 year old me standing underneath it with my dad. 

So imagine my giddy anticipation when I took my 2 and 1 year olds a few weeks ago. It was going to be a rite of passage for my children, a big reunion between me and Dippy and the perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day 2024. Unfortunately, it was mostly a massive rip off.

There was good weather for Mother’s Day this year so we were all in good moods as we weaved up to the drive of the adventure park. I told my kids to beware as dinosaurs could be approaching, but the vibe was dampened as there was a half-model of a dinosaur near the car park without any legs. Nevertheless, we got out and made sure we took the obligatory photo of our children in a dinosaur’s mouth from the model in the box office. It’s a good photo actually and I would thoroughly recommend to anyone who wants to update their ‘Gram to park up and get the photo done – particularly as you won’t have to pay a penny in admission. 

Speaking of admission, Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Park states on its website that children under 90cm are free. Unfortunately my 87cm 2 year old was charged full price as they have to pass under the 90cm bars – which are 3cm thick. Very cheeky! Still, we made our way through to the Valley of the Dinosaurs ready to be amazed. 

Back in the 90s, we were happy with a few dinosaur models but times have changed and animatronic models are dotted around the ‘valley’ showing the Jurassic creatures eating, blinking and roaring. Some of these really are impressive and I was even worried my toddlers would be scared of them because they were so convincing. Surrounding them were the OG dinosaurs from my childhood, which were nice for nostalgia’s sake. 

After our trek around the valley, we went to the main outdoor play area for our little ones to let off some steam. They LOVED the toddler play area and enjoyed climbing over the bridge time and time again. It was a shame that the splashpad was closed (I imagine it’s a summer-only thing) and Dippy’s Raceway would only allow children 100cm or taller – particularly as we’d paid full price earlier – so we made our way to the Lost World A-mazing Adventure nearby.

I’m not entirely sure what the Lost World is meant to be – my best guess is a holding bay for all the broken models they couldn’t put in the Valley of the Dinosaurs. We saw a random model of a dinosaur foot and passed over a few bridges but if I’m honest I saw better dinosaur models near the toilets. In fact, we took more photos there.

We were tempted by the indoor play but, as with most soft play centres, the older, school-age kids reign supreme – but it certainly looked good for kids aged 5 and over. Instead we went on the Neanderthal Walk, which had mammoths and cavemen. I particularly liked the sabre tooth tigers but my partner commented that all four of them had the same pose. Still, it was a nice way to enter Discovery Land. Unfortunately, we didn’t stay long as the rides weren’t suitable for pre-schoolers.

All in all, Roarr Dinosaur Adventure Park looks like it has lots to offer school-age children who are over a metre tall and they really have tried to get lots of different entertainment beyond the dinosaurs. But until your kids are 5 and over, I would really try to save your money, especially with places like Pensthorpe or Redwings just up the road, which are a lot cheaper, quieter and have much to offer little ones. 

So I’m going to wait a little longer until I see Dippy again.