REVIEW: Jurassic Kingdom is a treat for all the family

If you know a T Rex from a Velociraptor, chances are your kids are dinosaur crazy.

And if your kids are dinosaur crazy, than this is the place for you.

Jurassic Kingdom consists of more than 30 impressive life-sized prehistoric moving models set within Birminghm’s Botanical Gardens.

The event is currently touring the country with dates in Nottingham later this year recently announced (November 11-19).

My two boys, aged four and two, delighted in running around from dinosaur to dinosaur and telling me the names and diets of all the different species and they weren’t alone, the place was packed and nearly every kid there had some kind of dinosaur t-shirt, hat or rucksack.

The animatronic models are set out on a circuit so there were swells of people when it came to certain models but considering the amount of people that must have been there on the day of our visit the walk flowed quite freely.

The atmosphere was relaxed so you were able to make your way around the circuit at your own pace with plenty of people stopping to picnic along the way.

And there was no time limit either, after entering the gate you could stay for as long as you wanted and go around as many times as you wanted.

There were plenty of photo opportunites - you can bet Instagram and Facebook feeds were full of smiling kids pretending to be eaten by a triceratops.

Each model, complete with sound effects, was accompanied by an information board with a brief description of each dinosaur, its diet, habitat etc.

An education marquee offered more in-depth information for older children and an excavation sandpit was packed with little ones delighting at finding dinosaur bones under the surface.

There were a few activities that required payment once in the attraction, a virtual reality experience and a ride on dinosaur that was really just a photo opp. There were also a few ice cream/drink stands dotted around the route.

My advice would be to take a picnic, the Botanical Gardens aren’t really geared up to receive as many people as were there during our visit which meant big queues for toilets and the cafe.

It’s also worth mentioning that there is no parking available at the venue so be prepared to search the surrounding streets for a spot.

Overall, the exhibition is an enjoyable trip back in time and a great day out for families with children of all ages.

Jurassic Kingdom

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, until June 4.

Adults £13.50/11.00, Children £9.50/11.00. Family tickets available.

Visit www.jurassickingdom.uk.