Situated in the beautiful seafront setting of Southampton’s Royal Victoria Park, The Lost Kingdom promised an adventure back to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth.

After a little bit of confusion getting from the car park – make a note that if you stay over two hours, it’s going to cost you at least £8 – to the entrance, our intrepid dinosaur-obsessed 3(almost 4-)-year-old led the way into a prehistoric playground filled with impressive animatronics – and the stirring John Williams soundtrack to boot.

Following a signposted trail, dinosaur fans can come face to face with roaring carnivores and gentle herbivores. Spectral Nights Jr loved the T-rexes; there was one locked in a fearsome, moving battle with a Spinosaurus and another huge model with a design inspired by an original 1993 Jurassic Park toy.

Underneath each dinosaur is a sign with information about the animal including which prehistoric era it was around in, the region where it lived, vital statistics and some further eye-opening facts. Although the tour starts with some of the better-known dinos like Triceratops, there are plenty you may not have heard of before including the gigantic Lufengosaurus, the tiny sauropod Amargosaurus, and terrifying-looking Therizinosaurus – both with and without feathers.

The moving dinosaurs, complete with sound effects, delighted SN Jr, although he found some of the roars a little on the loud side (the volume was nothing compared to his excitement!). There were some dinosaurs protecting their eggs, others deep in battle and a Pterodactylus flapping its wings.

Once the trail is completed, there’s another smaller section to wander around with a giant T-rex taking centre stage. There’s a Dilophosaurus, Ankylosaurus and a few eggs for the children to hatch out of. There are also a few activities in this area (available for supplemental charges) but SN Jr did not enjoy the vibrating ride-on dinosaur (£3 per ride), describing it as ‘terrifying’ as it was perhaps too tall for his age group.

It took around an hour for us to complete the trail plus the final section, with the experience seeming most suitable for children aged 5 and under. SN Jr described the trail through the woods as ‘an adventure’, with plenty of dinosaurs to roar at, take photographs with and learn about, giving the day a thumbs up.

The Lost Kingdom will be in Southampton until 7 September before moving to Manchester’s Tatton Park in October and November.

General Info
Dates and times: Southampton’s Royal Victoria Country Park (23 August to 7 September) and Manchester’s Tatton Park (18 October to 8 November)
Duration: Approx. 2-3 hours
Accessibility: The park is mainly grass and woodland. Some areas may be challenging for wheelchair users due to uneven flooring and steep gradients
FAQs: Available here

Buy tickets for The Lost Kingdom in Southampton via Fever.

PR invite – tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review