Dinosaurs Unleashed at the O2

Step back in time to a land where Dinosaurs still roam the earth at this incredible exhibition at the O2. Dinosaurs Unleashed features 25 life sized animatronic dinosaurs, including a Diplodocus the size of three double-decker buses, and is the UK’s largest animatronic dinosaur adventure.

The experience starts with a 20 minute tour by a dinosaur enthusiast who sets the scene and and introduces the dinosaurs on display, in a way that families and children of all ages can relate to. You’ll find out about how huge herbivores thrived on the earth’s newly formed vast prairies, and how they used rocks to digest their food. Your children will love getting right up close to a very frightening looking British dinosaur from Oxfordshire, and hearing about how Stegosaurus used his plates both to protect himself and to cool himself down.

Parents will particularly like the gruesome tale of this vicious coelophysis, known to eat his own children if they’d been misbehaving… er… if there were no other prey around.

Aside from the awe-inspiring life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, there are real and replica fossils, video presentations, a host of excellent interactive displays and games, quizzes for the kids, and a very cool CGI prehistoric aquarium. After the tour, you’re free to explore the exhibition and try your hand at the many games and quizzes for as long as you like – you’ll probably want to spend an hour at least.

We loved:

• Digging for dinosaur bones and fossils in the sandbox – this activity is perfect for under 5s
• The interactive dinosaur game featuring a pile of bones and a sketch of a dinosaur skeleton – children need to choose bones from the pile and fit them onto the skeleton as fast as possible. Educational, fun, and addictive!
• A challenging game for older kids where they have to correctly choose the correct era (jurassic, triassic, etc) to go with the creature or fact on the screen. My 12 year old nephew (a dinosaur expert of sorts) broke the record with 67 correct answers in a row!
• The attention to detail in all the displays, and the little touches that make the displays feel real.

Room for improvement:

The activity sheets seemed a little hastily put together, especially considering this is a ticketed event specifically designed for families. We really hope they’re working on producing some nicely presented activity packs like the ones you’d find at the British Museum or Carluccio’s restaurants.

The exhibition costs £14.25 per adult, and £11.25 for children aged 2 to 14, a bit steeper than your average day out with the kids. That said, it’s unique and exciting, and a real treat for the kids, and is definitely worth a visit for a special occasion.

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Getting there:

Visit the O2 website for instructions on getting to the O2. If you decide to try the high speed catamarans from Waterloo, don’t forget to claim your 1/3 off by showing your valid Dinosaurs Unleashed ticket at the pier ticket office.

Upon entering The O2 walk through the foyer and turn right. You will notice that Gaucho will be on your right and The O2 arena on your left. Walk along this path (Entertainment Way), passing IndigO2 on the right after approximately 75m. Carry on along this walkway, passing Vue cinema after a further 75m. Continue through the Piazza, passing The O2 Bubble on the left after 200m. Once you have reached the end of this pathway you will notice sign posts leading you right towards Dinosaurs Unleashed at The Meridian Gardens. Follow these signs and after approximately 150m you will have reached the Dinosaurs Unleashed Box Office entrance.

If you have little ones with you bring your buggy.

Special Offers:

There are some Kids Eat Free offers at the O2 available for printing from http://www.dinosaursunleashed.co.uk/offers.php