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Dinosaurs in the Park | Heaton Park Manchester
19 July - 4 August
Dinosaurs in the Park will be roaring into Heaton Park in Manchester this year.
Heaton Park Dinosaur Trail
Journey back in time to the prehistoric, where you will get to meet a different life-sized dinosaur at each twist and turn along our Dinosaur trail.
The 40 life-sized, realistic animatronic dinosaurs from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods move their heads, jaws, and claws and hiss, snarl, and growl, to provide an exhilarating and truly immersive experience. We also offer quiet sessions for noise sensitive visitors – see our ticket link!
But please remember, don’t get too close to the dinosaurs, as they might bite!
Dinosaurs in the Park 2024 Review
Discover Dinosaurs in the Park at Heaton Park: A Roaring Good Time for Families!
We were kindly invited to Heaton Park to see Dinosaurs in the park. We travelled by car and parked in the car park – make sure to bring your coins as the car parks scan feature wasn’t working when we turned up which involved a bit of searching around for a few coins (as I’m guilty of never carrying cash lately).
The main attractions, of course, are the life-sized dinosaur models scattered throughout the park. Each dinosaur is impressively detailed and accompanied by informative plaques that provide fun facts about these ancient creatures aswell as jokes (which admittedly went over our little girls head). From the towering T-Rex to the gentle Brachiosaurus, each dinosaur is a hit with the kids. Our little girl was particularly fascinated by the moving dinosaurs that added an element of surprise and excitement to our adventure- even our baby was interested and engaged. We did take the pram but in areas the ground was a bit tricky and across grass / hills but it was manageable with the pram…just!
One of the best things about Dinosaurs in the Park is the variety of free activities included in the ticket price. We were delighted to find a bouncy castle with slides, which our daughter spent a considerable amount of time on, laughing and playing with other children. There is also a free dinosaur show that runs multiple times a day. The show is both entertaining and educational, captivating the kids with interactive storytelling, T rex roars and fun facts about the dinosaurs. She also loved doing coming fossils tracing, dinosaurs bones digging and our baby enjoyed the soft play which was all included in the price.
There were multiple places to eat and drink there with different food offering but as I’m on maternity leave and we have a few days out planned this summer to save money, we decided to bring a picnic.
Heaton Park provides plenty of picnic spots and within the dinosaurs in the park enclosed space there was multiple spots so sit down and enjoy. We found a lovely shaded area to spread out our blanket and enjoy our lunch. I have to admit I did buy a few coffee’s though and somehow parted ways with a £10 note for a unicorn shaped balloon which subsequently blew away and led to an all mighty melt down.
However, that being said the dinosaurs made up for it and our little girl loved running around with the activity book they give you on entry and ticking of the dinosaurs on her list!
The trail ends in a funfair which is extra if you do want to go on any rides but the giant bouncy castle was there so kept our little girl occupied and this was included in the prize.
The event is conveniently located opposite a large play park. After exploring the dinosaurs, our daughter had a fantastic time on the swings, slides, and climbing frames. It was the perfect way to let her burn off some extra energy while we ran around and tried to keep up!
What is there at Dinosaurs in the Park?
Dino-Fun-Zone
After the trail make your way through to the exciting and educational Interactive-Zone.
- Explore the Dino Trail and find the missing Palaeontologist’s tools
- Discover a skeleton in our giant dig
- Dino bouncy castle
- Watch baby dinosaurs hatch
- Watch our Dinosaur Dentist handle the T-Rex’s big teeth
- Little ones can enjoy our Dino soft play (under 3’s only)
- Watch the Dinosaur 3D mapping in our media tent
- Designosaur – Create your own Dinosaur and watch him come alive in our amazing interactive studio
- Mini Dino golf
Heaton Park is one of the largest parks in the North West, boasting over 600 acres. It is easily accessible by car or public transport. Our dedicated parking is at the Sheepfoot Lane car park, Prestwich, M25 2SW.
The Dinosaurs in the Park entrance is a 20-minute walk through the park, you will find us not too far from Heaton Hall, just follow the giant arrows! Reminder: After the very rainy weather this week the Overflow car park at Sheepfoot Lane will remain closed for the time being, the ground conditions are being monitored daily and the car park will be re-opened as soon as possible.
Ticket prices start as low as £7.20 per person. Under 3’s go free!
Opening from Friday 19th July until Sunday 4th August 2024
Multi-award-winning palaeontologist
On Sunday 21st July and Saturday August 3rd, we are thrilled to be welcoming internationally recognised, multi-award-winning palaeontologist, author, and presenter Dr Dean Lomax to our event on Saturday 17th August. Dr Dean will be talking about his travels across the world excavating and researching dinosaurs and other ancient animals. Dr Lomax regularly appears on TV as an expert and presenter, notably co-hosting the primetime TV series Dinosaur Britain. He is the author of multiple books and many academic papers, is a leading authority on ichthyosaurs. He will be there to answer all fossil and dinosaur related questions. Visitors are encouraged to bring in their own fossils and Dr Lomax can help identify and age them. Dr Lomax was such a huge hit with visitors to our Heaton Park event last year so we are so excited to welcome him back.
