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Museum

Dinosaur Isle

Culver Parade

View on Google Maps

Photo: Local Nomadic

About Dinosaur Isle

Explore prehistoric treasures at this purpose-built museum showcasing an impressive collection of local fossils alongside lifelike animatronic creatures, with guided fossil walks bringing ancient history to life.

What's nearby

  • Browns family Golf next door
  • Steven Jenkins Rainbow Playground 250m away
  • Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Isle of Wight 300m away
  • Sandham Gardens 350m away

Distances as the crow flies, via Google

Good to know

Parking

  • ✓Free car park
  • ✓Paid car park
  • ✓Paid street

Accessibility

  • ✓Accessible parking
  • ✓Accessible entrance
  • ✓Accessible toilet
  • ✓Accessible seating

Payment

  • ✓Contactless

Details via Google — worth confirming with the attraction before you travel, especially for access needs.

Photos

Photos via Google

Opening hours

Monday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Current hours may differ from the usual schedule above (e.g. holidays) — check Google Maps for today's hours.

What visitors say

Leanne Coates

We came here and had a nice time, my son really enjoyed digging in the sand pit, I do think he is abit young to enjoy this kind of thing properly (3). Me and my partner enjoyed listening about discovering the fossils/bones. There were some parts that were broken or missing which is a shame. A nice big gift shop at the end to visit.

· via Google

Mike

This place was awesome for keeping the kids busy for a few hours with tons of different activities. When we got there, they had activity sheets for all ages, from simple "find the letters" for little ones to harder quizzes where you had to explore to find the answers. Oh, and they had blue dinosaur stickers hidden around the museum to find! Inside, there were sandpits for fossil hunting, puzzles, and a fossil rubbing station. They also had huge dinosaurs in the main room that we all loved. All three of our kids, my wife, and I really enjoyed it, but you probably couldn't make it last much longer than a couple of hours. Good news though, your ticket lets you come back for free within 7 days, so it'd be perfect for a second visit on a rainy day. And don't forget, it's also a museum, so for adults who are genuinely interested in learning, there's a lot to discover through the displays. It was pretty affordable too. Kids under 5 got in free, so only one of mine had to pay. But we had a voucher from the Wight Ferries magazine that gave one free child entry per paying adult, up to two per family, which meant all my kids got in free! Then, to our surprise, we even got a discount at the door because we parked in their lot and paid with the app. The exit goes through the gift shop, which I know is every parent's worst nightmare, but I actually thought the prices were pretty fair. We got each of our kids a dino plushie for £3.99 each. Even though it's their parking lot, it's long-stay, so we were able to leave the car there all day while we went and had lunch on the beach before heading up to the pier. On our way back, I noticed the front of the building is shaped like a Pterodactyl, which I thought was super cool.

· via Google

Rifa Adelisa

We came here while looking for things to do on the Isle of Wight. The building is a bit old and could use some updating, but if you love dinosaurs, you’ll probably enjoy it. There are lots of fossils, models, and interactive displays. The museum is quite small though, so it doesn’t take long to go around.

· via Google

Lauren Underhay

A really well laid out museum with opportunities for kids to interact with different exhibits, from discovering fossils in the sand and making a robot dinosaur move. Something to look at, at every opportunity.

· via Google

See all reviews on Google →

Visitors praise this museum for its impressive collection of locally found dinosaur fossils and models, along with its knowledgeable and friendly staff. They also highlight the reasonably priced and well-stocked gift shop.

Some reviews mention the exhibits can be dated.

Summary via Google

At a glance

Address
Culver Parade, Sandown, PO36 8QA Get directions
Category
Museums & Galleries
Guest rating
4.2 / 5 (2,101 reviews)
Suitable for
Ages 4+
Setting
Indoor
Good for children
Yes
Toilets on site
Yes
Destination
Sandown