Name: Torquays Dinosaur World
Rating: 5.0

Torquays Dinosaur World

3 Victoria Parade, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 2BB, England

1-90 Years

Paid

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Description

Torquay's Dinosaur World is an exciting, fully indoor exhibition that brings prehistoric history to life right beside the scenic Devon coast. Families looking for the best things to do with kids in Torquay will find this indoor play and educational centre packed with life-sized models, fascinating fossils, and plenty of hands-on activities. It is a highly interactive space designed to get children thinking, touching, and exploring rather than just looking at displays behind glass panels.

Admission is straightforward, with standard tickets priced at £8.95 per person, while children aged 2 and under can enter completely free of charge. Your ticket also functions as a day pass, which means you can head out to the harbor for a bite to eat and return later in the afternoon for more exploring.

If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids in Devon, this attraction offers the perfect blend of learning and play. Because everything is completely covered, it serves as an excellent rainy-day refuge or a cool escape from the summer sun.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

Key Features

Sensory & Tactile Play: Unlike standard museums with strict "do not touch" rules, many of the dinosaur models here are safe to grab, feel, and examine closely.
Interactive Exhibits: Dozens of highly detailed scenes, touchable items, and dedicated dig pits keep young explorers actively engaged.
Educational Day Out: Real fossil facts, geological timelines, and prehistoric biology are introduced through accessible, fun, and witty signage.
Inclusive Environment: The indoor layout is entirely flat and step-free, ensuring comfortable wheelchair and buggy access throughout the main exhibition.

Top 5 Highlights

The T-Rex Fossil Skull: A magnificent, life-sized replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull. Brave children (and parents!) love getting up close to its massive jaws, creating the ultimate prehistoric photo opportunity.
The Excavation Pits: Grab a specialist brush and act like a real palaeontologist in the indoor fossil sand pits. Kids love the thrill of carefully brushing away sand to discover hidden dinosaur teeth, bones, and claws.
Sit-on Dinosaurs: Scattered throughout the exhibition are specially reinforced, deadly dinosaurs like Derek the Deinonychus and Tilly the Triceratops. Children love the independence of climbing on top of these beasts for a memorable souvenir photo.
The Scale Dioramas: A series of meticulously crafted, hand-made miniature worlds showcasing scaled dinosaurs in their natural habitats. From a Spinosaurus battling an Ankylosaurus to a Styracosaurus protecting its young, these scenes bring the Jurassic landscape to life.
The Interactive Dino Games: A collection of digital and physical puzzle stations where children can test their memory skills, solve complex dinosaur puzzles, and match prehistoric pairs against the clock.

Facilities

Food & Drink: While there is no full-scale café inside the exhibition, its central harbour location means you are steps away from dozens of local bakeries, cafes, and ice cream parlours.
Gift Shop: The on-site Dinosaur Gift Shop is packed with pocket-money treats, including hatching dino eggs, authentic fossils, models, and custom T-shirts.
Storage: Designated areas are available on-site to park prams and store heavy coats while exploring.
Accessibility: The attraction features wide, step-free pathways and welcomes guide dogs, though please note that customer toilets are located downstairs.

Pro-Tips for Parents

Beat the Crowds: Rainy afternoons and school holiday mid-days can get very busy. Aim to arrive right at 11:00 am on a weekday morning for a much quieter, relaxed experience.
Grab the Task Sheet: Don't skip the Explorer Quiz sheet at the entrance! It keeps older children focused on reading the educational signs and leads to a rewarding certificate at the end.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Torquay's Dinosaur World worth it for toddlers? Yes! While the big models might look intimidating at first glance, the friendly staff, touchable textures, and dedicated sand-digging areas make it highly engaging for toddlers. Plus, children aged 2 and under get in entirely free.
How long does a visit to Torquay's Dinosaur World take? Most families spend between 1 and 2 hours inside. Taking your time with the dioramas, sitting on the models for photos, and completing the Family Explorer Quiz sheet ensures you get the absolute most out of the experience.
Where is the best place to park for Dinosaur World? The closest and most convenient option is the Fleet Walk Multi-Storey Car Park (TQ2 5EA) or the open-air Terrace Car Park, both of which sit just a few minutes' walk from Victoria Parade.
Are there cheap indoor activities in Torquay for rainy days? Dinosaur World is one of the best-value wet-weather options on the English Riviera. Because your initial £8.95 ticket unlocks a free 3-month Paleo Pass, local families and holidaymakers can return as many times as they like without spending another penny.

The Visitor Verdict: What Parents Really Think
What Visitors Love

Fantastic Re-entry Value: Parents highly praise the 3-month pass, noting that it makes the initial entry fee incredibly cheap for families holidaying locally or living in Devon.
Brilliant Staff Interaction: The front desk team and exhibit staff are frequently singled out for being exceptionally warm, funny, and great with nervous toddlers.
True Interactivity: Families love that children can actually climb on, touch, and interact with the displays instead of just viewing them behind glass.

What Visitors Don't Like

Compact Size: Because it is an indoor city-centre attraction, the layout is relatively compact and can take under an hour to complete if your children skip the quizzes.
Holiday Queues: Popular interactive stations like the main fossil dig pits can get crowded during peak rainy days in August.

What to see

Detailed Inventory & Collections

The exhibition contains a meticulously arranged sequence of prehistoric replicas, genuine specimens, and dedicated activity rooms:
Full-Sized Dinosaur Replicas: Triceratops, Parasaurolophus, Dimetrodon, and a defensive Mummy Tyrannosaurus Rex protecting her nest of newborn babies.
Scale-Model Dioramas & Scenes: Detailed natural habitat settings featuring a Stegosaurus (highlighting tail spikes called thagomizers), Velociraptors in a themed Jurassic Park hazard scene, a Kritosaurus attempting to escape a predator, and a Eudimorphodon attacking a Coelophysis.
Life-Sized Prehistoric Skulls: Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil skull, Deinosuchus (giant prehistoric crocodilian) skull, and a rare Triceratops skull.
Climb-On & Photo Models: Barry the Brachiosaurus and Derek the deadly Deinonychus (outfitted with professional camera setups for souvenir photo prints).
Interactive Stations & Tactile Displays: The Fossil Excavation Sand Pits, the Dinosaur Fossil Box containing a genuine Xiphactinus fish fossil, and the touchable Dinosaur Poo (fossilised coprolite) box.
Rare & Specialized Exhibits: A full-scale representation of the feathered Sinornithosaurus (illustrating dinosaur-to-bird evolution) and a structural display of the giant prehistoric spider Mesothelae.
Activity Rooms: The Dinosaur Craft Room, an indoor workspace explicitly set up for coloring, drawing, and reading dino books.

Beyond the Main Attraction

The exhibition is situated directly on Victoria Parade along Torquay’s vibrant inner harbour quarter, making it incredibly easy to build a full day out by pairing a visit with nearby seafront docks, family landmarks, and historic walking trails.

New for 2026

The attraction has updated its interactive features and seasonal events calendar to give regular pass holders and new visitors a refreshed experience.

Events: For more upcoming events please visit here.

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Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Adults: £8.95
Children (3–16): £8.95
Children 2 & under: Free
Senior Citizens: £8.95
Groups of 8+: £7.95 each
Carers & Disabled Visitors: £6.95
Military / NHS: £7.95

Pricing URL: https://www.torquaysdinosaurworld.co.uk/entry-prices

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open everyday until mid September 2026 from 11am, Last Entry 3:30pm, Close at 5pm.

Address: 3 Victoria Parade, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 2BB, England

Post Code: TQ1 2BB

Council: Torquay

County: Devon

By Car: Use the postcode TQ1 2BB. While there is no on-site parking, the large, multi-storey Fleet Walk car park and the Harbour pay-and-display car park are both within a 3 to 5-minute walk.
By Train: Hop off at Torquay Train Station. From there, it is a scenic, flat 20-minute walk along the seafront promenade directly to the inner harbour.
By Bus: The attraction is directly served by the main Strand bus stops, where most local English Riviera buses (including the frequent Number 12) drop off.