Dinosaur Isle is a fantastic interactive and educational attraction located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Come take a walk back through time and explore the fascinating history of when dinosaurs ruled the Earth.
Set in among a reproduced scene you will meet life estimated models of the Isle of Wight’s renowned five dinosaurs – NEOVENATOR, EOTYRANNUS, IGUANODON, HYPSILOPHODON and POLACANTHUS. Hovering above you among the eerie hints of a tragically deceased backwoods are pterodactyls.
At Dinosaur Isle you will have the option to experience the lost universe of dinosaurs that once meandered openly over the Isle of Wight.
Field trips
During the school holidays the museum runs expert led trips to fossil rich locations on the Island. At Yaverland you can try and discover your very own piece of dinosaur bone. Other fossils commonly found on these trips are fossilised wood, dinosaur poop, fossil shells and sponges. Occasionally dinosaur footprints are visible in the foreshore as are large dinosaur footprint casts.
Shanklin beach is one of the richest fossil sites on the Island. Fossilised wood and shells are found amongst the pebbles on the beach. Much rarer are bones and ammonites, but are occasionally found. You will also be shown how to find tiny pebbles of quartz, stained green by the minerals in the rock, they travelled to what is now the Isle of Wight 115 million years ago.
On each of our trips the geology of the Island is explained along with your safety on the beach.
Schools service
Dinosaur Isle offer talks, guided tours of the museum and field trips to a number of fossil rich localities. Their fossil handling sessions allow children to encounter a wide range of fossils and their modern day equivalents. This prepares them for the types of fossils they could find on the beach. Our field trip localities are Yaverland, Shanklin, and for the more adventurous St Catherine’s Point, the southern tip of the Island. They are able to cater for more bespoke sessions, for example rocks and minerals, dinosaurs, and shells.
Opening times:
September to 23rd December – Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm with our last admission at 3pm.
October Half Term – From Sunday 17th until Saturday 30th October we will be open every day
24th to 28th December – Closed
29th – 31st December open 10am to 4pm last admission at 3pm
1st January 2022 – Closed
4th January to 31st March 2022 – Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm with our last admission at 3pm.
Please remember to book in advance.
Book your tickets in advance by emailing [email protected] or by calling 01983 404344
