Dino Park at Hetland — Attraction in Great Britain

Dino Park at Hetland is a nice family-friendly attraction found in Carrutherstown, Dumfries, next to Calders Garden Centre, offering a unique experience for dinosaur enthusiasts ( that’s mum and dad ) and children alike. The park features a variety of activities and shows that immerse visitors in a prehistoric adventure. Dino Park provides a safari-style walk through a tropical environment complete with lifelike animatronic dinosaurs. The models have realistic sounds that are activated when you get near them, enhancing the whole experience and scaring the bejesus out of you. There’s also a “Dino Mine”, where children can dig for fossils, and a “Dino Den”, where people can learn fascinating facts about dinosaurs. The dinosaur infested Soft Play Area (lol) It is an indoor play area specially designed for the little ones and younger children, ensuring that even the smallest dinosaur fan can have a fun time. However, the park is better enjoyed on fair weather days, especially sunny ones [ and in this country, good luck with that ] as the outdoor sections are better in favourable conditions. This is true if you go for a walk through the wooded area that adds to the overall experience, making it feel like a journey back in time. The staff were nice and helpful l and obviously know as much about dinosaurs as our two boys do …. Lol It cost about £35 for the four of us, but the kids had a ball, in fact they didn’t want to come out !! Strangely enough, we, as in the adults here, had a very enjoyable time as well. After they finished their ice creams, he first thing they said was “when are we going back?” … unfortunately, being from the west coast of Scotland, it’s not just a quick nip in, … but we will certainly be back [ and the Mrs loved the garden centre, ah well …. Next time ]

Pictures? The camera card was missing, so while I’m running around taking pictures of everything in sight, nothing was actually being recorded …. * note to self “check your...

Really did not know what to expect from this place to be honest - ordinarily when someone speaks of a garden centre with a Dino park you tend not to expect too much, however we were pleasantly surprised. We paid £24 for a family of 5 - (3 of which were children) which is extremely reasonable considering that the price included entry to the Dino park itself and also to the indoor soft play area. The Dino park has a number of life sized Dinosaurs that are displayed in a way that seems realistic in its surroundings. Along with each dinosaur is a display board detailing the history and lifestyle habits of each individual creature. There is a small cave that you can enter to explore a hidden world and further along you are greeted with a 'dig' that your child can explore to uncover fossil remains. Further along is an outdoor play area and bouncy castle with a little tea shop and from there you can enter a 'fairy' land to discover the tales and mysteries of fairies. To be honest the fairy tale section was not for me but I could see how it could be captivating to small children. As you leave the Dino park you can then enter the indoor soft play area where your child or children can safely play for hours whilst you sit and have something to eat and drink. The food and drink are a little overpriced in my opinion but overall a very enjoyable experience with very little financial outlay. The rest of the site consists of a gift shop and general garden centre offerings as well as a separate cafe/restaurant. Please see our video...

1st off I'll apologise that I never wrote this review earlier as we visited back at the end of September. I'll admit I was a bit sceptical about the park, it looked small and lacking in features, however I was pleasantly surprised. The park is not large and you could easily have everything done within an hour but don't write it off yet. We managed a good 4 hours there and our 3 children (3, 7 & 10) would have stayed longer if we let them. It is for the kids, don't forget that and it allows them to play freely and use there imaginations. We walked through the Dinosaurs, had a few stories read by the fabulous Sheila, played on the bouncy castle, excavated Dinosaur bones in the sandpit and played in the park, then we had some lunch. There is a tea room on site as well as a small hut next to the park where you can buy a hot drink or snacks. After lunch we walked round the fairy walk, back on the bouncy castle and more playing in the park followed by a story marathon read again by Sheila. It was not the best of days weather wise however it was a really good day out and we will go back again. I have to say the staff are really lovely, so helpful and friendly and always had a smile, especially Sheila. She was amazing and my children loved her loads, she actually made the whole day for us, I've never met anyone so genuinely happy and friendly before. She is definitely one of the reasons we would return, she is a credit to the business. We look forward to our next visit, hopefully very soon...