Established in 1984 The Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester was the first museum in Britain solely devoted to the fascinating world of Dinosaurs. Passionate about Dinosaurs, museologists Michael and Jackie Ridley wanted to create a place where adults and children alike could discover and explore the great history of Dorset's Jurassic coast.

Noted for presenting information in interesting and exciting ways lead them to pioneer many new museum techniques. The Dinosaur Museum was the first museum to use computers in interactive displays. The Museum also invented the famous "Feely Box", a technique, that is now used by in all types of museums worldwide.

Website Update

Services

The Museum Report

The Dinosaur Museum transports visitors back into the prehistoric world of the dinosaurs. Set in a converted Victorian schoolhouse in the centre of the historic town of Dorchester. See dinosaur skeletons, walk among life-size reconstructions including Stegosaurus and T-Rex, and learn through hands-on interactive displays.

Accessibility Report

The nearest town car park 25 metres away in Durngate Street does not have any designated disabled parking. Charles Street car park 200 metres away is a larger car park and is adjacent to the Disabled toilets. There is one step access to the Dinosaur Museum which has displays and exhibits situated over two floors.

Visitor Book Report

We travelled from Wells today to visit the museum with our 3yr old son and 2yr old daughter and I wanted to let you know what a brilliant time we all had. The children loved the dinosaur models (and the fact that they could touch them!), and we will be letting our friends know what a great time we had.

FAQs Report

Use one of the town centre car parks they are all only a short walk away. There is a fairly small car park just around the corner in Allington Terrace, just off Icen Way. The main town centre car parks off Acland Road, near Waitrose, are only a couple of minutes walk away. This varies depending on your interest, but in general allow between an hour and an hour and a half.

Reviews (15)

Write a Review

Brendan Hampshire

Jan 23, 2022

Report

The museum is okay, a little tired and worn around the edges, but very informative and interesting. Staff were lovely. Value for money is poor.

Dawid M.

Jan 11, 2022

Report

Unbelievable poor display compare to the entry price. Strongly not recommended !!! Two floors of ordinary flat converted to so called "museum". Avoid.

Fam Arnold

Oct 09, 2021

Report

£8.99 is an incredibly large price for what you get. Closed at 4pm, so we only got 35 minutes. Shame would have been worth an hour but not at that price; felt exploitative

Stuart Watt

Sep 29, 2021

Report

My 9 year old daughter is a Dino freak. And it was the best day ever. Knowledgeable, friendly staff. Great info and design.

Colin Hemfrey

Sep 14, 2021

Report

Excellent small museum packed with information and displays for all ages. Top marks for having all their video screens operative, a first this year for me (and I've been to a lot of museums). Well worth 5 stars!!

Emma Louise

Aug 15, 2021

Report

Was over priced for what it was, not a lot for toddlers, too much to read and a very small museum. I would recommend going to the tank museum if visiting for a family holiday. Well worth the money.

Claire Parker

Aug 11, 2021

Report

Great little Museum for any budding young dino fan. We took our 6 year old son and he had a great time. Takes about an hour or so depending on his much you read the facts. Shop reasonably priced in comparison to others. If you want Natural History Museum, you need to go to London!

Kirsten Di-Miceli

Feb 18, 2020

Report

We had a good hour here, my 6 year old granddaughter was quite quickly underwhelmed. Not a lot to do there , lots of fossils could be amazing, but lazy ownership I think. Expensive for what it is/isn’t . Be better to put the cost towards fuel and go to London’s museum for free !

Emma Louise Symes

Jan 19, 2020

Report

Brilliant. Our two little children enjoyed it very much. Will go back again when in the area. A+

Sarah Matthews

Oct 31, 2019

Report

I can’t believe how much the museum cost, totally overpriced for what it was. Very cramped and it wasn’t that busy when we went to visit. Would benefit from a few more interactive activities for children too. My son summed it up as ‘worse than going food shopping’! Overall feeling as I left was of being totally ripped off.

Chris Hughes

Oct 06, 2019

Report

Great for kids and adults alike , well stocked shop full of inexpensive things , the museum is full of dinosaur fact's and things for children to do well worth a visit.

Caroline Hayward

Aug 28, 2019

Report

Very disappointing and hugely overpriced. We will definitely not be making a return visit. We were all of that opinion.

Lydia Teapot

Aug 27, 2019

Report

Great place to visit very interactive and interesting. Go see it if your in the area

Laurence Ren & Eacute

Aug 14, 2019

Report

Good place for adults and kids. Fun activities and interactive experiences. Great photo ops for the family. Only a small museum but worth the entrance fee with some good local fossil discoveries.

Teresa Isaacs

Jun 12, 2019

Report

Good place for little dinosaur fans.
Lots of fossils / replicas.
It's a small museum, but lots to look at!
Price is a little higher than I'd like to pay, no café, little shop within the museums ground floor.
We spent roughly an hour and a half there.