During our visit to the Rookley Country Park on the Isle of Wight, I asked the kids where they wanted to visit.
The first place that came out of their mouth was Blackgang Chine, followed closely by Robin Hill, its sister park.
We last visited Blackgang Chine in March last year for the opening of their Underwater Kingdom and the kids fell in love with the land of imagination.
Unlike most theme parks, Blackgang Chine doesn’t rely on thrill rides to get people through the door, instead, its features give kids the tools to spark their imagination and the room to let them run, play and explore.
As soon as we were through the door, Sebastian headed for his favourite area – Restricted Area 5.
Of course we ignored the warning signs and headed along the trail. For those of you old enough to remember the dinosaurs as a child, they have been brought right up to date for a new generation of dino fans. Although a couple of old favourites remain, Area 5 is now filled with huge, animatronic dinosaurs with life-like sounds which allow you to imagine what life might have been like when they roamed the earth. Our favourite has to be the T-Rex which makes the ground literally rumble when he roars.
Thankfully we emerged unscathed ready to explore the rest of the park, coming face to face with some giant bugs and talking gnomes, which held the kids in one place for ages with funny jokes and random conversation.
Some of the attractions are as I remember them from childhood, with a very 70’s crooked house, which the kids love so much we visited several times to the cowboys and indians area at the back of the park, complete with saloon, jailhouse and horse and cart. You cannot visit this area without buying some fun snaps for even more fun.
Others are new or have had a re-vamp. The Underwater Kingdom was still a big hit with mine as they travelled under the sea to a colourful coral reef. At the beginning of the journey you meet an animatronic crab who asks for help to find his children who had wandered off. The journey through the coral reef is stunning, with animatronic creatures at every turn.
Then there are the Dodo’s…….. who can only be described as hilarious. Hit the buttons as you walk around their area and watch them sing and dance – I dare you not to join in!! They have also added some bouncy bridges that the kids adored bouncing and running through.
Still there is more to see and do. I finally managed to persuade the kids to visit Rumpus Mansion, a house of yore where the goblins and trolls have taken over, we found Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the fairy garden, but sadly due to the recent horrendous weather, the kids favourite snakes and ladders play area was closed.
Other must see and do’s are the magical pet shop, the pirate ship play area, the maze and for those who have kids that like rides, there is also the Cliffhanger Rollercoaster, Waterforce and the Pirate Barrels.
This year, Blackgang Chine is celebrating its 175th anniversary with a series of events running throughout the year. Their very first exhibit was a huge fin whale which is still on display to this day and I urge you to go and see this magnificent beasts skeleton which you can actually walk through.
The next event is Buffalo Creek Wild West Week during May / June half term with a theatrical live-action Cowboy Show and I cannot wait to find out more about the Curious Time Boat which is coming soon.
Thanks to the team at Blackgang Chine, I have a family ticket to the fabulous park to giveaway – head to my competitions page to find out more!!
I used to LOVE going here as a child – oh the memories! This post really brought back fond memories for me haha x
Looks brill! We have literally just been talking about going here! I think my kids would like the underwater kingdom the best 🙂
Restricted area 5 looks awesome. My 4 year old would love it!
I’ve not heard of this place before, but it looks like exactly the kind of place my daughters would love 🙂
Oh we went to Blackgang Chine when i was younger – would love to go back with Lily and see how it’s all changed! Looks like such fun!
This is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go – my daughter would love it! The dodos look fab x
Seems like you had so much fun! I am not a child but I love such places and it would be fun to explore Blackgang Chine one day. As a fan of dinosaurs, this would be a perfect experience!
I loved the dinosaurs! This park looks like a lot of fun. We will be definitely visiting it when my son grows up a little.
PS Your kids are brave to be trying the size of the coffins 😉 I would be scared to death to stay in one for 10 seconds 🙂
This looks very similar to somewhere I went as a child. I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same place but it did have a dinosaur park, which was so cool!
This looks like an amazing place for a fun family trip! My boys would have loved the dinosaurs when they were little
Sounds like a fun filled family trip to the Isle of Wight. I was there last week and we were able to explore lots of places including the Robin Hill Country Park but we had to skip Blackgang Chine as the schedule was extremely packed. Will surely visit this place next time.
My girls are dinosaur mad! They would of loved to go to something like this for sure . It looks incredible
I’ve never heard of this place it looks so cool and cute! Looks like you had an amazing time!! Will deffo be sharing this with all my friends with kids 🙂
This looks magical. I’d not heard of it but it sounds a lot like Sundown Adventureland that we have nearby. 175 years is good going!
We’ve heard so many wonderful things about this place but sad to say we’ve never visited Blackgang Chine, even though we live near. Going to try and go as a family soon. The underwater kingdom looks fab!
Never heard of Blackgang Chine before but I love the dinosaur installations!! They’re always my favourite bit of the natural history museum in London but this one looks so much cooler since it is outside!
I’ve never heard of this but it looks fab! One on the list. x
I have never heard of this place before. Great location for a day out with the kids.
I have such lovely memories of this place, I went as a child a couple of times and loved it so much! It’s still looking good too!
Oh this looks like so much fun! I haven’t heard of it before but my kids would love it!
Oh wow this place looks amazing and I have to say I had never heard of it before but I know my boys would love it, especially the Dinosaurs
Laura x
I really need to visit the Isle of Wight. It looks like there are some fab places to visit while you’re there. My two would absolutely love Blackgang Chine 🙂
Louise x
Oh my gosh, Blackgang Chine looks absolutely amazing! We definitely need to plan a trip as our kids would love it here, they are full of imagination! x
I’ve never heard of this place before, looks like fun was had!