We love days out where the kids get to have fun, but learn without realising it and one of our favourite locations to visit locally is Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Another family favourite is the book / TV series Horrible Histories, so we were very excited to learn that a new family exhibition would be opening here in time for the Easter holidays.
Horrible Histories® Pirates’ is based on the best-selling series by Terry Deary and illustrator Martin Brown and gives youngsters an action-packed insight into the mysterious and murky world of pirates across the ages.
Horrible Histories® Pirates takes a funny and foul look into pirate history, complete with parrots, cutlasses and all the gore and more.
The exhibition is perfect for kids, with lots of hands-on activities to try, including tying knots, designing your own pirate flag and firing cannons.
I did wonder why Isaac was having a ‘face-off’ with a skull at one point, until I realised that there was a question on the barrel below and you could only find the answer by looking into its eyes.
The kids also enjoyed playing the pirate game, which saw them sail the seven seas and delve into the often gruesome history of pirate ships, what it would have been like to live on them and what illnesses they were likely to catch.
There were also lots of fun information boards that had them practising talking like a pirate and learning what all the words meant.
The exhibition has been developed in association with Scholastic UK and was shipped to Portsmouth across the seven seas, all the way from the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
The exhibition was the perfect mix of information and activity for the kids, with the older two reading all the information available, whilst Sebby was content to play and hunt for treasure.
Entry to ‘Horrible Histories® Pirates’ will be included as part of a ‘Full Navy Ticket’ to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which offers a fun-filled day out for all the family.
A Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, you can also visit HMS Warrior, see Nelson’s legendary warship HMS Victory, HMS M.33 and it is also the site of King Henry VIII’s famous Mary Rose, but you need a separate ticket for this.
There are also several naval museums on site and the fabulous Action Stations, where kids can let off steam and scramble up the climbing wall, test their piloting skills or get involved with some fun experiments.
A ‘Full Navy Ticket’ to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard costs from £31 per adult and £18.50 per child. Family tickets are also available at £68. Tickets offer access to the site’s 11 attractions and are valid for multiple entries throughout the year. Book online at historicdockyard.co.uk.
Disclaimer: We were invited to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Our little man loves anything pirates and would love to visit the dockyard when he can learn some history.
My nephew would love this, he loves pirates! I’ve never been to Portsmouth but I’d like to go one day x
My husband and I got married on The Golden Hinde in London so every time I see a proper sailing boat it reminds me of that day.
how fun – this looks so good for families. Lots to see and do 🙂
It’s great to see that Horrible Histories is still just as popular with kids as it was when I was younger.
This sounds like such a fab day out. My son and daughters would love to visit there, it would make a great place for a day trip over the summer holidays.
I loved visiting Portsmouth as a teenager, although I’ve not taken the children yet. They would love this, they love the books and TV series of Horrible Histories
This looks so fun! My girls loved Horrible histories when they were younger, but we never had anything like this. The rock climbing would have made it extra special.
I used to love horrible histories as a kid, and this looks like a great exhibition, it’s really nice when things are really interactive x
I used to read the horrible history books and watch the tv show. I would have been all over this as a kid. Although, my mum would have grudged paying a small fortune to take me and my siblings.
I had no idea Horrible Histories was still a thing! I think my two would have loved this 🙂
Louise x
Now this is something my nephew would love – he’s obsessed with Horrible Histories! x
I wish we lived closer because my 5 year old would LOVE this. Ships and Horrible histories…..he would be in heaven! What a great theme for teaching kids things without them realising.
This looks as fun as it is educational! I also love activities that blend the two. My little ones would love this!
This really does look amazing. I’ve been wanting to bring the kids down to Portsmouth for ages, maybe during the Summer, we might make it down!
This looks like such a fun and educational day out that would be interesting for the kids too. Perfect for keeping kids entertained.
This would literally be perfect for my kids right now as they have been learning about pirates at school. I love the skull face off pic! The whole exhibition sounds really fun
I loved the Horrible Histories books as a kid, they were always so easy to read and entertaining. Making a TV programme of it was a good choice! x
We love days out too! I love this spot.
This looks like so much fun, my little ones would love it. The climbing wall looks fab!!
This is so cool. It’s not the typical nature themed day out. Kids would surely be thrilled.
This looks brilliant . The older two are obsessed with horrible histories . They would love this