(Complimentary tickets for the purpose of review - see disclaimer)
One thing we have been looking forward to doing again post-pandemic is heading back to the zoo, especially as we have a new addition! We have a wonderful zoo near us called Marwell Zoo and as it's dubbed as one of the best days out in Hampshire, that's exactly where we headed at the beginning of May.
Marwell Zoo invited us to experience their all-new and interactive expedition which is on until 4th September. If you're unfamiliar with the experience, Brickosaurs is an interactive adventure featuring more than two million LEGO® bricks turned into Dinosaurs so it's sure to excite children and adults of all ages.
There's a free Brickosaurs Evolution trail map so you can hunt down all of the pesky dinosaurs that are traipsing around the zoo. The experience features a world-first collection of 55 prehistoric creatures made using more than 2 million toy bricks that have taken over the zoo. From the moment you step through the gates you're met by prehistoric creatures, hatching babies and a roar or three. There's a huge variety of dinosaurs to be seen from roaring raptors to an incredible seven-metre long Spinosaurus!
There's even a huge Mosasaur emerging from the water.
At the beginning of May, Marwell Zoo introduced seven new additions to the herd. Amongst the newcomers are two Pachycephalosaurus, a Kentrosaurus, an Acanthopholis and a roarsome Ceratosaur.
They'll also be hosting a huge Brachiosaurus who towers over the zoo at around 3 metres tall – making it the tallest brick sculpture ever seen at the park! The final golden baby dinosaur will be making an appearance too along with a giant egg photo prop to make sure you capture your visit in prehistoric style.
If you have any budding palaeontologists in your circle then you won't want to miss the special Brickosaurs Unleashed event which is taking place this weekend (18-19 June) where guests will be able to get even closer to some of the dino builds and take part in a variety of exclusive activities over the weekend.
They'll have a life-like Triceratops and raptor roaming the park as well as their dinosaur mascots, Poppy and Spike out to meet and greet guests – so watch out!
During the Unleashed Weekend, their brick experts will be building a prehistoric armoured fish – the Dunkleosteus and guests will be able to get up close to some of the parts that make up the sculptures. There will also be plenty of photo opportunities including a giant dinosaur egg for mini palaeontologists to explore and they'll be opening the fences around some of the Brickosaurs!
With prizes to be won and lots of fun planned, it's set to be a roaring weekend.
The 140-acre zoo was opened in 1972 and is home to over 1200 animals of 135 species. It's somewhere I've visited since I was very small, I have very fond memories of the zoo so being able to now take our children there too is really special.
The zoo is a registered charity so any support is greatly appreciated to enable them to do the valuable work that they do. Their mission is to conserve biodiversity both locally and internationally as well as bringing to life conservation educational programmes for thousands all while welcoming half a million visitors every year. I know zoos can be quite a sensitive thing to discuss especially online but having spoken to numerous people at Marwell over the years including when I had a penguin experience at the zoo in 2016, I'm comfortable in my heart supporting Marwell and the work they do for the animals.
I've been to some places where I've felt that animals don't have enough space or they don't look happy but I've never felt like that at Marwell Zoo so that is why I support the zoo however I can. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and are hoping to be back there again in July once the weather has picked up.
We had a beautifully dry day - the sun was shining, it was around 20 degrees and it just made for such a great day. We started off with coffee from Coffee Corner before wandering around to the beginning of the zoo where the Penguins are. It was relatively quiet thanks to our visit being during term time and apart from a few school trips and some other families it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
We saw wild Brickosaurs, zebras, rhinos and plenty of crows as we headed to the first picnic area to give the little one a bottle. From there, we worked our way around each enclosure within the zoo before arriving at The Tropical House before lunch.
The Tropical House was incredible, spanning two levels you are able to come face to face with a huge diversity of wildlife, a mix of stunning tropical plants and flowing waterfalls. Beautiful butterflies dart overhead while birds sing a beautiful song around you.
The best bit? We saw the sloth!
After lunch, we continued around towards Fur, Feathers and Scales and finally found the Red Panda, a walk through section with wallabies and a really fab play area for little ones. We stopped there for a break and some ice cream before venturing towards Life Among the Trees and the snow leopard.
We had such a wonderful day at Marwell Zoo and I already can't wait to go back, a HUGE thank you to Marwell Zoo for providing us with tickets for the day to experience Bricksaurs and so much more.
You can find out more information on ticket prices and making the most of your day on their website, www.marwell.org.uk. You can also book online which I've always found the easiest way to book tickets and plan your day at the zoo.
There's also plenty of information on how you can support the zoo via Support Us by adopting an animal, leaving a donation or by volunteering at the zoo. Just £1.20 can buy a coconut to put a huge smile on a gibbon's face and £64.48 would feed the Amur tigers for a week.
Every little bit really does help.
Brickosaurs is on now until September so be sure to visit until it's too late!
