Roarr – Dippy’s Theatre Opens For Half Term!
Roarr, the Dinosaur Park at Lenwade in Norfolk is one of our favourites for many reasons not least because there’s something, lots of things actually, to entertain all age ranges. Having a larger than average family and children who go from 11 down to newborn means, very often when we day trip, someone is compromised but never at Roarr. There’s so much on offer activity wise that everyone is happy. To boot, everything is included in the ticket price with no hidden extras even for the elements you’d just know, anywhere else, would be more money coming from your pocket for!
The park is jam packed with super fun from amazing play equipment both inside and out to Go Karts (manual and electric), crazy golf, a farm, a woodland walk with a dinosaur trail, fossil digging, animal handling, sandpits, a stone age walk, high ropes, a splash area (very welcome for the weather we are having) and on site entertainment from the Roarr team who come out to sing and dance on the outdoor stage – there’s more, more, more and all the time they are adding and improving the park in both terms of style, how things are run and making it easier that way but also by introducing new features, the latest being Dippy’s indoor Theatre!
New for summer 2021 is Dippy taking to his very own stage alongside new pals Raz, Paris and Terry (all dinos of course) and providing a really slick show for the audience to enjoy. I took Raffie and Posie along to the live show yesterday (there’s also a cinema screening depending on the time you visit during the day) while Jimmy was at High Ropes with Daddy. Poor old Florence wasn’t feeling well at all yesterday with her tonsils so she’d stayed home which is a shame but you know what, we’ll always be back because this place is so good!
The show was lovely, just the right length at 20 minutes with lots of audience participation and a very clever set up. Raffie was all believing and when we left the theatre and went back to watch the High Ropes he ran for his life when he heard one of the dinosaurs in the woodlands roar! The show really entertained him and definitely made him wonder if some of the dinos at the park might just be real!
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far and we just had to take full advantage of that by making use of the splash zone. Each family can book a 20 minute slot to enjoy the water – fountains, buckets and sprays all over the area with a slide in the middle (currently not in use due to covid safety measures) and it feels like you’re on holiday on a day like we’re having this week. It has to be said though that my children have been in on days when it’s very cold indeed, they never want to miss this and consider it the main event having even asked why it’s not open in the depths of winter, bonkers kiddos but the attraction is so much fun it’s easy to see why. Even Tom Hardy seemed to love it when he brought his family for a splash last summer so you could find your self in very good company indeed whilst splashing at Roarr, well if it’s good enough for the Hollywood glitterati!
We had an absolutely terrific day as always and have some current top tips to share with you:
For the main attractions:
Dippy’s Splash Zone:
Book your slot as soon as you arrive at the park for later in the day. They close an hour before the park (although they do stay open 40 minutes longer on busy days) and though they do have lots of slots if you leave it and don’t book you could be disappointed by the time you want to splash. Take a hat and sun cream as it is not shaded and you will probably want swimmers and a towel too. Absolutely no photography is allowed so I always take one just outside, in between the slots with the splash play as a back drop behind.
High Ropes:
Remember to wear or bring closed toed shoes or you won’t be able to enjoy the attraction and children under 1m are too small to go on so manage that expectation. Children over 1m but under 1.2 will need an accompanying adult with the correct footwear and long hair must be tied back. You no longer have to book a slot and instead have to socially distanced queue which we found very slow and long in the middle of the day but almost non existent with us being able to go straight on just before the attraction closed an hour before the park did.
Dinomite Indoor Adventure Play Area:
Again this is now no longer a bookable slot but queue at the door for an hour’s worth of indoor play fun. We didn’t do this yesterday as wanted to be outside but my friend told me her best tip is to be in the queue 20 minutes before you want to play as is a first come, first served basis with limited numbers being allowed inside at any one time. She also recommended to have the NHS track and trace app downloaded otherwise your play time is eaten up filling in necessary forms. Children MUST wear socks to play and if you want to use the slides then arms and legs must be covered. Usual indoor rules apply and it’s a one way system, face masks for over 11s and sanitising as well as prompt exits to help the next session of people. Deep cleaning is also taking place at the beginning and end of the day.
For everything else:
Food and Drink:
There are lots of places to buy food and drink but with lots of people on busy days like yesterday does come lots of queues so being savvy is a must. Go for food outside the main lunch period and you won’t wait for ages and it’s worth noting there’s an ice cream freezer in the gift shop meaning you can sneak in there for one and avoid a larger queue elsewhere (at 3pm people do start to go home making the shop busier but during the day this is the place to shop ice lollies)! There are water refill stations throughout the park if bringing your own and plenty of spaces for picnics on the lawn, at the many picnic tables dotted about or even under a canopy for under cover picnicing.
Toilets:
The toilet situation is very good with clear signs in which ways to go in and out, they are clean and there’s plenty of them. The ones at the splash zone are HUGE and easy to change in too.
Farm:
Face masks are to be worn in the indoor houses but the farm, with a one way system (I still can’t get used to going in the other side to the usual way in and despite visiting many times go to the wrong entrance first) is largely outside with lots of interesting animals to visit. You can handle them at various times too so keep an eye on the board.
Entry Tickets To Roarr:
- Tickets must be booked on line in advance of your visit where time slots must be chosen.
- Guests under 90cm in height go in for FREE!
- Adults and children over 90cm are £18.95 for day tickets.
- A registered disabled adult or child ticket costs £9.48.
- There is a concessionary rate for annual pass holders for Jimmy’s Farm, ZSEA and Sea Life Great Yarmouth of £15.16.
- A current Discovery Pass gives unlimited access for anyone over 90cm until the 31st of October for just £55. A smaller version of the annual pass if you will that still gives discounts and offers whilst on the park in the shops and restaurants as well as park privileges.
- An annual 12 month pass is not currently available.
I think I’ve covered everything we would have found helpful, I hope that you have found what you need too and have a tremendous day at Roarr, we thoroughly recommend it and are actually thinking of buying annual passes when they sell them again because we love it so much – I AM a fan of the annual pass as you will know if you read my blog often!
We were invited for the day as guests of Roarr.
Follow