Do you have a child that can ramble off the types of dinosaurs faster than you can Wiki search them?
Perhaps you can reel off the lines from the Ben Stiller movie, “Night at the Museum,” like a boss?
Or maybe you just love the idea of becoming immersed in the magical walls of sandstone history at the Australian Museum?
Last Friday night, my son and I ticked off a bucket list item that we shared together. We were invited along to experience the thrill of Dinosnore; a sleepover in the Dinosaur Hall, jam packed with activities, good food and lasting, lifetime memories. Despite my aversion to all things ‘camping’ (*shudder and visualise queen bed with Wifi), I dragged the sleeping gear and my 5 year old boy quivering with excitement, along to the foyer for a 6pm start on a Friday night.
We headed for the Dino Hall; our ridiculously, incredible digs for the night. I proudly set up our beds (Look, Husband- I ‘do’ camp), nabbing a great little corner spot. I was mildly concerned that my 5 year old might just have a little freak out at some point if he awoke to the jaws of the T-Rex above him, so was pleased I was there on time to get a good spot. There was a chance to make some little dino ‘fossils’ whilst we waited for the gang and everyone was pretty amped; adults include. The age limit is 5 – 12 and I think this is fair; any younger than 5 and the magnitude of such a night would just be lost on them and very likely they would be scared. I will admit to having to ask our fearless leader to escort us to the loos when my son freaked out about the dark and silence later in the night.
We all gathered in the foyer. As the program and safety instructions were outlined, I gazed upwards through the glass skylights. The doors were locked. It was just us. Here. Alone. And the dark would soon be descending. Dreams (or nightmares maybe for some) are made of this stuff; especially for little kids.
After a promise that no dinosaurs would be coming to life and walking the halls at nightfall, sure enough, one appeared. True story. In she came; a very friendly soul, but with a wild, whipping tail and an inquisitive snout. Kids screeched and dived for cover. She posed for photos and then left us to make our way to the level 4 restaurant for our buffet dinner. Mr 5, “I just started school this week and I’m shattered” had a moan about the food, but it was solid fare with something for everyone. And the city view was incredible.
Next up was Anthony from Australian Wildlife Displays. He had brought along some of his scaly friends to illustrate the links between the dinosaurs and our creatures today. In no time, he had the kids eating out of the palm of his hand. My little fellow was glued to my lap to start with and by the end of it he was stroking those slimy lizards and shooting his hand up to pat the croc.
Time for some exploring. I was excited to get amongst it; to pop the head torches on, wave the glow sticks about, and explore those huge rooms of ancient artifacts that were here for our private viewing. We were given little challenges and a great tour with all the stuff you DON’T get to see during the day. Who knew some of the fossils were luminous under UV light?
Who knew that some of the Australian birds had feathers and eyes that also lit up with these special torches? It was a secret world that we were being allowed into and the squeals of delight echoed throughout these magnificent walls.
A magnum ice-cream and a movie? Yes please!! We were ushered in to the theatre and I think every child made a beeline for the back row. My little fellow was pretty exhausted by this stage, but keen to keep up with the big boys. And what else would you watch at the Museum at night? A Night at the Museum of course. A little bit scary for the tiny ones, but luckily mine barely saw the first ten minutes before we headed to our patch for some sleep…or he slept…I rolled about and wondered about false advertising and the term ‘self inflating’ on these rock hard mats that I had bought with such good, “I’m such a cool camper” intentions.
Early rise, y’all! (though super normal for any of us with small kids).
6.15am we were up and at ’em; hitting the restaurant again for some cereals and delish pastries, before heading down to the Spiders Exhibition.
Oh wow!
If you don’t like spiders, look away now.
This was cool! So much to see and do in here; so much to learn, and we even got to see a venom milking.
8am.
We were out.
Back out on the street in the real world, with a sore back, but also an incredible night full of memories that I now have to share with my son.
Priceless.
Well; not quite. This experience isn’t elcheapo like the ridiculously thin, ‘self inflatable’ (*wince) camp mattress I brought along, however, it is an incredible birthday or a special celebration style gift for your pint size dino fan.
If this sounds like a T-Rexcellent night to you, stomp over to their page and have a look (click link below) :
Dinosnore Sleepover at the Australian Museum
Special thanks to Claire and the team at the Australian Museum for inviting us along to enjoy this experience to review. All opinions are my own and I loved it; it will be something we will talk about for many years to come.
