The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.
London,  The Latest,  The places we've been

What if Hogwarts Also Had Dinosaurs?

May 15, 2025 /

Some months ago we found out that our dear friend, Julie, would be running the London marathon to celebrate a milestone birthday. Since a quarter of a century is SUCH a big deal, we decided to join her in a little trip over the pond. And since Stephen enjoys running a race every now and then, he decided to join her in the run. So how about me? What did I decide to join in on? Well what if I told you there is a museum in London that looks like the school from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? That’s right, while we were there, we got to answer the question: “What if Hogwarts also had dinosaurs?” Why don’t you grab a butter beer and join us as we explore this answer together.

The Entrance and Grounds

Man wearing a hoodie that reads “London New York Boston Tokyo Berlin Chicago and Sydney”
The soon-to-be “seven-star” man

The magic begins before you get inside the building. Right outside in the garden is a colossal bronze replica of a Diplodocus carnegii dinosaur, named Fern.

The large, tan, brick building of the Natural History Musem in the back ground, with the large tail of Fern the Diplodocus carnegii
Hello Fern!

The Front Face

Just like Hogwarts, we had to take a train to get there. (Well it was the tube, but still.) Unlike the boarding school for young wizards and witches, this building was built on 5 sprawling acres rather than perched in a mountain range.

The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.
The front entrance

The Magical Atrium

Walking into the main gallery was worth the trip – all the way from Michigan. I mean, would you LOOK at these pictures? Suspended from the ceiling is the skeleton of an 85 foot blue whale, named Hope.

Entering the Whale hall at the Natural History Museum. There is a large archway above the tiled floor. Beyond is the skeleton of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling
Entering the Whale Hall
Better view of the blue whale skeleton, suspended from the ceiling
Hope, the blue whale

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Every year, I get a newsletter with the winners and runners up of this competition. This year, I had the great luck to experience these photos as part of a special exhibition. Here were the ones that really spoke to me:

Jill’s Gallery – The Unexpected

Lone fox standing in a lamp lit road
Lone fox by lamp light
Two owls on a branch
They’re SO FLUFFY
Elephants walking down the street
Just some late night strolling elephants
Field of blue butterflies
Those aren’t flowers – they’re blue butterflies!!
Pink dolphin in red water
The PINK dolphin

Stephen’s Gallery – Life and Death

These were the ones that really spoke to Stephen:

Black and white photo of a lion and lioness, just prior to mating
They swiped right – Lions mating
A frog with another frog in its mouth
Frog eat Frog
Croc in the water with a anaconda wrapped around his snout
The croc and the anaconda
Hawk grabbing a pelican by the mouth in mid air
The Pelican and the Hawk
Leopard biting the head of an alligator
Leopard and the Alligator

But here was the winner:

Blue tadpoles swimming in the reeds
Tadpoles in the Reeds

The Dinosaurs

Besides all the magnificent things we already saw, like an 85 foot long whale and this guy:

Chimpanzee wearing shorts, sitting on a bench
The Chimpanzee on the Bench

We got to see SO MANY dinosaurs!

Skeleton of an allosaurus near the ceiling of the Natural History Museum in London
Allosaurus had sharp, serrated teeth and could open its jaws extremely wide – ideal for taking down large prey like a stegosaurus
Skeleton on a stegosaurus, sitting on a platform near the ceiling of the Natural History Museum in London
Stegosaurus saying “Yikes”
Skeleton of a triceratops at the Natural History Museum
The triceratops – nature’s own magical tank – standing guard in the hall against any dragon or Slytherin

And they had some animatronic dinosaurs that were very realistic. The Tyrannosaurus Rex’s eyes even dilated when it saw something interesting.

Animatronic tyrannosaurus rex
Animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex

Other Halls

We visited the hall of mammals and reveled in seeing our very first narwhal.

Looking into the hall of mammals at the Museum of Natural history in London. Handing from the ceiling is a blue whale, dolphins and narwhals. Beneath them are elephants.
Hall of Mammals
Hall of mammals at the Natural History Museum in London. There are elephants on the ground with whales, dolphins and narwhals suspended from the ceiling
So. Many. Mammals
Narwhal suspended from the ceiling at the Natural History Museum in London
Bye, Buddy. Hope you find your dad!

And a Little More Magic

Everywhere you look, there are little details to remind you that the natural world is magical!

Marble statue of Charles Darwin seated at the top of the grand staircase at the Museum of Natural History
Charlie Darwin
Monkey statue attached to a vine in the wall at the Natural History Museuem
Monkey climbing the wall
Various fish swimming, carved into the walls at the Natural History Museum in London
Swimming the Walls

The Shifting Staircases?

As we spent time in the great hall, we did marvel at how magical the architecture is. We can’t be completely sure, but it could be that a staircase moved every now and again.

Archways and staircases at the Natural History Museum in London
Which way to Gryffindor?

The Sum Up

Blue skies behind the magnificent Natural History Museum in London. In front of it are four friend, smiling at the camera
The Whites and the Liegghios, taking London by Storm

What an incredible place to spend the morning with our friends. And would you believe, it’s FREE?!? Oh and speaking of free, did you know that you can join our tribe for free? You’ll get the latest plus content curated JUST for our subscribers. And you can catch us in real time on Instagram at the__travel__oracle. We have some amazing adventures coming up in the next few months. We would love to share the journey with you!!

You May Also Like

Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

June 29, 2023
Moments you remember the most - trying Amaro in Italy

The moments you remember the most might surprise you

March 27, 2025
Woman standing in a red telephone booth

London – the Rest of the Story

July 13, 2023

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *