So there’s a bunch of life-sized dinosaurs standing in a carpark in Tampines. Free to look at. No tickets, no booking, no time slot — you just walk in. It’s at Hersing Centre on Tampines Street 92, the orange-red building you can spot from the PIE. Go early or go late though, because there’s basically no shade out there.
Where exactly is it, and what does it cost?
- Address: Hersing Centre, 23 Tampines Street 92, Singapore 528892. The dinosaurs are outside, on the grass around the carpark. Don’t go looking inside the building.
- How to spot it: orange-red industrial block. You can see it from the PIE.
- Cost: nothing. There’s no counter, no ticket, nothing to book.
- Opening hours: there aren’t any. It’s a carpark at a working industrial building, not a proper attraction — no gate, no closing time posted anywhere. So: daytime.
- By MRT: Tampines West, Downtown Line, Exit B. Then about twelve minutes on foot. It’s flat all the way, but bring water.
- Driving: park on site. The parking fee is the only thing you’ll pay all trip.
- How long you’ll actually stay: half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes.
- Careful though: lorries use this carpark. The dinosaurs sit right beside where they drive. Hold the small ones’ hands.
There are eight of them, and they’re the ones your kid can already name — T-Rex, Triceratops, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Allosaurus, Velociraptors. They’re display models, so it’s look, don’t climb. Probably worth saying that in the car before anyone gets ideas. ByKido and Little Day Out have longer write-ups if you want to read up first.
Honestly? The dinosaurs aren’t even the best part. It’s that nobody else is there. Your kid can stand in front of the T-Rex as long as they like, take twenty photos, change their mind, take twenty more — and there’s no queue building up behind them getting impatient.
When is the best time to go?
Before 10am, or after 5pm. That’s it, that’s the whole trick. There’s almost no shade, and it’s Singapore, so if you rock up at noon you’ll last ten minutes and everyone will be cranky. Hats, water, covered shoes.
Weekends are better too — quieter industrial estate, fewer lorries reversing around your children.
And treat it as a stop, not a day out. Half an hour and you’re done. If you build a whole afternoon around it, someone’s going to be disappointed. Which is why it works best with lunch somewhere air-conditioned straight after.
Where to eat after: I Love Taimei, Tampines 1
Tampines West to Tampines is one stop on the Downtown Line, and Tampines 1 is right there. We’re at 10 Tampines Central 1, #B1-K16 Tampines 1, Singapore 529536, open Monday to Sunday, 11:00 to 22:00.
After standing in a carpark in the sun, here’s what usually works with kids:
- Taiwan Popcorn Chicken — $6.90. Bite-sized, fried with basil in the oil. Easiest thing to share across a table of small hands, and nobody needs a knife.
- Mini Hashbrown — $3.90 and Shake Shake Fries — $3.90. Get them non-spicy and let the kids do the shaking. That bit is half the fun.
- Tofu Fries — $3.90. Meat-free, fluffy inside. Most people walk straight past it, which is a shame.
- Golden Sweet Potato Fries — $4.60. Ask for Sour Plum powder. Sweet-sour, and there’s a reason it’s the house pairing.
- Brown Sugar Milk Tea — $3.90 medium, $4.90 large. Shaken when you order it.
Seasoning is free — Mala, Seaweed, Cheese, Garlic Seafood, Sour Plum — and spice starts at non-spicy. So your four-year-old and the adult who wants Mala can both walk away happy.
One thing we’d rather say upfront, especially if you’re organising a few families: all our food is prepared with no pork and no lard, and we are not halal certified. That’s the honest, direct answer. The longer version is in our halal article. For a mixed group sharing one table it’s a real middle ground — but it’s not certification, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. We’ve been women-owned since 2009, co-run by Phoebe and Yadah, and that kitchen rule hasn’t changed once.
More on the rest of the mall in our Tampines 1 food guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need tickets for the Tampines dinosaurs? Nope. No ticket, no booking, no counter. You walk into the carpark at 23 Tampines Street 92 and they’re there on the grass.
What time does it open and close? It doesn’t, really — there’s no gate and no hours posted anywhere. Daytime is the practical answer, and early morning or late afternoon is when it’s actually comfortable.
How do I get there by MRT? Tampines West on the Downtown Line, Exit B, then about twelve minutes walking into the industrial estate.
Will it still be there next month? No end date has been announced. But it’s on private property, not in a public park, so it could go without warning. Worth a quick check online before you drive across the island for it.
Can I bring a toddler? Yes, just hold hands. It’s an active carpark with lorries, and the dinosaurs are for looking at, not climbing on.
Where can we eat after without waiting around? One stop away at Tampines 1 — we hand food over a counter at #B1-K16, so no queue number and no waiting for a bill. The rest of our outlets are in the outlet directory.
Before you go
Free, quiet, done in under an hour. For a weekend where you’ve run out of ideas, that’s not bad. Bring water, go before the sun gets high or after it drops, and have somewhere cold lined up for after.
Taste it for yourself — 14 outlets island-wide. No pork, no lard.
