Exploring the Spring Safari Trail at The Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay

Paid collaboration with The Red Dragon Centre

We kick-started the Easter holidays with a trip to The Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff Bay today to check out the new Spring Safari Trail.

Six large safari animals have made the entertainment complex’s concourse area their home for the school holidays. They’re impossible to miss and were certainly getting a lot of attention when we visited this afternoon.

The animals range from a zebra, lion and giraffe to a hippo, rhino and elephant, all incredibly sculpted from Astro-turf style grass. (I haven’t included them all here; just a selection to give you an idea of what to expect.)

You can see a Reel of how we got spotting the animals on the safari trail on the Cardiff Mummy Says Instagram channel.

Each of the six animals has a name, an interesting fact about it, plus a letter. Collect the letters, unscramble them to reveal the secret word, scan the QR code on any of the sculptures, and fill in the word plus your details for a chance to win a family day out for four at The Red Dragon Centre. The prize includes a game at Hollywood Bowl plus a meal at Five Guys. The trail is free to view, as is the prize draw.

If you’re sharing pics with the animals on social media, you can use the hashtag #RDCSpringSafari.

One polite request, as detailed on all the sculptures, please don’t touch the animals or sit on them. Please keep them looking in top condition for other visitors too.

There’s plenty to do at The Red Dragon Centre for families, including kid-friendly places to eat such as Five Guys, the Cardiff Bay Tavern, Spice Route, Volcano Japanese Restaurant, Zaika Asian Cuisine, Bella Italia, Cadwaladers and Costa.

Plus there’s ten pin bowling at Hollywood Bowl, and an array of arcade machines. You can get 25% off bowling before 11am if you book online in advance. Use the code EASTER25 at the checkout at www.hollywoodbowl.co.uk Plus between 4pm and 6pm every day during the Easter holidays, you could win an Easter egg if you score a strike on the Golden Pin.

The Red Dragon Centre is also home to the Odeon multiplex, and we combined our trip to see the safari animals with a cinema visit to see one of Easter’s big releases, Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.

Inspired by the famous role play game, it’s set in the Forgotten Realms, and sees charming thief Edgin (Chris Pine) and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic. However, things go wrong and widowed father Edgin find himself snatched away from his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman).  Along with the barbarian Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) – loyal friend to Edgin and mother figure to Kira – they set about trying to bring down the film’s bad guys Forge (Hugh Grant) and Sofina (Daisy Head).

The cast also includes Justice Smith as sorcerer Simon, Sophia Lillis as druid Doric and Bridgerton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page as Xenk.

It is a little scary in parts, with a few moments that made us jump and a few evil characters. My children are 13, 11 and 9 so were fine with it all but younger and more sensitive children may get a little anxious at times. That said, there’s plenty of humour, some great female leading characters, and some heartwarming relationships to balance out the darker moments.

I’m not especially a fan of fantasy films, and I know nothing about the Dungeons and Dragons game – but I enjoyed the film a lot more than I was expecting to, as did my husband and children. And we’re not the only ones, with the film currently scoring an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s an action packed adventure with great special effects, plot twists, emotion and humour – we’re already hoping there will be a sequel.

The Spring Safari Trail runs at The Red Dragon Centre until Sunday 16 April. Visit The Red Dragon Centre website here.

For more ideas of family-friendly events in and around Cardiff over the Easter holidays, see this post: 80+ family-friendly events in and around Cardiff for the Easter holidays 2023

I regularly share ideas for days out as well as reviews and previews of forthcoming events on the Cardiff Mummy Says Facebook page, as well as Cardiff Mummy Says Instagram and on Twitter @cardiffmummyfollow Do follow me to be the first to know what’s going on locally.