Wow. This is a great place. Really good value for money and well worth it…read more Firstly bit of a drive for Manchester but on a sunny day it's a lovely drive. It doesn't look much from the initially exterior but when you get in there immediately you see animals walking and flying around. It has a feel of a zoo, Safari park without the car and Jurassic park of course without the dinasours. We fed the giraffes. Saw the rhinos wandering around. Watched the tiger jump to the top of tree for food. Cuddled a penguin. Stroked an ostrich. Gazed at the great lion that was only a metre away. Through the glass of course. Saw a snow leopard rubbing itself up the fence like a playful pussy. There is a typical food place but you can take your own picnic in and there is indoor and outdoor places to eat. The monkeys are hilarious and very entertaining. And the indoor vulture pen is amazing. It is a great day out. Cheap too compared to other zoos. Only £30 for three of us. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend it. I left a tip too!! X

The zoo was great and the kids loved it....weather was good so it helped the overall atmosphere and…read moreexperience

Very fun and good for young kids I'm 14 and still enjoy it till this day and it is very cheapread more

Situated in what appeared to me to be the deserted old fishing town of Maryport (I swear we did not…read moresee a soul on the streets as we drove down to the attraction!) this is quite a small family attraction which kept a group of twenty-somethings entertained for about an hour and a half. Not bad going for the fairly inexpensive entry fee. I do like aquaria, and this one proved to be great fun with the staff very friendly, knowledgeable and entertaining and the exhibits very accessible to adults and the little people (me and children). I loved the ray pool, where feedings, talks and demonstrations are held regularly, and the fish are really friendly and love to be stroked. The cafe was a pleasant enough experience, and good value, though the menu was nothing remarkable, however checking out their website, they now serve thai foodrandomly!

Windmill Animal Farm is fab for kids. I don't have kids but didn't have much trouble finding some -…read moremy friend desperately needed a day off. Problem solved. So off we go, it was a Saturday and gorgeous weather. So, we were hoping that it wouldn't be too busy given it was a Saturday and not raining. Well we weren't disappointed, although fairly busy, the farm staff were well organised and kept all us all in check. The kids and I started off on the steam train, with the idea that we would get a good idea of where everything was from the ride (well this is what I thought), the kids were more concerned with just going on a train. Half way around we stopped off at the Lake View and the kids played while I chilled out and absorbed the view. After that we got back on the train and finished the journey. The farm has some pedal tractors that kids use to go around the farm on. They looked great fun to me, but I had so much trouble convincing my friends kids that they should try them too. So after much convincing and no way forward, I gave up and instead they went off to the Children's Pet Area where they got to feed and play with the animals. A great day out and thoroughly enjoyed by us all.

I love this farm. A day trip today was no exception! My other half and I are both animal lovers and…read morewhile we didn't take kids with us, it's a perfect day out for kids. First off when you arrive parking is easy enough with plenty of space. Entry is £6 for adults (£7.50 for kids, and there's family ticket and concessions too). It's £1 for three bags of food (which is well worth it!) There's a small café as well as plenty of picnic benches near the entrance along with a kids playground. Just before the barn, quite often they have birds of prey in or creepy crawlies, both of which have been there on previous trips and you're allowed to get hands on. In the farm itself you can see pigs, donkeys, deer, llamas, alpacas, horse, cows, goats and all the sheep! New this year were also wallabies. They have lamb feeding at set times that you can get involved in too. They've also grown a maze made out of maize which is good fun. Finally there's a small train that you can jump on if your little ones are a bit tired!

We visit here every summer although as a resident we should definitely go out of season for ease!…read moreAlways busy the bags provide decent forks and it's always clean.

Wonderful zoo. Felt it was a roomy place. The animals seemed happy. I felt no concerns about any of…read morethe animals

Small aquarium doesn't take long to go around it. However it's very cute and has some good exhibitsread more

At the recommendation of our taxi driver, we stopped for a visit at the Lakes Aquarium while on a…read morecruise on Lake Windermere. Being from Miami, Florida, I was a bit skeptical about what they could have in the the aquarium that I may not have seen in others in other cities. From the outside, it did not look like much, but hey, being on holiday, why not give it a try? Once we entered and began to see all the little exhibits, we were surprised to see the variety of exhibits inside. There was a variety of freshwater and saltwater aquatic life as well as other creatures of interest. Unlike larger aquariums where you may need to do a giraffe neck stretch or lift your children in an over the head lift so they can catch a precious glimpse of an animal, the Lakes Aquarium affords one the opportunity to see things up close and personal which for both the young and the young at heart makes for an enjoyable visit. The exhibits are grouped by local, around the world, mammals, reptiles and amphibians offering a wide range of displays to see. One of the more popular exhibits was the otters which also had an animal talk. I would suggest that if you wish to get in on it, that you arrive early so you can both see and hear as the sound system is quite lacking. Among my personal favorites were the otters, the display of leaf cutter ants which can carry up to 20 times their weight in leaves. At first glance, several people looked and started to walk away, but when they saw how much the ants were hauling, couldn't help but stop and watch them for several minutes. Though not overly huge, the Lakes Aquarium is large and has something for everyone and makes a great introduction to aquatic life for people of all ages. It is worthy of a visit, especially if you are taking a lake tour. There are boats that run frequently from the pier. If there is a wait for the boat, you can stop at the snack bar and grab a bite before boarding.

Extremely nice staff that go the extra mile to make it a special day for you. You could spend half…read morean hour or 4 hours in this place. You can get really close to the animals without touching them which makes it more immersive. When I went it was also very quiet so it felt very personal. The outside is very good and they actually have a lot to offer in the gift shop and cafe. My only issues were the costs. It cost nearly £20 for 2 of us to go round and you could do it in half an hour tops. Plus the food prices seem extortionate.

Getting drunk and falling over can be fun. Drinking enough coffee to stay awake for a decade can…read morealso be fun. Sometimes though I need more in my life. Unfortunately Johnny Depp doesn't see it that way so I turn to something else extremely cute instead; animals. There are plenty of places in Leeds where you can get up close and personal (not too personal mind, there is a name for people like that) with various creatures of the animal kingdom and Ponderosa serves as a great example of that. What's also immense about this place are the facilities offered to disabled and able bodied children alike. Indeed, it did start off as a place to help disabled children and has grown to open it's doors to all. You'll get to see allsorts of animals. You'll even get to see llamas and an emu. How cool is that and no Orville or that silly man who sticks his hand up puppets for a living, in sight. You'll also get a chance to see pigs, peacocks, highland cows, goats, horses, donkeys and birds of prey. It's a cracking day out Wallace and one I highly recommend. Just remember to take a kid with you or you may look a bit daft like me.

Ponderosa Farm, I was delighted when a friends took me to this little gem hidden away in…read moreHeckmondwike West Yorkshire. I couldn't believe the huge range of animals they have far better than anything similar I have visited in the past. This place is really child friendly with so much for them to see. We bought a bag of feed for 50p to feed the farm animals and it was a lovely experience seeing the animals so close. The farm animal include pigs, goats and sheep as well as rabbits. But whats great about Pondarose is all other animals they keep. There were birds of prey which included a beautiful Kestrel. Also Meerkats which were just having there feed when we saw them first which happened to be baby chicks which I found a bit gross and perhaps might have been a bit upsetting for children to see but when we went back later they were playing around and were very cute I would have loved to have taken one home. There was also a reptile house which we went to. I was slightly surprised they as we walk through part of the house in the tropical plants was what appeared to be sum kind of large lizards just wondering about which did make me feel slightly uneasy but I just stayed where it was and I am a bit of wimp. They had a snake out with a handler in one room and I was too scared to go in but its a great way to get kids interested in animals we saw them handling lots of animals so its great fun as well as they learning lots too they staff we were friendly and seem to enjoying sharing all there knowledge about the animals with everyone. Also whats great is dotted around the site are many different play area's for the children with tonnes of climbing frames and slides for them. There is a coffee shop serving cold sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, ice cream & refreshments. Disabled access. As well as plenty of picnic areas. there are toilets and a nice little gift shop. There is so much to do make sure you allow yourself enough time to see everything. I recommend going on a dry day to get the most out of Pondarose. Open from 10am - 4pm 7 days a week Monday through Sunday. We are open all year round only closing for Christmas and New Year. (Dates are confirmed nearer the time). Admission 4.00 pounds adults 3.50 children under 2's are free From Manchester: Come off the M62 at Junction 26 - turn right onto the A638 - Follow this road through Cleckheaton - Turn right at the clock tower in Heckmondwike centre. The centre is sign posted on the right. Turn down Station lane, under the railway bridge, past Al Murad tiles and we are the next left turn. From Leeds: Turn off M62 at Junction 27 (Showcase Cinema) and pick up the A62 towards Huddersfield. Through 6 sets of light and turn left into Heckmondwike centre - then turn right at the clock tower in Heckmondwike centre. The centre is sign posted on the right. Turn down Station lane, under the railway bridge, past Al Murad tiles and we are the next left turn

I'm going deeper underground to find some little haven retreats out of the city centre. It has to…read morebe done as our county is so much more than city centre living. St Leonards Farm Park is one of those little beauties. It's an award winning farm in Esholt Village, the original home of the soap Emmerdale. We're talking stunning scenery here and some real fresh air in the lungs. The farm has lots of different animals, some of which you can feed. The play areas are well equipped with rather tempting swing bridges. When the weather is better they have ample areas for picnics and on certain days you'll even be able to have a ride on a tractor. Not sure I'm allowed on them though, rubbish. There are plenty of walks and nature trails and a fun barn and refreshments area too. It ticks all of the boxes and is definitely worth a visit

st leonards farm park is a fantastic day out for all ages, i grew up next to meanwood valley urban…read morefarm and unfortunaly it doesn't have a patch on this place. It has to be added to your summer holidays! for the adults there is the farm itself with all its animals & 'petting zoo' & a great cafe (with prices everyone can afford: chip butty £1.50 & drinks for about 75p) or there are picnic tables if you prefure to bring food yourself ,sheltered i think also , if you want to get out of the rain or sun. & for the kids ( & big kids among us) there is a hay barn with swings etc to play in & a 'wacky warehouse' type funbarn , a zip line, swings & 'wendy house' as well as the option to feed & pet the animals ( food for the animals is only pence) the cost is minimal for the amount you can do & see there & a good day is needed , we visited from 10am to about 3pm & we could have stayed longer & still not be at aloss for things to do. there was also a milking demonstration which you can get involved in , which my kids loved. there is also a little gift shop selling great items that wont break the bank prices as quoted on website are: FARM PARK Adults - £3.95 Children (2-16) and Seniors - £3.50 Childrens Farm Park / Fun Barn Combined Admission - £6.75 Adults Farm Park / Fun Barn Combined Admission (weekends and school holidays only) £5.95 FUN BARN Adults - FREE Children (1-16) - £3.95 'farmer james' is friendly & fantastic as are all the staff , check out their website for more info!