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

Me, my wife, and 3 kids were desperate for a day out of the house, so we decided to try our local…read moresafari park. It was a very fun trip with really easy parking, the on site cafes and restaurants were a treat for the senses, we were having a great day until my son fell into the lion enclosure and was eaten. All in all great day for the family only rated 3 stars because of the weak lion fences.

Brilliant zoo to take the kids an most adults Hears…read morethere's a small fare ground Also you can get snack here Brilliant day out . Doesn't cost much either

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

It is as much a garden as it is a zoo. Small but mighty zoo. Amazing flora all around. Beautiful…read moreviews of the Welsh coast, countryside and mountains. Worth a few hours of time.

This my local zoo and I love going there from time to time, in particular Christmas Eve when they…read moreusually have very cheap admission prices and somehow the sun always shines. What really makes WMZ worth a visit is the stunning location, set high up above Colwyn Bay with views across the surrounding area and the sea at Rhos-on-Sea. There's a good selection of animals, the chimps and the sealions are my faves, and the penguin parade is well worth a watch. If you happen to find yourself in the Colwyn Bay area on Christmas Eve and have got all your shopping done then make your way up the hill, you won't regret it.

The aquarium in the world museum is brilliant, it combines fish from Australia to Anglesey with the…read morevery latest technology. They have combined a new learning and activity space within the aquarium; the Living Laboratory. In this part everyone can get up close to fish and other sea life in special low-level tanks. As interesting as aquariums are, they can often be quite boring but with the staff running regular demonstrations for the visitors and a chance to observe and properly get involved so for that reason it has to be one of the better ones that I have visited. There are many displays and activities in the Living Laboratory and they have tried their best to emphasise links between the live specimens and the museum's historic collections. Video conferencing facilities are also available, this allows to link through to behind the scenes activities, events in the Treasure House Theatre and other parts of the museum. Be sure to ring to find out what events they are running so you don't miss out.

Chester Zoo was one of the main reasons for us going to Manchester for a short break. And what a…read moregood decision it was. We had a great time despite the bad weather. A fantastic selection of unusual animals plus more common ones displayed in a very attractive way. One of the best zoos if not the bad we have ever been to.

Best Zoo in the U.K!!! Incredible selection of animals very friendly and knowledgeable staff…read more Annual Membership is worth it and is reasonably priced. Great place to go and do photography. Highly Recommended

Blackbrook Zoo is a good family day out in the Moorlands. When the park first opened, it was called…read moreBlackbrook world of birds, and obviously, birds are still an important part of the offerings here (in fact, Blackbrook has the largest bird collection in the UK). But they have now extended their range and made this an attractive and family friendly small zoo, with animals such as lemurs, wallabies and more recently, riverhogs. The zoo is open all year round and has a strong focus on education, leading to many trips by local schools. It has free parking, a gift shop and kids play area, as well as a pretty stone built tea shop - it is well worth a visit.

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!