Lion Cubs experience…read more This my third experience now with Heythrop Zoological Gardens and yet again was a magical one. Me and my husband firstly meets Hannah who is such a lovely lady that explains all about the lion cubs and she then takes us around the forest whilst we walk the cubs along with another trainer. So we walked their new bundle of joy Nero and Lydia the lion cubs. It was a once in a life time opportunity and so unique. We walked the cubs in Heythrops private woods. The little cubs just loved to play with each other all the time whilst walking along and when they came across their favourite tree stumps they just loved leaping and playing on them as well as trying to climb up a tree or two. We could also stroke them when they were more relaxed in places and they felt so soft like rabbit fur. The markings on there fur was also so amazing Lydia the female cub had spot type markings and Nero you could see his mane coming about with his punk rocker type hair style going on. Its a tad expensive doing this experience but I highly recommend as it is so worth it and you won't be able to do this experience at any other zoo in the UK. Only reason this experience is allowed at Heythrop Zoological Gardens is because its a private zoo (not open to public however does have special open days to public 2 days in September only) and train animals are bred for TV and film. This experience only has two Saturdays left in June 2016 with a few places left so if you are interested then book asap. They do other animal experiences throughout the year that you can do from penguins to a sloth so check out there website. If you however want to do the more unique one off experiences like the lion cubs that is not available all year round then I advice you email them and ask them to keep you informed of any new additions like lion cubs, tiger cubs, other baby animals etc. The other animal experiences that I have done at Heythrop is the tiger cubs and a monkey (who starred in My Zoo a TV series). I highly recommend to anyone that loves animals.

While visiting the UK as a Family we decided on WMSP for a family day out as it was only 90 minutes…read moreaway from where we were staying and the weather looked good. We arrived around 10am ( opens at 9:30am on a Weekday ) and were surprised the parking lot wasn't that busy. We had prepaid our tickets / wristband etc ahead of time so didn't have to waste time there and walked in. We managed to see some of the animal exhibits and ride a few of the rides before our allocated Safari drive through of 12:30pm. Once we lined up and began our drive it took about 2 hours, it also became clear that the drive could be more efficient if people actually paid attention to the rules. If it says traffic on the right side doesn't stop ( It states if you want to see the animals to stay to the left ) then don't stop and hold up the rest, if you do then you're a problem. If it states to keep your windows half way up and not let the animals put their heads inside and you do just that then you're putting the Animals and potentially yourselves in Jeopardy, if you do then you're a problem. If it states not to feed the Giraffes because they're monitoring their diet and you then allow the Giraffe to come inside your car while feeding them then you're a problem. I hope if you're one of the above people that you're reading this because....you're an entitled problem. With that being said, the problem people aren't the fault of WMSP. Once our drive was complete we went to park back up and found the parking lot to be drastically busier than when we left. We would certainly advise you if you want to get more done to try and show up early. Price of tickets wasn't bad considering its a major attraction and the price of food and souvenirs while high didn't seem too high to us. A great day out overall and recommended.

There's nothing like animals in captivity to make for an excellent day out. Seeing tigers lolling…read morein the West Midlands rain instead of loping along in a Bengali jungle always makes me happy. I jest, I jest! But the joke surely opens the way to speak of the West Midlands Safari Park's ethical treatment of animals, and their committment to assuring their animals live happy, fulfilled lives, despite being gawked at by herds of Midlanders. Occasionally there's a Welsh person as well, but the buffalo don't mind. The nature reserve is 4 miles of animal viewing. You stay in your car and drive through the park, looking at various creatures, some boring, some adventurous, and some downright frightening. My favourite bit was when the largest giraffe (which is saying a lot) leant into our car window and drooled on my youngest, who threw an absolute fit! You can feed some of the animals, but for some parts, you have to keep your car windows and doors closed and locked. This takes about an hour and a half, after waiting for everybody and their second cousin's aunt-in-law to take 8 pictures of each animal. After that, head over to the Amusement park, where you can go through various bits -- the Bat House, which smells of guano, the seal sanctuary, and seal show (which is good fun), and the snake man, who gives educational talks about reptiles and drapes them all over his shoulders. The rides are good fun -- nothing to write home about if you've been to Alton Towers, but all the stuff you'd expect from an amusement park. The cost to enter the Safari Park is highish, but not ridiculous - £13 per adult, £11.50 per child, and that's just for the animals bit. If you're going to the amusement park, the cost for a wristband to ride all the rides all day is £11 for adults and £10.50 for children. So all in all, if you take a family of four, it will be a £100 day out -- make sure you go early and stay late for it to be worth the cost! With the park opening at 10 and closing at 6, you should be able to get your money's worth/

Animal farm can be a great place to visit rain or shine. lots of lovely animals to pet and feed…read more The farm has barns with rabbits,ferrets and all other fluffy things. In the 20+ acres you have all the reg farm animals to feed. Theres a couple of rides , bouncy castle and toy tractors to skoot around on. All this could be done in drizzly weather with wellys on but if its really bad theres a massive indoor play area. they have a small area for babys and toddlers thats well padded and keeps them entertained for ages. The older kids have lots to climb and the tallest slides i have ever seen. my heart was in my mouth watching the kids come down it , but they thought it was wicked. The farms very easy to find as burnham-on -sea isnt a big place to get lost in. well worth a visit :)

This is a brilliant place to take your kids to. My little girl is 2 1/2 now and we have been taking…read moreher there for over a year now and she loves it. You pay an entry price and then most of the things are free. It has a bouncy castle, trampaline,'cuddle club' where you can cuddle ginea pigs and rabbits, outdoor slides, swing boats, climbing frame, ride on tractors etc and a large indoor play area with ball pits, lots of slides and places to climb around. Also it has paddocks with animals in (such as cows, lamas etc.) which you can feed and indoor barns with pigs and horses in. It is a great day out and you can stay for hours without your kids geting bored.

The fantastic Longleat Safari and Adventure Park in Wiltshire, England is the world's first…read moredrive-thru safari park outside of Africa. Longleat opened in 1966 on the grounds of the historic Longleat castle, a first of its kind in the UK. On the grounds one can enjoy riding in the safari tour bus to see the many exotic animals the estate has collected and bred over the years. There is quite an impressive array of lions, tigers, zebras, monkeys, parrots, grey wolves, ostriches, giraffes and rhinos, etc. In addition to the tour bus, there are walking areas, a boat safari, a railway, and the Elizabethan Longleat House castle to explore with its lush gardens and gorgeous manicured grounds. The tour takes approximately 2-3 hours and costs £40 for adults and £30 for children, from 3 years up to 16 years old. Children under 3 years old are free. There are also various kiosks and cafes around the grounds for dining or quick-bite options. Longleat is approximately 1.5 hours by train traveling from London proper, or roughly a 2 hour drive by car based on traffic. Hopefully you will have good weather when you visit. Enjoy!

I took my daughter here August '15 and it cost £60 to get in. I did not want Monkeys pulling bits…read morefrom my car so I paid the extra tenner for the bus ride around the safari park. We had something to eat ( it wasn't brilliant) so the whole day cost about £100. The place is clean and well kept, it has a butterfly house, some reptile places and a boat ride where you can feed the seals. There is also a big kids play area and maze ( reminds me of the shining!) Unfortunately the weather was not good so the play area was all wet, some of the rides were closed and it was cold and all muddy. We could not go on the boat ride it was too wet. The only draw back is that if it's cold and wet don't bother to go. We love in England so unfortunately that is most of the year. If you are an anal lover though you will like it, the annals are not just caged up and run freeley, so although it's not cheap I don't mind paying the money.

Absolutely horrendous, me, my dad, my brother and his girlfriend all went to this zoo in hopes that…read moreit would be A fun family outing. My mom bought the tickets for the wrong day so she couldn't come with us. We got there and went in, showed the tickets we had bought and weren't allowed in as my mother wasn't with us. My dad stated that she couldn't come with us. The man who was working in the kiosk / ticket booth was having none of it. He was quite the rude man and was telling us that we had to buy new tickets under my dad's name. Keep in mind that the tickets you buy online are NON REFUNDABLE. If I could I'd give zero stars. Absolutely terrible.

Where else meerkats can be seen in Birmingham area? Not the only good reason for visit this…read morefacility but just in case you have ever been there, Birmingham Nature Centre is on Pershore Road, behind the Cannon Hill Park, in Edgbaston. The tickets cost £ 4 (adults) and children from 5 to 15 years (£ 1.50), but the little ones (under 5 years old) have free admission. I have been a couple of times, and a part the cockroaches, it always a pleasant spending some hours contemplating wild life and nature over there. The most popular animals are still the meerkats, but obviously that the wildcats, guinea pigs, among other exotic animals also add to the whole experience. Definitely a children's friendly spot, perfect for a picnic in family, if you fancy bringing your own snack. If not, there is a café on the site. A better way of finding more information about the Nature Centre is visiting their facebook page because their page at Birmingham City Council website is very simple and just provides basic information about the locale.

I've been coming here since I was a kid and it's still one of the best wildlife parks in the south…read more They're dog friendly and the dogs can go in most places apart from the wolf walk-through and some of the inside buildings like the bats. Most of the animals have adequate enclosures and room to roam. My dog was fascinated by the rhinos, joeys and giant tortoises! They have a restaurant but I recommend bringing your own picnic, especially if the weather is nice. There are multiple areas to set up for lunch. They also have coffee spots and nice ice cream. There's a playground for the little ones if you're doing a family trip and it's always been fun. Plus, the gift shop is a must! Definitely recommend.

We went to this zoo on a nice warm spring day. What a great decision. Yes, there were many people,…read morebut there is plenty of space. The garden like layout makes it ideal for this time of year. In addition, this zoo visit was made by the baby animals, a rhino, a camel and a giraffe. We had 3 lovely hours.

Two years after the last visit the COVID-related struggles are gone. The zoo is in a much better…read moreshape and all enclosures are in good condition again. Mar well has always had nice big enclosures for the big animals. This time, we very much enjoyed the tropical house and the aviaries and red panda at the back. The tree dwellers near the house (monkeys and lemurs) are always a joy and it is great to see the snow leopards getting an upgrade. A lovely visit.

It was very cool day! Many different animals, and beautiful arena! One minus-…read more some animals were sleeping.

Went for life drawing during my time at the University. It's good place to go and see animals you…read moresee on tv from different countries all over the world. For me it was very helpful going and do drawings of animals and you have the Dudley Castle next to it. Very relaxing, especially on a sunny day. Was a little busy when I went, lots of families having day out. I didn't know about this place before started University. Bus takes you right opposite the Zoo from city centre. Would love to go again sometime.

Dudley Zoo has, like many things in the midlands, got a lot of bad press. Don't get me wrong, it's…read morenot in the same league as some of the more famous zoo's in the UK but it's slap bang in the middle of Dudley. I've been twice now over the last 6 years and on my second visit I easily noticed a massive improvement in the quality of the enclosures and the general well-being of the animals. Being centred around Dudley Castle the zoo is subject to a hefty amount of inclines so be prepared and wear some sensible shoes. There's plenty of parking and is easy to get to via public transport and at £14 (ish) entry for an adult it's quite reasonable. This small, yet perfectly formed, zoo is home to snow leopards, red pandas, all the big cats, primates, reptiles, birds and more including a very chatty raven! I'd wholeheartedly recommend Dudley Zoo to anybody looking for an animal packed day out in the black country!

Much better than I expected. The quality of the animals is…read moregreat - well looked after and easy to see. It like Noah's ark in that there are 2 or 3 of the 'big animals - Rhinos, Lions, 1 Tiger, elephants, Giraffes, Buffalo etc. There are also 'events' showing birds of prey and farm animals etc.. The staff were very helpful and pleasant and knowledgable. It is not cheap at all - around £70 for us to get in and we were there for some 4 hours - able to walk round everything and have lunch easily. Price is the only reason why it's not 5 stars! Fully recommend

I have been to Noahs Ark a few times before but I had heard that they had done some renovations so…read moredecided to give it another go. I brought my son, niece & nephew here for the day and we had such a lovely time. As you walk in they have a huge play area to your left with a pirate ship & slides, they also have tables right next to it for parents to sit and watch. To your right they have a big picnic field with benches, and trampolines to keep the kids entertained. They animal area is huge and it's a lovely walk, they have so many animals and they are all kept in enclosures suitable for the animal and they all seem very happy and content. The best thing is now the elephant enclosure, it's the biggest in the UK and can hold up to 10 elephants. They only have one elephant at the moment but they will be getting more in the near future. Noah's ark also have a little gift shop and a cafe selling hot and cold food. Pretty average prices really. They also have a tractor ride which costs £2 per adult and £1 per child, this lasts about 20 mins and is loads of fun. Prices for entry are: Adults- £15 Children- £10 (2-16) Under 2s- Free Would definitely recommend Noah's Ark for a fun day out.

A fun zoo, we were able to complete it in one day. Lots of nice walk through areas such as the…read morebutterfly exhibit, lorikeets and the lemurs. We loved the seals' area, very nice views of them as you could see them underwater. Penguins were fun as well but enclosure was small. Very nice bug exhibits as well but big creep factor for me, the adult!!