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.

It was last August when I had just graduated from university, was in the painful process of looking…read morefor a job and basically had had enough of watching Friends re-runs on the TV, when I decided to do something with my day. That is when I came upon the idea of going to the West Midlands Safari Park. Now living in the Midlands I have been here many a time, in fact I have seen the park every Christmas when we took my sister and my cousins to go to see Santa on the Seven Valley Railway which is located nearby. My boyfriend however had never been and did not know what to expect so for everybody who has never been, here is all the information you need to know. - Location: West Midland Safari and Leisure Park. Spring Grove, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 1LF. 01229 402114. - Price: Adults - £7.99. Children - £7.99. Children under 4 are free. It does seem a bit mad that the child prices are the same as the adult but the price does include a free return visit for all so you can relive the fun for free a second time. Remember that it has to be in the same vehicle though. Your admission fee includes; Drive through Safari, White Lions, Wild dogs, Elephant reserve, Tiger reserve, Lion reserve, discovery trail, seal island, sea aquarium, creepy crawlies, animal encounter, reptile encounter, reptile house, deer park, goat park, sea lion theatre (houses some really good shows in which kids can get involved in), Express train and the hippo lakes. Also there are prices to visit the rides which are £8.75 for people over 1.2 metres tall and £7.25 for people less than 1.2 metres tall. - History: The west Midlands Safari Park has been around for over 15 years and is renowned for being a fun day out. For those people who do not like zoos and believe they are cruel then rest assured that the Safari Park is one of the friendlier zoos in which the animals are kept outside and have lots of space. You drive your car around certain enclosures allowing you to take a good and close look on how the animals act, look and move. - The Safari Park: The actual Park is huge and as soon as you reach it you can see the big colourful signs letting you know you have arrived. On arrival you pay for the amount of people in the car. You have an option to buy animal food as some animals you can feed on your travels. Then off you go in your car discovering the land of the huge animals. Here you will see llamas, elephants and giraffes and if you are brave enough you can drive into the lion and tiger enclosures where you have to keep your windows up and your doors locked to prevent any nasty accidents. Driving around is fun as the animals come right up to your car and with some of them you can feed them. Just remember to wash your hands after which unfortunately I didn't before eating. Ewww!!! Out of your car you have the opportunity to visit the smaller animals which includes the sea lions, reptiles and creepy crawlies. There are also some friendlier animals such as goats and rabbits. Occasionally and you will have to check the times when you visit, you can get to touch the animals and feed them. When you have had enough of looking at the animals you can go on the rides. Although it is always a bit rubbish when there are height restrictions but there are plenty of rides for all. For those over 1.2 metres we have the Jumbo Parade, the tarantula, the rhino coaster and the Zambezi water splash. For those under 1.2 metres we have the Congo carousel, the flying pandas and the animal ark. There are plenty more too so the wrist bands are a good idea as it gives you more reasons to love your day out here. - Eating at the Safari Park: There is a good variety on eating establishments and what you can eat here. We have the following; Candy sweet shop OK maybe not the healthier choice but if you just fancy some sweets while you are walking around then here you go. Port Livingstone Pizza All types of pizzas available here including my favourite the Hawaiian. Also they sell chicken dishes and chips but there is also some vegetarian options including vegetarian pizzas of course. This is where I ate and the pizzas were reasonably priced. I had a slice and it cost around £2 and it was a big and filling slice. Burger Co Great for exactly what it says burgers. Oasis licensed bar and coffee shop Great place to go and sit down if you want a drink or a snack such as a sandwich or a baguette. They also sell food like muffins which is good for a quick bite to eat to fill you up. Prices here were standard at about £1 for a drink and around £2.50 for sandwiches. Hot and Spicy This was my boyfriend's choice of food and he had a jacket potato with cheese which cost around £2.50. They also sold hot dogs and burgers here. Also throughout the Safari Park you will find little snack houses that will sell ice-creams, sweets and drinks for people on the go. Also there is a picnic area so those who wish to

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.

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.

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.

Fabulous day, with a private Giraffe experience with our booking for my daughters 5th birthday…read more Absolutely fantastic, best experience whilst learning all about the conservation importance etc . Great informative keeper, very knowledgeable who had been there 26 years !! That shows a great place to work. Had afternoon tea overlooking the leopard enclosure. So much good fabulous spread and THE best tasting scones we've ever tried! Had to have boxes to take all the food home that we just couldn't finish. Amazing day with lovely people looking after and caring for the animals there. Thought the apes looked very sad and made us a little sad seeming them in the enclosures

A fun afternoon spent at the zoo is always a fun afternoon! Especially when you see giraffes trying…read moreto mate and all the little kids look horrified! We spent a few hours walking around the entire zoo and there were plenty of animals to keep my little guy entertained. The best part was the playground across from the gorilla sanctuary where all the little kids seemed to congregate. The highlight of the day was the Gruffalo section. It was just a series of animatronic animals and rooms with snippets of the cartoon playing but it was fun and passed the time well. Got hot dogs from the hot dog stand; although there was a restaurant on site... we just needed a quick snack and the service for it was quick and efficient.

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.

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.

We absolutely loved the drive thru safari. The animals look calm and happy as they stroll around,…read moreextremely close to your car. Excellent experience. The after you park your car exhibits were mostly enjoyable, sweet animals but please someone needs to clean the animals sleep areas, inside boxes and such. The Otter sleep area was disgraceful and there were babies. Looks like it hadn't been cleaned out in a month. No way AZA has been there in a while. Otherwise a very nice day.

It is great. You need to book the ticket online before your trip, it is very smooth to get in the…read morepark. Not very big but a lot to see. we stayed about 2 hour. It is a special experience to see the wildlife.

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!