One of the best zoos I have ever been to! Every single animal had an enriching, expansive enclosure…read moreand there were many interactive elements like the lemur walk. The zoo was very much rooted in nature, allowing for a more intimate experience. The pizza at the pizzeria was pretty good, and we could eat it with a good view of the cheetahs. I love what they are doing by expanding the zoo into a modern zoo fit for conservation. Definitely a great experience with or without kids in Bristol.

If animals tickle your fancy and you're in the Bristol area then this is the place for you! You…read morehave to expect screaming kids (like at any zoo) but everything else is excellent! The animals are clearly well looked after by the zookeepers, and you can see so many! If you have marvelled at all of the animals already, there are many onsite activities to take part in. I visited back in the summer, where there was a barbecue in the middle of the zoo. My favourite part was the lemur enclosure that you can walk right through. There are lemurs in a perspex area of the zoo, but there is an enclosure which you can walk through! This was definitely a highlight of my holiday, and I'd recommend this to anyone!

I cannot rave enough about Finkley Down Farm. I don't even have kids I can use as an excuse - I…read moresimply come here to relax and spend some time with the animals. The atmosphere is relaxed and peaceful and the abundance of cute greedy animals desperate for you to feed them is nothing short of delightful. Their animals range from goats and sheep to chickens to cows right over to the more unusual llamas and highland cows. Even if you're not into getting close to the animals or feeding them the buckets of food available at the ticket office, just watching them mooch around is still fun and relaxing. The llama took somewhat of a disliking to me (was it something I said?) and stormed at me, looking like it could easily clear the fence and gain its freedom. I wasn't going to hang around to find out. One look at my pathetic retreating hide running off into the distance was enough to reduce its anger to mere disdain, and instead he decided to spit all over me. In some sort of random heroic act, the pig sharing its pen flung itself at the llama as if to take the blow for me, and rather than reflect on the llama soaking I'd been given, I instead watched this pig take one for the team. Right in the eye, no less. From hereonin, I shall name this pig SuperPig. If you do have kids you can pretend are the reason for visiting, there's plenty to keep them occupied. Other than the animals you can feed, there are talks and handling sessions with some of the smaller or baby pets throughout the day. There's also a nice adventure playground and a couple of trampolines to wear them out on too. There's a small gift shop and a place to buy some food, as well as a picnic area if you're sensible enough to bring your own food. I love this place and can't wait to go back when it reopens for the season next year.

A lovely little petting farm for a day out with the family. Entrance fee is very reasonable. Farm…read moreisn't huge by anyone's standards but just about big enough for an afternoons walking about without it being too much for the little/older ones. Lots to see and many activities laid on for the children. Arm them with a bucket of food from the entrance first though or you will find yourself running back for some! On site cafe sells everything from fish & chips to ice cream or just a cuppa. Toilets well sign posted and clean. Lots of basins and hand gel dotted around for after you have touched the animals. Nice staff who are kid friendly. Congratulations to the farm for keeping the gift shop prices low, lots of souvenirs on sale for under £2.

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.

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.

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.

This is a lovely relaxed little place which is perfect for a gentle bite and a relaxing stroll…read more Would it be bad to admit that I generally gravitate towards this place when hungover? Basically they do a big, cheap fry up which is just the job. And what better way to walk it off than by taking a quick stroll to see exactly where your food came from? They also serve up simple soups, baguettes, etc and when the weather's nice they've got a nice big outdoor area with a view of the farm. This lovely little place is under threat of closure at the moment, though, so you may need to get in while you can.

I love Windmill Hill City Farm, I visit at least once every couple of weeks with my daughter. She…read moreloves looking at the ducks and chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and the lovely calves who are being reared for veal (a meat I am incredible passionate about) The farm has a lovely little cafe which sells light meals, sandwiches and jacket potatoes, where possible they use produce from the farm and all meals are very reasonably priced. There is also a really lovely playground with a great sandpit and climbing tower for bigger kids. The farm is free to visit but I always put a couple of quid in the collection box as it is run by volunteers and is funded by donations.

We've been waiting for this place to open for years. We first saw plans at Clifton (Bristol) Zoo…read moreages ago when I'm pretty sure it was described as a safari park. I don't think they'd quite call it that at the moment but it does have that kind of feel to the place. It's a wide open place with a great feel of freedom - despite it being right next to the M5. The animals certainly have a lot more room than at the zoo and if you're somebody who is put off by the 'caged' feel of a zoo this may be for you. It's certainly a work in progress with more animals added each time I've been. I went at the weekend and they've added a brilliant wolves enclosure since I last went. While the animals are great our children love the barefoot trail where you walk... barefooted (how did you guess) across many different materials such as shredded tyres, pebbles and even glass - don't worry it's safe even for our two year old. There's a tap at the end where you can wash your feet but our tip is to take a towel. You'll be the envy of everyone there if you do. There's an indoor play fort, well it's in an open barn so you're dry but not in a stuffy, smelly room like some soft play areas can be. There's quite a few places to have a picnic such as in the fun fort, in a teepee or by the trampolines. Often we'd buy food at these places but it's just so expensive in the cafe that I can't bring myself to part with the money. Over £4 for a very average looking sandwich that wouldn't fill me. Really that's the only shame about the place, the entrance is affordable, the annual ticket is great value for money. It's friendly, it doesn't feel too big. I'd certainly recommend it if you have children.

What were me and my family of 3 really supposed to do here everywhere we went was closed and we…read moreonly saw a few if any animals. Would definitely recommend saving the £40.00! For something better.

This is a perfect place to take young family members who like to run around and make noise!…read more I recently took a young niece here, and she absolutely loved it - an added bonus was that she was so tired out by the end of it her mum said she slept like a log! I remember going to something like this when I was really young too, it offers a ideal mix between being able to see and touch animals like rabbits and pigs, to an adventure playground with those big slides that probably aren't so big when your a grown up but are huge when your little that you sort of drop off almost vertically, with your bum hardly touching the slide! There's also a nature trail. The park is great in nice weather, not so good in the rain but there are still inside things to do. It is also quite reasonable priced - £7.00 adult and £6.50 child, check their website for special offers.

This is a large, leafy recreational area covering 50 acres just outside Bristol with an animal…read morefarm, riverside walks, playgrounds and picnic areas. With stacks to entertain children, it's also a pleasant space for adults, and even when it's sunny and busy there seems to be plenty of space for everyone. For kids, the play arena has trampolines, slides, rope climbing structures and go karts, plus mini golf and the Strawberry Line miniature train. The six or so shire horses kept at the park are a big attraction, and there are lots of smaller animals to see, and even handle (under supervision). The park has falconry displays at the weekends (and during school holidays), plus a nature trail along the river (with a junior assault course running parallel to it). Adults cost £7.50, children (and OAPs) £7, and little ones under 2 go free. The park's open every day from April - end of October, then the indoor play barn is open on weekends and school holidays.

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.