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.

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.

Excellent place for day out with family Abosulte worth of…read moremoney. Nice place to visit with children. Rides are good for childern around 6 years. Need a day to experience the place

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 love animals. I sometimes feel like the crazy cat lady in that fantastic e-harmony spoof when it…read morecomes to nature - I want to hug it all and have it all on a rainbow, but I can't. Can't hug all the nature. Because that's mental. Anyway. Having read David's recount of this spot, and seeing that it's had barely any Yelp attention, I decided it had to be done - lo and behold, my holiday at home was the perfect time to jump in the car, head over Donny way, and get immersed in looking at cool animals. It was busy, with lots and lots of childrens. We foolishly chose to pick refreshments up from the child's side barn, where the screams of joy are amplified and pierce your ear drums. The other adults didn't seem phased though, perhaps that happens when you start to parent. But, nonetheless a 'coffee' and pasty was had to fuel the walk around, and two coffees, two pasties, and a danish was under a tenner. Nice. The programme booklet is three quid really well spent too, btw. Not only do you get the map, times of the talks and such like, but each section gives a little more and details the various species and offers extra info to take home. Love it! And what can you see? All sorts. It's a 1km complex (roughly) and so has plenty of span. That however, in context with say, how much territory a tiger will cover in the wild, seems small. (But that's not a criticism - more a realisation of how much land these animals need in the wild, and how easy it is to cross over into human territory.) However, their commitment to conservation and preservation is astounding. They've three leopards, brothers, all of whom are something like the primary leopards in the world for eventual re-introduction into the wild - their genes are great, and our best hope lies with breeding them, kinda thing. Apparently leopards are the only big cat that have a half decent chance of reintroduction, although I didn't get a chance to ask why that is. Perhaps as their solitary and don't need so much learning time with their mothers? The giraffes were amazing, and breath-taking to see up close. It's weird to consider how massive their heads are, and it looks as though they live life in slow motion by the way they move - it's kind of hypnotic. They also, in real life, look like the kind of animal you'd have invented as a child. Bizarre but beautiful. Great eyelashes. The African hunting dogs were also amazing. And the fact you can walk through enclosed areas and be so intimately close with wallabys and lemurs was an absolute pleasure. We arrived at Lemur woods just at feeding time, and it was pretty incredible. Want one! Can't have one. Must come back. As a quick recap on the animals I saw, there are farm animals for petting, tigers, lions, leopards, giraffes, hunting dogs, lemurs, wallabys, wild boar, marmosets (who were AWESOME!) ostriches and a bunch more. It's best to go when you get a chance to plan the talks, so you can try and luck out to see the feeding times with the big cats, as sadly we didn't see much action from that crowd. But just spotting a massive leopard sat way up in his climbing frame, and catching the male lion roaring, was enough for me. Basically, it's a great day out. Awesome.

Loved it, animals were all lovely. However, they put their recycling and general rubbish in one bin…read moreat the end of the day, despite having two seperate bins for it and it is very misleading.

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.

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!

If you are looking for a fab day out in Lincolnshire then give The Butterfly & Wildlife Park at…read moreLong Sutton a go. This little park started out as just a butterfly park but over the years has extended its collection and now houses birds of prey, ponies, pigs, llamas and racoons (to name but a few). The tropical house is home to the butterflies (plus some reptiles and other insects). The volume and variety of butterflies is breathtaking and the tropical house is well set out so you get plenty of opportunity to see the butterflies without feeling you have walked round in circles. Outside in the park you can explore all the other animal exhibits and catch one of the daily falconry displays. There is a new children's adventure play area and if all of this tires you out and you need to recharge your batteries then there is a lovely restaurant/cafe which serves delicious homemade cakes and lunches. The Gift shop is well stocked and the staff are all very friendly. All in all a fantastic day out.

HAve been to the park a few times over the years , and although the children really enjoyed it,…read moreeven my daughter who was 6 at the time holding some kind of tarantula spider. They do do a lovely falconry display which is llovely sitting outside during the summer. The play par kis quite extensive and even my hubby had fun playing on the zip wire. The terrapins are also interesting to watch and they have such an array of butterflys. They have a huge picnic area which caters for large parties as well as having a coffee shop and a gift store

Took my 15 yo nephew here today and we both enjoyed it very much. Lots to see and lots of space for…read morethe animals. We were both concerned for some of the animals that are not in their natural habitat just wondering if they were too hot. The train ride was a plus because we got to see animals on the other side of the park that would have been otherwise difficult to reach on foot. My favorite were the penguins, the the brown bear ( it was chasing a bird) the butterflies and the kangaroos.

Whipsnade Zoo has been a tradition in our family since I was a child. My own children now love it…read moretoo. It makes a brilliant day out in the Fresh Air on top of the Chilterns, with views for miles. We are members of the ZSL so can return as often as we like which makes the membership fee much better value. You can pay to enter and if you like the1 vibe, you can offset the cost of the visit against your first year's membership fee which also includes entry to London Zoo. There are elephants, lions, tigers, giraffes, and a large herd of White Rhino. The Chimpanzees have a very large enclosure. You can take the car in, which makes a picnic much easier. Go!