One reporter visited the underrated Twycross Zoo with her two children – here is what she found
With school summer holidays now well underway across the UK, families will be looking for inspiration for full days out to keep the kids entertained over the next few weeks.
The zoo is a perfect option for those looking for something that will keep their kids from getting bored, with Manchester Evening News reporter Dianne Bourne taking her two children to Twycross Zoo in Leicester.
Describing the zoo as “underrated”, Dianne writes that her family had a “fun-packed” day-out, and that, despite spending all day there her children were still upset when it was time to go home.
Reporting on her visit to the fun-filled zoo, Dianne wrote: “When we arrived it was still a little chilly so it suited us to have an hour for the kids on the playbarn while sipping a coffee after the drive. You pay an extra fee for the playbarn, which is £8.50 for 90 minutes, or if you’re an annual member of the zoo this reduces to £3.50.
“Everything else is included in the entry price on the day – including the new animal bricktacular trail, the epic Gruffalo Land and a splash park right next to the penguin enclosure that we saved ’til the end of the day (so we weren’t having to cart around wet clothes all day).”
After an hour at the playbarn, it was time for the family to head to the Gruffalo Discovery Land, at which children can pick up a free map which people can then ‘stamp’ when they find Owl, Snake, and Fox.
Praising the Gruffalo Discovery Land, the mum-of-two continued: “What’s also great is that animal attractions are themed around it too – for example you walk through the owl section and right next to it are real-life African Eagle owls. There’s also a bird enclosure and goat walk-through in this section of the zoo, as well as an outdoor play area and themed Gruffalo café.
“Twycross is home to hundreds of animals across 80 species, and is the only UK zoo that is home to the four great apes – chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos. It also boasts the likes of rhinos, giraffes, snow leopards and zebras.
“We walked through a huge Gibbon forest, as well as fed the lorikeets in a large walk-through enclosure.
“My boys loved seeing the giraffes and the rhinos, as well as all the different monkeys and the giant tortoise. My eldest loves birds at the moment, so he also loved seeing the flamingos and penguins at the end of our route around the zoo on the day.
“Inevitably there was much excitement at the prospect of the splash park, and we’d come well prepared with swimming trunks and towels to let them enjoy this area.
“It features a range of quirky water tunnels and water sprayers themed around the zoo. During the summer there’s also a bouncy castle here that you’ll do well to keep your kids away from – we were lucky that it was the last bounce of the day when we got to this part of the park so were only stung for one 10 minute go on this.”
And for those wondering about the food available at the zoo, Dianne recalls: “There’s also a raft of street food vendors here, serving up things like waffles and burgers as well as an ice cream van. However during our visit we were tempted by the fish and chip restaurant on the tiger-side of the zoo. Naturally there was a bit of a queue, but the fresh-fried fish and chips (and chicken nuggets for the kids) were worth it.”
As the day came to an end, Dianne added: “There’s certainly plenty of photo moments across the 100-acre zoo – not least the retro stick-your-head in boards that my youngest found absolutely hilarious.
“The only problem you’ll find is getting them out of the place. There were tears and moans of “we can’t go home YET” as we headed back to the main entrance despite a full seven hours of fun here.
“The good thing is though, once you buy a ticket here you can return again as many times as you like over the following 12 months, so you can tell your kids that to get them out of the park at the end of the day!”
How much are tickets?
You can pre-book online or pay on the day. The zoo encourages pre-booking as there is around 15% saving when you book in advance vs on the day!
Pre-booked – Adult: £25.50 / Child £18.50
On the day – Adult £29.95 / Child £21.95
Plus, when visitors pay for a day you can then visit FREE for 12 months.
How to get there
Twycross Zoo is on Burton Road, Atherstone with the postcode CV9 3PX for sat nav and is on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border. It is located on the A444, which can be accessed via the A5 and the M42 junction 11, which is around 90 minutes drive from south Manchester.
There is a large free car park on site, including disabled parking close to the entrance.
