Blackpool Zoo

Where else can you gossip with giraffes, mingle with monkeys, socialize with snakes, flirt with flamingoes, loiter with lemurs, and even walk with dinosaurs? Home to more than 1,500 exotic animals, Blackpool Zoo is a fun-packed and unforgettable day out for the whole family. Set in 32 acres of mature parkland and lakes, the zoo offers an unparalleled opportunity to come face-to-face with the kind of creatures you’d normally only find in the African savannah, or the rainforests of Thailand.

The zoo boasts a wide range of naturalistic habitats for its different animals. The elephants enjoy taking walks in the local woodland, the gorillas play hide-and-seek around their own island, and the lions hang out in their newly refurbished enclosure, which includes a multi-surface paddock, a pool, and even heated outdoor rocks so that they can enjoy the fresh air in winter! The zoo also recently redeveloped their water gardens to create Amazonia, a walk-through enclosure where guests can sample life in the rainforest with toucans and parrots flying overhead, and monkeys swinging past their ears.

And as well as showcasing everyone’s favourites, Blackpool Zoo is doing its bit for conservation, playing host to animals like Hartmann’s zebra, a subspecies whose habitat in southern Africa is currently endangered, and the Bornean orang-utan, under threat from deforestation and hunting. Visitors to the zoo are encouraged to think about how they can help these animals by taking care of the environment – for example, saving energy to help prevent the climate change that is damaging the natural habitat of the zoo’s reindeer. The zoo also raises money for the conservation of animals in the wild, offering ‘adopt-an-animal’ schemes, and even selling off paintings produced by artist Marcella the elephant!

Blackpool Zoo is very definitely geared towards children, with special tours and education sessions arranged for school trips, and Zoo-To-You sessions, where keepers actually bring animals into the classroom for children to meet. The zoo is also home to Arnie Aardvark’s Play Barn and the A-Zoo nursery – the world’s first nursery in a zoo – which overlooks the elephant paddock. And parents can rest assured that the zoo’s cafe is a ‘chip-free zone’ – even the vending machines sell healthy snacks.

And for the more adventurous guests, Blackpool Zoo has created a unique Dinosaur Safari – an unforgettable journey back through time to the lost world of the dinosaurs, past erupting volcanoes, spouting geysers, misty lakes and even a crashing meteorite. Intrepid explorers will come face to face with more than 30 prehistoric creatures, including the terrifying tyrannosaurus rex. Those who survive the fright will find out the reason the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, and discover the awesome prehistoric creatures who outlived them.

Situated just two miles behind the seafront of Britain’s most vibrant beach resort, this amazing Blackpool attraction is the perfect day out for all ages, and the crowning glory of your family holiday.