Blackpool Zoo review – day out with kids

There’s plenty to keep you by the seaside in Blackpool with kids, but as my Blackpool Zoo review goes to show, it’s well worth tearing yourself away from the beach if your family loves animals.

Only around a 10-minute drive from the attractions on the promenade, like Blackpool Sea Life Centre, the new Gruffalo Clubhouse and Blackpool Pleasure Beach, you could very easily spend the whole day at Blackpool Zoo with kids.

Not that surprising, when you think that the award-winning zoo near Stanley Park is home to over 1,350 animals from around the world – including more than 400 species – as well as several play areas, a brand new big cat enclosure and something for dinosaur lovers too.

With only about half a day to spend ourselves, we decided to head straight to the brand new Big Cat House, which had opened just a week before our visit.

With everything from gorillas and giraffes to penguins, sealions and a herd of Asian elephants, as well as talks throughout the day, the biggest decision is where to go first – but having picked up our map of Blackpool Zoo at the entrance, we couldn’t resist making lions and tigers our first stop.

The Big Cat Area is home to three lionesses Hira, Emma and Narla, who arrived from West Midland Safari Park, and the trio were obviously very settled in already.

One was having a break from the mini heatwave, gnawing away on something as she lounged inside (we couldn’t work out what, but she was definitely enjoying a good chew), while another snoozed in the sunshine outside.

Khari, Blackpool Zoo’s male lion, wasn’t in evidence, although apparently he’s been very interested in the three new ladies, eyeing them up through viewing panels – they’ll be gradually introduced in order to form a new pride, which will be very exciting to see.

We also spotted Alyona, the female Amur tiger, who was back home again and checking out the upgrades while she had been away.

Or at least, I’m sure she had been – we spotted her mid nap, looking entirely relaxed in a nice shady spot inside as well!

There’ll be a male tiger joining her as a companion later this summer too. And in the meantime, some interactive fun even if the big cats are cat napping, such as touch pads showing just how rough their tongues are.

Another of the zoo’s biggest attractions is close to the entrance, the herd of Asian elephants, including Kate, one of the zoo’s oldest inhabitants, now joined by four other female elephants and a breeding male.

I’ll be honest that I always feel a bit uncomfortable about seeing elephants in a zoo, knowing how much space they should have in the wild. But with so many threats to elephants in the wild, the zoo’s Project Elephant conservation programme is becoming increasingly important, to help save these wonderful animals for future generations.

Their home has been cleverly designed to give them all the essentials elephants need, as well as plenty of stimulation and enrichment, even if they don’t have the space of their wild cousins.

And this emphasis on inventive designs for the different habitats, all tailored for their specific inhabitants, is something you’ll see throughout Blackpool Zoo.

Close to the Lake Cafe, there are two islands at the centre of the lake itself for the troop of spider monkeys and gibbons which live here.

Human visitors get a good look from all different angles, wandering along the paths around the lake, and getting closer to some in the trees.

We spotted quite a few down by the water’s edge, cooling down from the sun, including a baby playing and trying to get its mother’s attention while she tried to relax (I mentally had the soundtrack of ‘Mum! Mum! Mum!’ running through my head as I watched).

There’s an indoor area, and some fun balancing ropes for them to get from one part to another, as well as lots of natural climbing areas.

Following the path round, we discovered a string of other monkeys in other enclosures too, including De Brazza’s Monkey with its pointed white beard.

And as well as the smaller monkeys, there are great apes too – six Western Lowland Gorillas who were all out in the sunshine on Gorilla Mountain.

Some were playing on the wooden climbing section at the centre, others strolling around in leisurely fashion, but mostly combing through the grass to see what they could find.

They’re fascinating to watch, from the imposing Silverback to the younger cheekier members of the troop.

And not far away, Orangutan Outlook, which is home to four orangutans – although only two were outside during our visit.

They had their own intricate climbing area, with tunnels and rocks, wooden beams and long rubber ropes to balance and swing on, not to mention other fun touches like balls.

Fans of Madagascar (or just of lemurs) won’t want to miss Lemur Wood, the walk-through Lemur enclosure, which is home to three species of lemur including ring-tailed lemurs.

All curled and intertwined together into a furry heap, we decided to play ‘count the tails’ to try to work out just how many there were – getting the correct answer of 15, according to a member of staff nearby (1 other was off elsewhere in the woodland).

More than a few were snoozing, but as soon as a helicopter few over, every single furry head snapped to attention to watch it.

Apparently they’ll often start hooting and calling to try to scare helicopters away, before congratulating themselves when it flies off, according to our knowledgeable source – that seemed to be too much effort that day, so they just sat and glared fixedly at it until it buzzed away.

You’ll find other fluffy creatures that kids (and adults) love, including red pandas, wallabies in another walk through enclosure, and capybara.

My daughter and I always think they look a bit like overgrown guinea pigs, with a faintly disapproving expression on their faces!

But that really is only the beginning. Elsewhere you could head to Giraffe Heights, including a chance to climb up higher than even these amazingly tall animals, and look down onto them from the wooden viewing platforms.

The different viewing platforms around the zoo often included ramps as well as steps, ideal if you’re pushing a buggy or looking for accessible viewpoints. Plus it meant you had a chance to see the animals from a whole string of different angles, both indoors and outdoors, from low down and on high.

Not forgetting the camels, reindeer, tapir and wolves, which were prowling around their woodland home, plus alpacas, llamas and bongos too.

Away from dry land, there are more than a few sea creatures as well, including penguins swimming around.

It’s well worth setting a reminder to check out the zoo talks and feeding time events as you explore, including twice-daily for the penguins, which are always popular and so fun to watch.

We managed to time our visit to the Active Oceans arena for the sea lion demonstration – a mix of talks, explaining more about the sea lions, and showing us some of the enrichment games to keep their hunting skills sharp.

The sea lions seemed to be having a whale of a time, jumping, swimming and generally showing off some impressive skills in the water (for a few tasty rewards).

It’s well worth getting there early for a good seat and view: we happened to get lucky and found a viewpoint round the side, as the seating area was completely full.

We had an even better view of the otters – scampering and swimming around their enclosure so fast that half my photos are a brown blur.

The little bevy of otters barely stopped moving, trotting across logs to the island at the centre of their home, vanishing into little holes and tunnels, darting out and diving into the water, chasing tails, and generally dashing around after each other while squeaking away nineteen to the dozen.

And of course, there are birds too – mostly split between a few different areas such as World of Wings and Rainbow Landings, where you can spot anything from parrots and lorikeets to waterfowl and songbirds.

Plus there are owls to find, flamingos standing elegantly by their pool, pelicans and other bigger birds such as rhea and ostrich.

And along with the exotic animals, the children’s farm lets little ones stroke and feed friendly farmyard animals, such as ponies, goats, donkeys and rabbits.

If you do need a break from all the fantastic animals, there’s a play area close to the orangutans for kids to get inspired by the climbing and swinging of the monkeys and apes they’ve seen (plus the usual fun such as slides).

When we visited, there was a big bouncy castle set up and trampoline swings to fling them high into the air as well.

If you want more playtime, or you’re visiting Blackpool Zoo in the rain, toddlers and younger kids will also love running around the zoo’s huge three-level Playbarn, with giant slides, ball cannons, ball showers, and more.

It’s next to the main zoo and there’s a separate entry fee, but it’s discounted if you’ve visited the zoo (you need to show a receipt though).

There are even prehistoric creatures to find at Blackpool Zoo (well, kind of), with the Dino safari to stroll through.

Sound effects also help bring the prehistoric world alive – do watch out for the dinosaur spraying water over unsuspecting visitors too. There’s lots of information on the different dinosaurs you can spot as you explore too.

Dinosaurs plus animals is always a winner if you’re in Blackpool with toddlers and preschoolers – but there were plenty of older kids having fun in this section too!

Three and a half hours after we arrived, we had to leave… having only just about seen everything. But could easily have stayed to explore more for the second half of the day if we’d had the chance.

For more of the best things to do in Blackpool with kids, check out my top picks, as well as my reviews of other Blackpool family attractions

Blackpool Zoo review: Need to know

There’s a discount if you prebook tickets, which can be bought up to 11pm the night before, and it’s well worth buying in advance at busy times, as well as tickets with free cancellation. Prices vary depending on the date, so check the Blackpool Zoo website for more details.

You can also book a VIP animal experience, including behind-the-scenes tours, as well as Keeper Courses, with different options for age 8+ if you’re looking for an extra special family day out.

Tickets to the Blackpool Zoo Playbarn cost £6 per child, reduced to £3 for zoo visitors and members, and for babies under one year old.

Parking costs £4.50 per day and can be paid by card at the machines, as well as cash at the machine nearest the zoo entrance.

Bus 22 also links Blackpool Zoo with Stanley Park, the Model Village and the city centre, including Blackpool Tower, from Easter to Autumn

There are several places to get food at Blackpool Zoo, including a coffee shop by the entrance, Nawala Street Food selling coffee, ice cream and hot food just before you get to Dino Safari, other seasonal kiosks inside and the main Lakeview Cafe.

There are several different food options inside the Lakeview Cafe including a new branch of Subway – although expect everywhere to be busy during school holidays and peak times – plus tables inside and outdoors.

You can also bring a picnic, plus if you are driving, you can leave things in your car to collect during your visit.

There are often special children’s trails at Blackpool Zoo during school holidays, but you can also pick up a free map at the entrance, and create your own.

There is also a gift shop at the exit, although you can avoid it if you want (it does have some lovely souvenirs, but a bit of a relief if you’re flagging under pester power).

There are toilets dotted around the zoo, all of which include baby change facilities (in both men’s and women’s toilets, well done Blackpool Zoo), including by the main entrance, the Lake View Cafe and by the play area.

You’re also walking distance from Stanley Park (or there is a free car park near the West Park Drive entrance) including Blackpool Model Village.

For more ideas of the best things to do in Blackpool with kids, check out my top picks

Images copyright MummyTravels

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