Blackpool Zoo Review
Blackpool Zoo
Reviewed by Rachel Legg
We set off early on Thursday morning with 2 very excited 3 and a half year olds to get to Blackpool Zoo at about 10.45am. We were amazingly lucky with the weather it was a very cold but dry and sunny day which considering there’s now 9 inches of snow in my front garden was a small miracle. I’d not been to Blackpool Zoo before and as a first time visitor to the Zoo I was really pleased to see how well signposted it is from the motorway as my navigation skills can be slightly questionable.
I was pleased to see there was plenty of parking close to the entrance though slightly less pleased to find out it was a pay and display car park which bearing in mind the entrance fee did seem a fraction cheeky. You enter the Zoo by a large covered atrium with the shop, toilets and a cafe enclosed within. The reception staff were very helpful and pleasant and we willingly bought a guidebook and map for £2.50 which seemed a good price for a nice glossy brochure with lots of conservation info and bright pictures that the girls loved.
Once entering the Zoo the girls headed off at a run for the dinosaur exhibit, from a 3 year old’s perspective it was the best thing since sliced bread and they were particularly enamoured by a “purple one that roared”. This generally laid the theme for the day, they set off at a run to the next thing that they saw and we followed on behind. Unsurprisingly considering that the temperature was a maximum of 4 degrees, a lot of the animals were taking shelter in their homes but I was pleasantly surprised how many of the sheds you can enter and still see the animals despite them not being outside in their enclosures. Everywhere that the animals were behind glass the glass was extremely clean so you still got a really good view, and all the enclosures were clean and tidy though some of the older areas were looking a bit tired. It’s obvious that there has been a lot of improvement works going on recently however and Blackpool Zoo are currently upgrading their Orang-u-tang enclosure.
We had lunch in the Lakeside cafe which I believe is the main restaurant on site, it is a good size with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. The food was hot, and very tasty, the soup was excellent and very welcome and the staff very helpful. If you don’t want to eat in the restaurant however, there are plenty of benches throughout the Zoo and there were some very handy roofed over areas too so your sandwiches wouldn’t get wet. There are other kiosks throughout the Zoo but these weren’t open as it was midweek and low season.
Blackpool Zoo has a good selection of animals both large and small, there are big cats and other “wow factor” animals such as the gorgeous giraffes and elephants, right down to the humble chickens in the fantastic children’s farm.
We had a really good day and there were too many highlights to list them all, if you asked the girls their highlight was definitely the Lemur walk as they were thrilled at how close they got to the lemurs and their antics kept us enthralled for ages. For me? It was probably the Sea-Lion display which was really well presented, the staff were confident, friendly and very competent and the Sea-Lions total stars.
Would I recommend it as a day out? Absolutely! We had a great day and will be going again in the not too distant future. We visited mid-week in March so a lot of the animal experiences and the little train were not running but there was still more than enough to do. I am hoping to revisit in slightly warmer weather so I can linger longer and my daughter needs to see the “Porpulpine” (porcupine to you and me).
A family ticket for 4 (2 adults, 2 children) costs £43.20 when booked online or £48 on the day.
Rating: 4/5
For more information or to book tickets visit www.blackpoolzoo.org.uk
