I live in a village near Blackpool so we manage to take our children to Blackpool zoo once or twice a year. The zoo has changed beyond all recognition in the last few years and I would never recognise it from when I was a child, the change is definitely for the better. I was a bit of an animal ... Read review
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Advantages: Great day out for adults and children Disadvantages: A bit pricey
...live in a village near Blackpool so we manage to take our children to Blackpool zoo once or twice a year. The zoo has changed beyond all recognition in the last few years and I would never recognise it from when I was a child, the change is definitely for the better. I was a bit of an animal activist in my teens and when a group of us went when I was about 16, I left the place in tears because of the unnatural conditions the animals were living in, ... ...free.
Blackpool zoo is a member of the following organisations:
European Association of zoos and aquaria.
European Endangered Species Programme.
The Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland.
^^^^Facilities^^^^
There are wheelchairs and pushchairs available at the entrance, highly recommended for anyone who can't walk long distances, the wheelchairs are ... more
I live in a village near Blackpool so we manage to take our children to Blackpool zoo once or twice a year. The zoo has changed beyond all recognition in the last few years and I would never recognise it from when I was a child, the change is definitely for the better. I was a bit of an animal activist in my teens and when a group of us went when I was about 16, I left the place in tears because of the unnatural conditions the animals were living in, so when I had children myself I was a bit wary of going back, but I was in for a pleasant surprise.
^^^^Zoo Facts^^^^
The zoo is situated on East Park Drive, 2 or 3 miles away from junction 4 of the M55, just follow the signs, and is set in 32 acres of land.
It opened as a zoo in 1972.
There are more than 1500 animals at the zoo including primates, elephants, lions and tigers as well as birds, reptiles and farm animals.
You can have birthday parties at the zoo and you are provided with food, a birthday present and you get a creepy crawly experience and get to meet an elephant!
Just opened this year is the Dinosaur Safari, learn all about the different time periods and what creatures lived when.
There are also special events at different times of the year such as Halloween and Christmas.
There are talk and feed sessions all through the day for many different animals.
The zoo opens at 10 am every day and the closing times depends on the time of year.
Admission prices are as follows:
Zoo only Dino Safari only Zoo and Dino Safari
Adults £9.00 £6.00 £12.50
Children £6.50 £4.50 £10.00
OAP's £7.50 £5.50 £11.00
Family £27.00 £18.00 £39.00
(2 adults and 2 children over 3)
Children under 3 are free.
Blackpool zoo is a member of the following organisations: European Association of zoos and aquaria. European Endangered Species Programme. The Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland.
^^^^Facilities^^^^
There are wheelchairs and pushchairs available at the entrance, highly recommended for anyone who can't walk long distances, the wheelchairs are free but the pushchairs are £3 plus a £10 deposit.
There are toilets at the entrance with disabled facilities and more in the café and at the picnic area.
The only baby changing room is at the entrance.
There is a large (expensive) gift shop at the entrance and 2 smaller gift shops on site (equally expensive). The café is quite close to the main entrance and from what I remember quite expensive, there are small kiosks selling ice creams etc throughout the zoo, but I always find it best to take a picnic.
There is a pay phone near the entrance for those flat battery emergencies.
^^^^Dinosaur Safari^^^
This only opened next year and it is the only thing about the visit to the zoo that I was disappointed with. You walk through the different time zones and look at and read about the different dinosaurs and plants that were around at that time. There are sound effects coming from the dinosaur models and smells coming from the swampy bits. The whole thing took about 10 minutes to walk round and none of us were too impressed, my 3 year old was more interested in the ducklings on the pond!
If you or your children are particularly interested in dinosaurs or they have a school project to do then this might be a worthwhile experience, otherwise I would give it a miss, far too expensive for what it is.
^^^^Especially for the Children^^^^
The children's zoo is a mini farm where the children can touch some of the animals. There are rabbits, guinea pigs, hens, goats, donkeys and cows to name but a few (this is my favourite bit!).
The Creepy Crawly Experience is one not to miss (unless you don't like spiders etc). The children can hold and touch all sorts of creatures from spiders and snakes to lizards and stick insects, this is on every day at 4 pm, a nice end to the day.
Wild Learning is the zoo school and does many different sessions including classroom based courses for all ages, craft sessions and guided tours. These must be booked in advance, have a look at the website to look at the many choices. I haven't experienced these personally but everyone I have spoken to about it absolutely loved it!
The train is a must to give those little (and not so little) legs a rest, it travels all the way round the zoo and you can get on anywhere. The only draw back is that I have only seen it running about half the times I have been, you are advised on the website to pre book this too.
^^^^The Animals^^^^
Obviously the most important part of the zoo, there are many to look at, most are in nice environments, although a few look a bit shabby especially compared to the new parts of the zoo.
The giant tortoises are just inside the entrance and always seem to attract a crowd. They don't do very much really but are absolutely fascinating to watch.
The elephants are amazing but the enclosure seems a bit small for the size of the animal and the elephant house is extremely stinky!
The lions and tigers are beautiful but mostly just lie around in the grass, it is quite exciting though when the male lion starts roaring (and quite scary).
The gorillas and orang utans are fab and beautiful close up and there are loads of other primates too.
The sea lions are hilarious and I highly recommend the talk and feed for them.
Of course there are many other animals but just too many to mention.
Overall Blackpool Zoo is a lovely day out and the good bits more than outweigh the bad bits. It is a little bit expensive and I would definitely give the Dinosaur Safari a miss but if you live near Blackpool or come here on holiday it is definitely worth a visit.
Have a look at the website for loads more information on www.blackpoolzoo.org.uk
Advantages: Animals, Educational, Fun Disadvantages: Cost of food, drink, shop etc
Background
Blackpool Zoo was, until recently, owned by Blackpool Borough Council, but was sold to Grant Leisure Group who own other attractions including Kuwait Zoo and Universal Studios. Parking is plentiful, and even when the zoo is busy there seems to be enough parking in the car park, and along the main road, or why not get the Open top tour bus from the side of Pricebusters, in the shadow of the tower which will take you there for a small cost.
... ...more.
Opening Times
Blackpool Zoo is open from 10am every day except Christmas day, from "Easter time" last admission is 5pm with the Zoo closing at 5.45pm. During the winter the closing time is earlier.
Prices
Entry costs are £9 per adult, £6.50 per child (3 - 15 years), £7.50 per senior citizen, £27 per family (two adults and two children) or £33 per family (two adults and three children). If you are a local annual tickets are available for ...
claireydeacon 01.07.2005 (20.08.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool
Advantages: Plenty for all the family to do. Disadvantages: Could be considered a bit pricy.
BLACKPOOL ZOO
On one of the few warm sunny days this summer I recently returned to Blackpool Zoo and have re-written this review as a result. To get to Blackpool Zoo by car you leave the M55 motorway at junction three and follow the A583 road towards Blackpool Town Centre. The brown elephant signs then tell you where to turn right and go past Stanley Park and on to the zoo access road. Once at the zoo there is ample free car parking adjacent to ... ...Blackpool Zoo has developed over recent years since being sold off by the local authority. We previously visited with relatives from Australia. They thought that the zoo was a bit pricey for the animals that were on show, but admitted that the zoo offered a full day's worth of fun. The dinosaur exhibit is a bit novel and the younger children tended to find this more interesting than those over 10 years of age.
Since this visit, when it seemed the ...
LJOne 13.05.2007 (15.09.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool
Advantages: Good day out Disadvantages: Building work when I went for new dinosaur safari
Blackpool zoo is great and far surpassed my expectations for a zoo in Blackpool I didn't think it would be much really but it is really worth a visit its a great place for a day out with the family or even with friends.
As my girlfriend adopted me a gorilla for Christmas Iv now got an annual pass fot the place and I love it I really like monkeys and primates and this place was just heaven to me they've got monkeys everywhere loads of them all different ... ...a new dinosaur safari at Blackpool zoo which also sounds promising as I understand this includes over 30 prehistoric creatures and boasts to be a real experience according to their website.
The zoo also boasts a lemur wood were visitors can walk through the enclosure, a Miniature Railway, Children's Zoo and a Run Wild Play Zone for the little ones.
The zoo also has a nice little cafe for pit stops as well as a nice little gift shop full of nice ...
paulccarey 29.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool
Advantages: Family friendly, great displays Disadvantages: Expensive for the range of animals there
On arrival at Blackpool Zoo, I found the first initial look impressive (shop, ticket sales, cafe, various rooms for meetings etc). The tickets were quite expensive for what was actually on offer at the zoo. (Adults £12.50 and children £8.95). The demonstrations were good and the audience were involved. Particularly the parrot show, kids and adults all seemed to love it. There were very few animals in some parts and some you could not see as they ...
ShellehLou 14.06.2007 (17.09.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool
...we go on holidays to blackpool 2 or 3 times a year. We take a visit to the zoo every time and it is beyond belief everytime we go. We always spend the whole day there, We never run out of things to do. We were impressed with the worlds smallest donkey and the gift and food shops are reasonably priced too. We plan out our day so that we can see the animals being fed and doing all their tricks to impress. There is ample car parking spaces there, even ...
crazyauction.co.uk 02.11.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool
Prices
Is it worth visiting?
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Family Friendly
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Advantages: Not too highly priced Disadvantages: Not many larger wild animals, dinosaur safari is dissapointing
Introduction
---------------------------------
Blackpoolzoo is situated just two miles to the west of the town centre of Blackpool, a good walk if you're feeling energetic, or if you prefer, there is the number 2 bus and the number 3 bus which both go to Victoria hospital. Victoria hospital is about 50 yards from the zoo so it's quite easily accessible. If you're coming from the motorway, you'll travel down the M55. Its 10 minutes from J4 and clearly signposted.
Facilities
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The zoo has a huge car park, which is free and closes soon after the zoo closes. There is plenty of space even on the busiest of days. There are also plenty of toilet facilities, wheelchair access, braille descriptions, and there is a café which can serve up to 300 people, a coffee shop and a few other small ...
Advantages: Big, full of life and good for everyone Disadvantages: Not much indoor cover incase the weather turns bad
BlackpoolZoo has a huge area of land and a fairly big car park, which takes a while to fill up, so you usually can always get a spot to park your car. The entrance is modern and has a lot of space which includes a general shop, a picture shop, toilets and a cafe.
BlackpoolZoo is rather big, and has a huge range of animals covering from Lions and Tigers to Gorillas and Penguins. Inside the Zoo is also a fairly big cafe where you can stop and take a seat, grabbing something to eat and drink before you carry on. Pretty much all species at the Zoo have a good amount of space for them to live in, some outside, some inside. Also, nearer the back of the Zoo is a "Children's Zoo", more like a farm though as it includes Pigs, Donkeys, Rabbits, Goats etc etc...
The reptile and insect house, next to the elephents, for me is the worst bit ...
Advantages: Great fun, see loads of animals Disadvantages: Expensive.
Living in Blackpool and having lived here nearly all my life I feel qualified enough to talk to you about one of my favourite places namely BlackpoolZoo.
Just two miles from the sea-front, BlackpoolZoo provides a home to over 400 animals including my hubby and I along with the in law's!
At BlackpoolZoo you are going to meet my darling beloved husband in the ape house and you will find me sitting next to him eating banana's or going banana's as the case may be!
I don't much visit BlackpoolZoo nowadays because I think it's gone very expensive and I also think being a resident of Blackpool I should have a discount.
The Zoo has changed a plenty over the years from being relatively small to being bigger with more activities. Espescially for the children.
Opening Hours:
Open daily all year round with exception of Christmas ...
Mickie26 05.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Blackpool Zoo
