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Zoos & Wildlife Parks in Manchester
If you fancy a day near actual animals rather than just a park with ducks, Manchester's zoo scene starts close to home. Out at Marple in Stockport, The Garden House lets you feed free-roaming pigs, alpacas and Shetland ponies for £3.50 a head, with a riverside walk thrown in. A drive out to Warrington gets you Walton Gardens and Hall Zoo, which is free to enter and mixes animals with crazy golf and a proper high ropes course. For bigger animals, Chester Zoo is the obvious longer trip, with tickets from £25. For toddlers, the free-roaming feeding at Marple or the free grounds at Walton Gardens are easier going than a full zoo day. Older children who fancy something wilder should save Chester Zoo for last, it is the one with the scale. If you want birds rather than mammals, a longer trip out to Preston has daily flight displays with owls and hawks from £7, no booking needed. Everything listed here is outdoor, so a dry day helps, and free parking turns up at most of the further-out options.
11 places 9 upcoming events 4 free to visit
What's on: zoos & wildlife parks
WED 7 OCT · +120 MORE DATES
Daily animal talks
Chester Zoo
WED 7 OCT, 11:10 · +120 MORE DATES
Elephant talk
Chester Zoo
Free
WED 7 OCT, 11:40 · +120 MORE DATES
Black Rhino talk
Chester Zoo
WED 7 OCT, 14:15 · +120 MORE DATES
Komodo Dragon talk
Chester Zoo
Free
WED 7 OCT, 14:40 · +120 MORE DATES
Flamingo talk
Chester Zoo
WED 7 OCT, 15:15 · +120 MORE DATES
Penguin talk
Chester Zoo
WED 7 OCT, 15:40 · +120 MORE DATES
Giant Otter talk
Chester Zoo
SUN 11 OCT, 12:00 · +16 MORE DATES
BSL Tours and Talks
Chester Zoo
Free
SAT 24 OCT, 10:15
Zoology Club with Animal Teach
Norton Priory Museum & Gardens
From £14
Places for zoos & wildlife parks
Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve
Wirral
Wildlife trails, buzzards and toads to spot, and a walled garden that only opens one Saturday a month.
FreeCannon Hall Country Park
Barnsley
Free parkland with an adventure play area, wooden tepees and assault courses, plus a museum to duck into if it rains.
Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+10 more
from £25Chester Zoo
Chester
Chester Zoo - big animals for Liverpool and Manchester day-trips. Soft Play N.
Free parkingCaféRestaurantFood on site+7 more
FreeLofthouse Colliery Nature Park
Wakefield
Free woodland, heathland and a pond to poke about in, with surfaced tracks that make it an easy one for dogs and buggies too.
Outdoor play
FreeMere Sands Wood Nature Reserve
Ormskirk
Free wildlife trails and hides around a former sand quarry, open Wednesday to Sunday with a café on site.
Accessible toiletCaféOutdoor playPushchair friendly+2 more
from £7Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary
Preston · ages 2+
Daily flight displays and up-close meet-the-birds sessions with owls and hawks, no booking needed, just turn up.
Group bookingsParty roomsSchool visits
from £17.95Peak Wildlife Park
Leek · ages 0+
Walk with lemurs and penguins, meet polar bears Nanook and Noori, then burn energy on outdoor play and indoor jungle soft play.
Free parkingParkingToiletsAccessible toilet+14 more
from £3.50The Garden House Marple
Stockport · ages 3+
Free-roaming pigs, alpacas and Shetland ponies to feed and a riverside walk, for £3.50 a head.
Blue badge parkingDog friendlyFood on siteOutdoor play+3 more
from £10.80Trentham Monkey Forest
Trentham · ages 0+
Walk among free-roaming Barbary macaques in a woodland monkey forest, then play on primate-themed outdoor play, a willow maze and den building.
Free parkingParkingToiletsBaby change+11 more
Vale Royal Falconry Centre
Northwich · ages 8+
Hands-on falconry experience days where kids aged 8 and up fly hawks and owls, try archery and meet meerkats, all by appointment only.
Booking requiredPicnic area
FreeWalton Gardens and Hall Zoo
Warrington
A free zoo and estate where the animals are only part of it, alongside crazy golf, a land train and a proper high ropes course.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesBlue badge parking+7 more
Good to know: zoos & wildlife parks in Manchester
Are any of them free?
Yes, Cannon Hall Country Park, Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park, Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve and Walton Gardens and Hall Zoo are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £3.50 at The Garden House Marple. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find zoos & wildlife parks in Wirral, Barnsley, Chester, Wakefield, Ormskirk and 6 more. Every place we list is in or around Manchester, and each listing has the full address and directions.
More ways to plan a day out
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