Lotherton
WHERE
Leeds
What it’s like
Feed the Humboldt penguins, spot capybaras in Wildlife World, then poke round a historic house before cake in the café.
The penguins are the obvious pull here. They're Humboldt penguins, and the site talks up the chance to actually feed them, which is the sort of thing a five-year-old will bring up at every meal for a fortnight afterwards. Wildlife World adds capybaras and other animals into the mix, so you're not just doing a house-and-garden day, there's proper wandering-round-looking-at-creatures time built in.
For the historic house itself, it's a museum as much as a stately home. Younger children get their own fenced play area and there's craft and play laid on for under-5s, which is a decent way to split a family with a toddler and an older sibling for half an hour without anyone melting down.
Worth knowing before you plan the whole visit around the outdoor play: a large chunk of it is currently shut while they build an adventure playground, so don't bank on that being the main event right now. There's one café doing homemade, local food, which is fine for a lunch stop but don't expect much choice beyond that. If you're going in October, there's a Halloween trail with clues and some spell-mending thrown in, which is a nice way to keep the museum bit from dragging.
Facilities
Need to know
- Food
- One café serving homemade, local treats
- A big part of the outdoor play is out of action for adventure playground building work
- There's a gift shop if the kids want a penguin souvenir on the way out
- Baby change is on site if you've got a little one in tow
- Birthday parties are catered for if you fancy penguins over a bouncy castle
Plan your visit
Can the kids actually feed the penguins?
Feeding the Humboldt penguins is listed as one of the things you do here, so it's not just a viewing window.
Is the outdoor play area open?
Only partly. A large section is closed while they build an adventure playground, so check what's actually accessible on the day.
Is there anything for under-5s?
Yes, there's craft and play sessions aimed at under-5s plus a fenced play area for younger children away from the rest of the site.
What's there to eat?
One café on site doing homemade, local treats. It's your main option so don't plan around anything fancier.
Is there a Halloween event?
There's a Halloween trail with clues to solve and some spell-mending involved, which runs alongside the usual house, museum and Wildlife World bits.
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