Tilgate Zoo
BEST FOR
Ages 6+
ENTRY
from £7
WHERE
Crawley
What it’s like
Feed a lemur, meet a capybara and hunt down over 100 animals in a zoo built into Tilgate Park's woodland.
The lemur feeding experience is the new headline act here, but there's a proper list of hands-on bits: meerkats to watch, a capybara to hang out with, an armadillo you can actually feed. Keeper talks run daily from noon, and with over 100 animals from all corners of the world dotted through the park, you could easily lose a morning without noticing.
Entry's £9 for an adult, £7 for a child, or £30 for two of each, which puts it in that sensible middle ground for a zoo day. Summer hours give you 10am to 6pm, winter's 10am to 4pm, and last entry is an hour before closing either way, so a late-afternoon arrival in December is going to feel rushed. The site doesn't give a minimum age but the whole thing reads better for kids from about six upwards, old enough to enjoy the keeper talks rather than just toddle past the enclosures.
Food is a weekends-and-holidays food truck rather than a full restaurant, so a weekday visit outside term time means bringing your own snacks. Parking is £1.50 an hour or £7 for the day, which stings a bit on top of the entry price, though it's free if you're a disabled driver. Dogs aren't allowed in beyond assistance animals, which makes sense given what's living behind the fences, but it's worth knowing if you were planning to bring the family dog along for the walk.
Crawley residents get a discount through their myCrawley account if they book online first, which is a nice touch if you're local and going more than once.
What’s on here
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Ages 6 and up, who'll get the most from the keeper talks
- Last entry
- One hour before closing
- Parking
- £1.50 per hour or £7 for the day
- Food
- Truck open weekends and school holidays with drinks, hot and cold snacks
- Wheelchairs
- Accessible toilet facilities available
- Dogs
- Assistance dogs only, with appropriate certification
- Getting there by bus or train
- Metrobus Service 2 to the park weekends and Bank Holidays
- Crawley residents get discounted entry by booking online through myCrawley, so worth signing up if you're local
- Pre-booked tickets aren't transferable and there's no refund unless the zoo closes for extreme weather
- Metrobus Service 2 runs to the park at weekends and Bank Holidays; weekday buses stop a 10-15 minute walk away
- Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with extra closure days sometimes added
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£9 for an adult, £7 for a child aged 2 and over, or £30 for a family of two adults and two children.
What are the opening hours?
10am to 6pm in British Summer Time, 10am to 4pm over winter. Last entry is an hour before closing either time.
Do we need to book ahead?
You can buy tickets online and show them at the ticket office, but there's nothing that says you can't just turn up.
Is it suitable for a toddler?
There's no strict minimum age listed, but the keeper talks and animal encounters suit kids from around six who'll actually engage with them.
What's there for food?
A food truck runs weekends and school holidays with hot and cold snacks and drinks, plus a water refill station. Bring your own on a quiet weekday.
Is there parking?
Yes, £1.50 an hour or £7 for the day in the main and lakeside car parks. It's free if you're a disabled driver, with two spaces right next to the zoo.
Can we bring the dog?
Only assistance dogs with proper certification. It's a safety rule for the animals, so the family pet stays home.
Is it accessible for wheelchairs and buggies?
There are accessible toilets and disabled parking spaces next to the zoo entrance.
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