Willow Tree Family Farm
BEST FOR
Ages 0-16
ENTRY
from £2
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Mansfield
What it’s like
Hands-on animal encounters, from meerkats to alpaca trekking, on a pushchair-friendly farm with free parking.
The pull here is getting properly close to the animals rather than just looking at them through a fence. There's meerkat feeding and a talk, a pygmy goat encounter, lamb feeding, reindeer, small animal handling and a reptile session, plus alpaca trekking if you've got an older child keen to lead one round. Worth knowing before you promise anything: the meerkat session needs kids to be at least 5, lambs, goats and reindeer are 3 and up, and both the alpaca trek and reptile encounter are 8 plus. So a toddler in tow is fine for the general wander but shut out of a good chunk of the actual animal handling, which is a bit of a sting if you've got a mixed-age group.
Entry itself is reasonable, £4.95 for adults and children, £2 under two, and it runs 10am to 4:30pm every day including weekends. Booking ahead is advised rather than optional, so this isn't really a turn-up-on-a-whim spot, especially if you want to catch a specific animal encounter slot.
Birthday parties are the other big use of the place. The Animal Experience package is £17.99 a head with a two-hour VIP tour, animal feeding and a picnic in the marquee, and there's a Make a Bear party at £24.99 a child too. Both need a minimum of 10 paying guests, which rules it out for a small gathering, and parties only run Saturdays and Sundays between February and October, so a winter birthday is off the table here. Deposits are £75 and non-refundable if you cancel outright, though they'll shift the date if something genuinely comes up.
Paths are pushchair friendly and there's wheelchair access across the site with a large free car park for cars and coaches, which takes one worry off the list. School groups get their own pricing tiers and a free adult per five paying children in term time, so it doubles as a decent trip for a class as well as a family day out.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- 3 to 12, though under-8s miss some animal encounters
- Booking
- Advance booking strongly advised to avoid disappointment
- Parking
- Large safe free parking area for cars and coaches
- How long to allow
- 2 hours for birthday parties. Farm entry 10am-4pm
- Pushchairs
- Pushchair friendly farm with accessible paths
- Wheelchairs
- Wheelchair access to all areas
- Parties
- Three party packages: Animal Experience (from £17.99/person, min 10 guests), Make a Bear (£24.99/child, min 10 guests), Toddler Soft Play
- Worth knowing
- Birthday party includes free family pass and animal feed bag worth £39.80-£42.80 for party child
- Meerkat encounters need kids to be 5 or older, alpaca trekking and reptiles are 8 plus
- Party bookings need a minimum of 10 paying guests
- Party children get a free family pass and animal feed bag worth up to £42.80
- Bring your own cake and decorations for a party, but you only get the room 15 minutes before start time
- Prices can change on event days
Plan your visit
How much does it cost to get in?
£4.95 for adults and children, £2 for under twos. Service users and carers pay £3.95.
Do we need to book ahead?
Advance booking is strongly advised, it's not really a rock-up sort of place if you want to be sure of a slot.
What are the opening hours?
10am to 4:30pm every day, including weekends and school holidays.
Is it suitable for toddlers?
The farm itself is pushchair friendly and fine for little ones, but several animal encounters have minimum ages, meerkats need kids to be 5 or over, lambs and goats 3 plus, and alpaca trekking and reptiles are 8 plus.
Can we do alpaca trekking?
Yes, but only for children aged 8 and over.
How much are birthday parties?
The Animal Experience package starts at £17.99 per person with a minimum of 10 paying guests, and there's a Make a Bear party at £24.99 a child. Both need at least 10 guests, so it's not built for a tiny group.
When can we book a party?
Saturdays and Sundays from February to October only, parties don't run November to January.
What if we need to cancel a party booking?
Bookings aren't refundable, though the farm may transfer you to another date with availability if something unavoidable comes up.
Is there parking?
A large free car park for both cars and coaches.
Is it accessible for wheelchairs?
There's wheelchair access to all areas and dedicated disabled changing rooms.
Do school groups get a special deal?
Yes, groups of 15 or more paying visitors get one free adult per five paying children in term time, with package prices from £7.95 for farm entry alone.
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