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Zoos & Wildlife Parks in Preston
Preston itself keeps things small but good. The Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary is close to the centre, with flight displays and meet-the-birds sessions from £7, no booking needed. Out at Ormskirk, Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve is free, with trails and hides round an old sand quarry and a café on site, open Wednesday to Sunday. For something further afield, there's a longer trip out to Marple for The Garden House, where £3.50 gets you in among free-roaming pigs, alpacas and Shetland ponies, and a longer trip out to Wirral for Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale, with buzzards, toads and a walled garden that only opens one Saturday a month. For free days out, Mere Sands Wood and Walton Gardens and Hall Zoo in Warrington both cost nothing, and Walton adds crazy golf, a land train and a proper high ropes course alongside its animals, so it suits older children as much as toddlers. Under-fives do best at the Owl Sanctuary or Mere Sands Wood, both easy going and pushchair friendly. Save Brotherton Park for a month you can catch that walled garden open.
6 places 2 free to visit
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.
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 £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
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 Preston
Are any of them free?
Yes, 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, Ormskirk, Preston, Stockport, Northwich and 1 more. Every place we list is in or around Preston, and each listing has the full address and directions.
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