Twycross Zoo Review

Twycross Zoo is a great family day out located in Leicester East Midlands.  We haven’t been since 2015, so were super thrilled to be invited to check out their Spring and Easter events happening this year (2023!)

Before we visit any attraction, I always visit the website to find out some important information.  I think it is super help when planning any day out, to find out what time the attraction open and closes, what events they have on and also, if there is an online map!  I was excited to see that Twycross Zoo has lots going on this Easter running from 1-16th April 2023 including:

– Learn to fly acrobats workshop

– Meet Burt and Joyce (a pair of gliding birds!)

– The Great Twycross Egg hunt

– Birds of Play Dance along show

– Arts and Crafts (always a winner with our younger two!)

– Spring Trail

– Face painting

There is also The Gruffalo Discovery Land open to enjoy too!

Our trip to Twycross Zoo

Upon arriving at Twycross Zoo you enter into a large building which is also home to the soft play and dining area (soft play is an additional cost).  Once we had checked in we downloaded the Twycross Zoo app so we could see an online map to guide us round. Oh and note, if you need the toilet, there are some just at the entrance so may be a good idea to go now before you begin your day!

The first enclosure that caught our eye was the snow leopard.  The whole enclosure can be viewed from inside the building which is perfect if you set up for lunch inside their restaurant as you’ll have more time to catch a view of him. We then got distracted with the monkey enclosures which are always so fascinating to watch with their funny antics and mannerisms.  The orangutans are such majestical creatures that we were in awe of them for a while.

We decided to walk down past the Amur leopards towards the penguins, tapirs and pelicans (I love pelicans as they remind me of visiting Florida!) ending up at the huge Rhino enclosure.  There is plenty of picnic stops to have a rest or a snack too which is handy!  The Giraffes were amazing and we stood and watched them for a good while.

As well as picnic stops there is also a lot of kiosks where you can grab bites to eat, including ice cream!  As well as the main restaurant at the entrance and the small kiosks, there is also a fish and chip stop and a cafe (perfect if you’re like me and need a coffee half way through the day!)

As we wondered round admiring all the lovely well kept animals and learnt all about how Twycross Zoo support field projects, breeding programmes as well as the conservation of many near extinct animals, we also took advantage of all the Easter activities that were happening within the zoo.

There was lots going on including Easter crafts, face painting and even a chance to have a go at some acrobats on hanging hoops!

The Gruffalo Discovery Land

I love the Gruffalo and a while ago, we did the Cannock Chase Gruffalo Trail so I was keen to see how this compared!  The Gruffalo Discovery Land opened in 2022 so is still fairly new – and you can tell!  This is a really immersive experience where we got the opportunity to wander round both outside through the woods as well as indoors.  Outside there are many animatronics to interact with as well as touch and feel activities to keep the kiddos entertained.  There is some really lovely photo opportunities as you wander round and take it all in.  I was a little disappointed to see some of the animatronics were not working including one of the touch screen activities inside.

The Discovery Land is set across four acres so it really is a great extension to Twycross Zoo and is perfect for any Julia Donaldson fan!  We particularly liked the surprise of a real snake on our journey on the trail – although he was hiding pretty well!  But I promise, no more spoilers!

And we did get to meet the Gruffalo himself…

Tips to enjoy your day at Twycross Zoo

I always think about how we can enjoy our day better when out and about.  Well now I can hopefully help you when you visit Twycross Zoo.

– Wear comfortable shoes.  Twycross Zoo is big especially now it has the Gruffalo Discovery land extension

– Download the Twycross Zoo app prior to arrival

– Bring swimwear if the weather is nice; there is a small splash park!

– Bring snacks or even a picnic as there are plenty of picnic tables.  (then buying the odd ice cream doesn’t hurt!)

– Head to the animal exhibits first before doing the Gruffalo Discovery Land as it gets pretty busy first thing.

– Be mindful there are 3 play areas for the children to enjoy (two in the main part of the zoo and then one in The Gruffalo Discovery Land)

– Parking is free!

– Most of the food places can accommodate a wheelchair but there is no access to the Lemur House.  Assistance dogs are also welcome!

– Mobility Scooters and wheelchairs can be hired for a reasonable price (check their website for the latest fees)

Our final thoughts on Twycross Zoo

Overall, we had a wonderful time at Twycross Zoo!  It’s perfect for those families, like us, with children ranging from infants to big kids and there really is something to please everybody including several play areas.  We really enjoyed the Chimpanzee Eden which is a large area which houses the Chimpanzee’s and next door to the AMAZING gorillas.  I would like to see some softer and more green decor in the outside area however, as it the breezeblocks did make the enclosure seem a little less natural.

I also loved the lorikeet area (not so much the rest of my family) but feeding them was amazing.  The addition of the butterfly home was also a highlight along with The Gruffalo Discovery Land which we all thought was fantastic and such a lovely addition to Twycross Zoo.  We also loved the keeper talks which are always great to listen to where they share a little bit about the history of the animals and how the Zoo is doing everything they can to support the species.

In terms of costs, tickets start from £17.50 per adult when booking online which I think is pretty reasonable. And under 2’s go free!

We highly recommend a trip to Twycross Zoo whether you had little ones, or big kids or BOTH, its a fabulous day out for all.

Thanks for reading xxx