Friendly helpful staff. Fascinating building, and luckily 2 of our group knew the history of this Castle. Visited the cafe. This was a beautiful building. Staff were good, if not a little slow, maybe short staffed & we were quite a big group. I’d recommend a visit. All areas were easy to walk up. Views were beautiful.

Well restored and presented historical castle and grounds. Very informative and interesting, especially with the Wicked Game art installation. Not very accessible for wheelchairs due to all the stairs to the levels in the Castle, but good access to the site, garden, cafe and toilet. Could do with more toilets!

Lovely English Heritage site. Biggest ruins we have been to - lots to explore, quite a few different sections where you can climb to the top. Well maintained, clean and tidy site. Really enjoyed the superb sculpture display currently at the site. Would highly recommend.

Although the park is small, it has very complete facilities. Once you enter the park, you can use the tour guide to learn about the history of the place. There is an exhibition hall that shows the entire castle from construction to the final demolition and it is very interesting. I also recommend everyone to visit the GateKeeper Tower. It is very well preserved the most luxurious furniture and furnishings, you can feel the luxurious atmosphere of the time. Although the castle itself has been severely damaged, you can still imagine the style and living conditions of those who lived here during the guided tour.

Even on a day of mixed weather it was a great visit! So many places around the ruin to explore and I enjoyed the views. All very well cared for and well laid out. The exhibitions inside were also interesting and gave more information about the history of the place. Well worth the entrance fee if you buy in advance which included an audio guide. I didn't go to the cafe or use the car parking, so can't say much about those facilities. The toilets were a bit cramped but fine. Kenilworth itself was also a great place to visit.

What a lovely, historical place this is. Well worth a visit and nice to use our membership as not many English heritage have facilities and such a nice cafe. The stairwells had been replaced so that it was easy to walk all over this castle remains, right to the very top. The garden was pretty too.

This is a truly beautiful and spectacular English Heritage site which needs to be seen. Visited here Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. Arrived about 2pm and was very busy due to the good weather and a major event on at the Castle which was great to see. After last visiting here about 10 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much time and money has been invested into this historic site. You have the Castle, Gate House, Stables and the Gardens to look around during your visit. So you'll need at least a good 2 to 3 hours to make sure you take it all in. The grounds have lots of information boards around the site for you to read which helps immerse yourself back what it would have been like in the past. The site has shop, a café and toilet facilities. There is also a large English Heritage car park. Staff we spoken to were all pleasant and friendly. This should be on your tick list of Castles to see.

my wife and i went on sunday 2nd may, The place was heaving, not much social distancing going on. The Website says "...We have restricted admission tickets per day with the priority being to ensure social distancing is adhered to. Our visitor capacity will be reviewed regularly.".. This is rubbish as the car park was so full we had to park on grass right near the very end, it took us ages to walk to the entrance. we saw 2 Giraffes, 1 Rhino, a few chimps , 2 Tigers, some Lemurs and Penguins, not much else as there were queues / crowds for anything that was open, including the shop. in my opinion vastly overpriced entrance fee for what is available. won't be going again.

Rip off car park charges.

Not impressed. A lot of the animals are locked away in their quarters. Also to cold for a lot of them to come out

Clean surroundings, well cared for animals, helpful and polite staff.

Good zoo and always looking at new areas for animals.

Amazing zoo. Great place to spend the day

All good.

Lovely experience. It was a wonderful time, spent around 2 hrs. The best part was the 4D movie which was just wow. And then the avenue was the good experince. If could show more about how chocolates are made nowadays then it would be more interesting. I have seen cadbury making process in a different country and that was more into the process making, so thats what a gap was I feel... rest everything was an amazing experience. It was my best birthday present.

Its not a very big place, but informative and there were things to do. We also got a taster cup of chocolate, it was nice. Saw a demo about how the chocolate was made. Unfortunately when we went the rides were not working and my child was so disappointed! The ticket was not cheap, so all the rides should work properly!

Terrible place to visit, definitely not worth £52 for 1 hour and 20 mins after traveling for over 2 and a half hours. Press and play features not working, other functions not working. Interactive machines not working and one that was working went into error mode when we tried to use it. Nothing for adults and it is more themed for children under the age of 8. The 4D attraction was not good at all unless your of a toddler age, motion seats just move a little and vibrate and the other motion seats in the other video tour slightly move from left to right and was over in 5 minutes. Staff at each station do not explain what to do and what you can do at the chocolate making feature which you don't actually make any chocolate or decorate anything, instead they just say the initial hello and tell you to start and then talk amongst each other in front of you about their personal life's. Booking online isn't any quicker as they have a zigzag queue line for any prepaid visitors. The price of a ticket for an adult ticket is the same price for a child under 15 and the whole experience is far from value for money, it is not something you want to plan as a day out. There is lots of places marked on the map as no visitor access also, and when it came to an abrupt finish ending up in the gift shop to spend more money, we where not told if there was anything else to go to or see and nobody creating us at the door or giving us wishes on our way. Parking is free and about good thing as the whole place appears run down, washed out and offers little to do for the whole family. It is more like walking around a mirco museum with a family playground and cafe.

Loved it, was a lot of fun, even as an oldie. Would loved to have seen more of the factory and some more of the history of cadburys. Also has a lovely afternoon tea while we were there. Please take your time to look and use all the activities or you will be out in less than 2 hrs but saying that I think the entry fee is reasonable.

I visited Cadbury world in Birmingham on a weekday as I predicted this to be a little quieter than a weekend which it was. I managed to get a few snaps of the factory as you take a trip an a good history lesson of the beginnings all the way to present day. I like the tour and I think it’s pretty cool, especially seeing the chocolate makers on the ground floor making the chocolate fresh and shaping these for souvenirs to buy or for special events coming up. The gift shop is also pretty cool and worth a visit, having some cool novelties you can buy and take home with you. HOWEVER, for being a chocolate tour, the ride was not working when I was there, which was disappointing. Also, you only get 2 free bars of chocolate included in your tour visit, which is a little ridiculous considering that you pay a decent price to go.

A place that offers information, fun filled activities and entertainment. Booking tickets in advance is must. It will save you a trip and money. Arrive by about your time of entry, they let people queue and enter in batches. The tour begins with a historic display of cocoa production and evolution of chocolate while it travelled across the world. Then the first chocolate shop and birth of Cadbury, some stories of the family and how they ventured into this business. Followed by the making of chocolate, staffs demonstrating the process and later you get to do it by yourself. Inside they also sell some crazy structures of chocolate. Then you get entertained by 4D movie, dwelling into the world of characters Cadbury has introduced. Followed by a nice exhibit narrating the story of Bournville village and a fun filled ride where you collect the ingredients (virtually) to make your own chocolate. If you may have forgotten to collect something, don't worry you can buy them from their store that has EVERYTHING CHOCOLATE!!! A one of its kind place to engage all age groups. You get some free chocolates on entry and can buy more at exit. There is a cafe inside this building. Parking available. Cloak room is only for large luggage bags. Enough numbers of toilets available in intervals throughout the tour.

It's not just about chocolate (although that's rather a key theme …) but also about how the workers were treated. Very well. A quite interesting self-paced tour. Three free (well, included in the admission price) bars of chocolate for each guest, plus a sample towards the end of the tour. Then there's the museum to see, too. Oh, and the shop, just in case you haven't already got enough chocolate.

There is a helpful little tip for visiting - in the corner of the gift shop there is a lift back up to the toilets. These are back at the beginning of exhibition so you can head round again to pick up any bits you missed! It is a great half day out with the kids. The centre feels like it could do with some updating and refresh on some of the side activities but the exhibits are all great, and the feeding / talk times flow quite well through your visit. The staff are all super friendly and helpful, our daughters especially loved the roaming pirate!

It was am awesome experience! I'll be honest when I first went in, I thought it was quite small, however it is extended at the back so it was indeed quite spacious. Easily took us 2-3 hours to explore the entire place at a slow pace with a 5 month old. The penguins were adorable at the start, the amount of fish in each aquarium space was quite adequate. I did wish we could see the otters though, only managed to catch s tiny glimpse in the room at the far back. The area with the jellyfish was so mesmerising. There were different photography stations located at multiple areas. You could take photos at each station, and at the end you could choose which pictures you'd like to buy and what package. Overall there was a lot of cleanliness, tanks were clean, the walkways were clean too. We ended up going at a busy weekend, but still could easily manage to get around with a baby pram. There was however a pram parking area, if you will, to store the prams if you'd rather do that. Definitely worth a trip.

Visited on a Saturday with pre-booked tickets and went straight in. It was as busy as you would expect on a weekend. Theres a route to follow and as long as you are patient in certain places you can see everything (unless creatures are hiding) There are some additional options like photos taken and a VR experience included in the admission charge. There is quite a bit to see and different areas. There are toilets at the start and halfway through, there is a shop at the end but no cafe. It takes around 60-90 mins to go round but we didnt do any photos or VR. It does look a bit tired and dated in places and the enclosures look a bit on the smaller side especially for the Penquins and Sea Otters. We used Tescos Clubcard vouchers to pay but our tickets would have been £55.00 which is steep for what you get but, if you used all the things offered it might seem better value for money

National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham: A Submerged City Escape ​The National SEA LIFE Centre in Birmingham offers an engaging and surprisingly intimate exploration of the underwater world, making it a perfect family outing in the city centre. While its footprint is smaller than some coastal aquariums, it packs a real punch, particularly with its signature attraction: the UK's only 360-degree Ocean Tunnel. ​Walking through this clear acrylic tunnel is genuinely jaw-dropping, providing an immersive experience as sharks, rays, and the beloved giant green sea turtle, Molokai, glide directly overhead and beneath your feet. This highlight alone justifies the visit, offering incredible photographic moments and a true sense of being submerged. ​Beyond the ocean tunnel, key exhibits include the playful Gentoo penguins in their icy habitat and the charming sea otters, Ozzy and Ola, who reside in the Mammal Rescue Facility. Interactive elements like the rock pool, where visitors can gently touch a starfish, keep younger guests highly engaged. Other sections, like the jellyfish displays and the Clownfish Kingdom, are vibrant and well-presented. ​While tickets can be pricey, seeking out available discounts or utilizing combination passes with nearby attractions like LEGOLAND Discovery Centre offers better value. Allow about 90 minutes to two hours for a comfortable tour. Despite sometimes being busy, the SEA LIFE Centre remains a truly "splash hit" and a memorable journey into marine conservation and discovery.

We had a fantastic afternoon here with my daughter and grandson! It’s such a wonderful place, and we especially loved watching the feeding the sea otters, Ozzy and Ola. The gentleman narrating was so friendly and knowledgeable, answering all our questions with enthusiasm. He’s a real asset to the centre and made our visit extra special — we only wish we’d caught his name!

It's OK for young children, not a long experience for the price so would definitely plan other activities around this if you are travelling into Birmingham. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and the venue is clean and tidy. The immediate area, Brindley Place, is clean and well presented and has parking nearby.

Awesome experience,amazing staff!! They have designated talk and feed times for penguins and otters, so you could enjoy that. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Specially enjoyed the penguins. Would have given a 5 or even more if otters were close instead of on screen. However I understand and appreciate that they need to adapt first to this environment before exposing them to public. Overall, it was a very fun experience and Happy Weekend instead!!

This was my 7 yr old daughters first visit to a proper theme park she absolutely loved it. I am not so keen on rollercoasters as I have gotten a bit older, however the roller coasters here, although fast at twisty, did not feel like they were trying to fling you out of the atmosphere. Very enjoyable rides, and my daughter is already itching to go back, and also eager to try something bigger and faster. The whole family enjoyed the small zoo which is there also. The Red Panda, Gibbons and Meerkats were the favourites.

Our family had the most wonderful stay-and-play experience at Drayton Manor Resort, and I can’t recommend it highly enough! My wife, our 5-year-old son, and I visited recently during their Halloween special, and it was a magical experience from start to finish. Everything — from the themed décor to the warm hospitality — made it one of the best family getaways we’ve ever had. The highlight of our trip was, without a doubt, the Thomas Land theme park. Our little boy is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan, and seeing his face light up when we entered was priceless. He absolutely loved riding on the Thomas-themed trains, meeting his favourite characters, and exploring all the fun rides designed especially for younger children. The park was beautifully decorated for Halloween with pumpkins, friendly ghosts, and cheerful seasonal music, creating a festive yet family-friendly atmosphere. Every corner had something new to discover, and it was clear that a lot of thought had gone into making the experience enjoyable for both kids and parents. We also stayed overnight in one of the Thomas & Friends-themed rooms, and it was simply amazing. The attention to detail was outstanding — from the Thomas bedding and wall art to the little touches that made our son feel like he was sleeping in Sodor itself. He was so thrilled that he didn’t want to go to bed, and the next morning, he didn’t want to leave! In fact, he kept asking if we could stay “just one more night” so he could go back to Thomas Land again. The staff throughout the resort were friendly, helpful, and always smiling, which made the experience even better. The food options were great, and everything was clean, well-organized, and family-oriented. Overall, Drayton Manor Resort is a dream destination for families, especially those with young children. We created some truly special memories and can’t wait to visit again — maybe next time for Christmas or summer!

Wow, what a season, and it’s not over yet! Well done Drayton Manor for the friendliest welcome, be it customer services, ride staff, and catering staff. New entertainment, more atmosphere, and an incredible Halloween theming, and the light and firework show last night 😱. We have had a brilliant year and look forward to Christmas! Keep doing what you do - great value great family entertainment 🙏

We had a wonderful day at Drayton Manor! The rides were fantastic, and we were pleasantly surprised by how many of the thrill rides our children were able to go on. The Halloween entertainment was excellent — our children especially loved the trick-or-treating experience. There was great entertainment and a fun atmosphere all around the park, with lively music adding to the Halloween spirit. The park itself was really quiet, so we were able to walk straight onto most rides, which was a huge bonus. All the staff were super friendly and really embraced the Halloween theme, which made the day even more enjoyable. We had lunch at Safari Pizza, and the family deal was great value for money. Later, we treated ourselves to Halloween milkshakes and a Halloween waffle while watching the water show — both were delicious and again, very reasonably priced. The water show was a lovely extra touch that we all really enjoyed. The zoo was another nice addition to the day, and it was lovely to see how well cared-for the animals looked. A few rides, like the rapids and the pirate ship, were closed, but honestly, we wouldn’t have had time to fit them in anyway — there was so much else to do! It’s a shame we don’t live closer, as we would definitely buy an annual pass. However, we’re already planning to return soon for the Christmas celebrations 😀 thanks !

Loved the Halloween theme. The park was not very busy. We had fast passes but didn’t have to use them. It’s great that they allow you to use the fast passes at a later date.

Drayton Manor is perfect for children up to about 13, or for teens who prefer medium size coasters. My pre teen enjoyed all the rides, it was the perfect fear level for her. There are 5 big rides, plenty of medium size rides and loadsss of little rides for toddlers. The theme was Halloween and the whole place was decorated lovely! We didn't get chance to visit the zoo, but we will definitely be back to do it all over again and make sure we save time for the zoo.

I did the stay and play offer for myself and my son. We had a free room upgrade when we arrived which was lovely. Included in our stay were two days entry to the park, fast track passes for rides, free parking and breakfast. Friendly helpful staff, clean and comfortable rooms. The park itself was tidy. Wait times for some rides were long, especially The Wave! Took ages for them to load the trains , giving half the train to fast track and half to regular waiting customers, just felt wrong considering how long we were waiting. Great for younger children with the Thomas land. My son is 17 and we still had an amazing time.

Fantastic day out, the journey along the line is wonderful, there is plenty to keep the enthusiast and someone looking for a good day out interested. Will be going back and still a lot to see and do. Would recommend investing the parking first, it's incredibly limited at Kidderminster and if you need special parking needs you may be a little ok let down but there is also the main station carpark next door

The Severn Valley Railway is a great affordable heritage Railway 🛤 steaming between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. We had a marvellous time, having lunch in Bridgnorth and walking around the Castle 🏰 Gardens and Thomas Telford's church ⛪️ where we were made to feel very welcome and had tea, coffee ☕️ and biscuits. A grand day out!

Had a truly lovely day today. 12/6/25. We had my Fathers ashes scattered here today in a lovely area along the journey. The staff were so kind and caring towards us. They gave us pride of place at the front of the first carriage behind the engine in our own private area. We had a lovely cup of tea along the way. All the staff on the station and the engine driver and fireman and train staff were very informative and very kind lovely people. Thankyou all for helping to give my father the send off he wished for!

Visited the SVR for a trip on the magnificent flying Scotsman with my neighbour & his brother. we all had a great day out. thanks to all the SVR polite staff.

Great place to visit, like going back in time, beautiful scenery along the way and some lovely places to stop off at, Arley has been our favourite stop so far!! Just be careful when parking your car the severn valley railway parking is to the right as you drive in not the main Kiddiminster train station parking! got fined for parking in the wrong area!!!

Well worth a visit, we had a great day visiting the station shop, and having a trip on the SVR to Bridgenorth. Also called at Highly to visit the visitors centre, a great café and an amazing museum. Dropped of at Arley for a quick walk to the Arley Arboretum puckibg up an iiceceam on the way🫠👍

Excellent steam train trip. Nice scenery and the stations are great and full of history.

We had an amazing day out at the arboretum. We had a mixed family group from 89year olds to 3 year olds and a dog. We had a fantastic day there, they strike the atmosphere perfectly with somber areas and moments but encourages the young people to learn and be fun and look at the wildlife around the arboretum. The dog was able to walk round all bar two places which were perfectly reasonable and there were bins and toilets everywhere needed. . The staff were nice, accessibility ♿ was at the forefront of the staffs mind with buggys to the top, toilets and ramps everywhere.

Beautiful and peaceful place to visit. Time for reflection and to honour those that gave their lives for us. Dog friendly and lots of paths around so that you can go at your own pace and visit the memorials that you want to see. There are over 400 memorials, set in landscaped woodland and gardens. Cafe and coffee shop at the visitor centre with lots of seating inside and outside. Staff were very friendly and helpful also there to help

A really beautiful and peaceful place. Many of the monuments are stunning, and really honour the memory of those people they represent. We paid a small amount extra for the land train tour. This allowed us to cover most of the site, albeit in not a huge amount of detail. The commentary onboard was very interesting and informative. I had no idea the main feature of the armed forces memorial has a solar feature built in which allows a shaft of light to illuminate a central plinth at 11am on November 11th each year. Would recommend it to anyone to visit and pay respects to those who fought for freedom. Money raised by car parking and tours goes to the British legion.

As an American visiting the UK, I had the privilege of spending a day at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, and I can honestly say it was one of the most moving and meaningful experiences of my trip. The grounds are absolutely stunning—beautifully landscaped, peaceful, and incredibly well-maintained. Every memorial tells a story, and the sheer scope of remembrance here is both humbling and inspiring. It honors not only members of the British Armed Forces, but also civilian services and international partners, which gave it a universal sense of respect and unity. What struck me most was the quiet dignity of the place. It's not just a collection of memorials; it's a living, breathing space where people come to reflect, honor, and remember. The staff and volunteers were welcoming and knowledgeable, and the visitor center provided helpful context for those unfamiliar with UK military history. The chapel service was simple yet powerful, and the entire visit left a lasting impression. Whether you have a personal connection to the armed services or simply wish to understand more about sacrifice and service, this is a place everyone should experience. A truly unforgettable visit. I’m grateful for the opportunity to pay my respects.

What a beautiful place. Its so peaceful. The staff were very helpful when we tried to find certain monuments we specifically wanted to see. There were plenty of benches to sit on too scattered all about.

Lovely, clean, friendly and fully accessible grounds. Very touching and informative place to visit. Lovely cafeteria. Children's playground. We attended armed forces day and were provided with a day long entertainment provided by members of the armed forces. Scooter and wheelchair hire available, plenty of disabled parking which may be pre booked.

Decided on Bank Holiday to visit this place, as had a free day and wanted to learn more about British History. This place is incredible. So much to discover about Armed Forces. So much history and theres insane amount of memorials and statues. Absolutely fascinating. Parking was not a problem even on a busy day. Organised. Entry is free - you pay £8 for parking all day though. Which is fair enough in my opinion as you will spend at least 3 hours minimum. Thats if you just walk and rush pass everything. Full day if you want to see and read. Theres lots of trails to walk, and you are constantly around the trees, ponds etc. Really lovely place. You also have museum inside. Cafe. Shop. Toilets. All the things you need. So, if you want to get them steps in, learn about armed forces history, be surrounded by beautiful nature-this place is for you!

A mixed bag. The drive round is hit and miss, as with any zoo/ animal attraction. Animals are their own boss and you can't predict when or if they will make an appearance which means you aren't guaranteed to see them. Not feeding the animals anymore is the right decision for the park but also means animals are less likely to come up to you. We paid extra for the safari tour so we did get to go closer than If we were in a car and had the knowledge of Tim telling us all about the different animals. Road has alot of pot holes so please be wary of that! The actual park is a bit dated now but the rides are still fun for the youger ones. The ice age walk and dinosaurs could do with a bit of TLC due to wear tear and weather damage. Hopefully the money they get from the lodges (approximately 500 for 2 adults per night)will be out back into the animals and actual attractions. All the staff were lovely, friendly helpful and knowledgeable. Take your own packed lunch. Food is expensive and overpriced. For the sake of 45 minutes I'd drive the extra and go to Dudley zoo personally.

We had an absolutely brilliant time at West Midlands Safari Park! I went with my family and from start to finish it was a perfect day. The safari drive-through was amazing — we got so close to the animals, and they all looked really healthy and well cared for. The lions, giraffes and rhinos were the highlights for us, and the staff along the route were friendly, helpful and clearly passionate about what they do. After the safari, we spent the afternoon in the theme park and it was just as good. There was something for everyone — fun rides for the kids, a few thrill rides for the grown-ups, and plenty of places to stop and relax in between. The whole site was clean, well organised and full of energy, and we never felt rushed or crowded. It’s clear that a lot of care goes into both the animals and the visitor experience. My family left with huge smiles and lots of great memories — we’re already planning our next visit! If you’re looking for a full day out that combines adventure, learning and fun for all ages, I can’t recommend West Midlands Safari Park highly enough. A solid 10 out of 10!

Get to see the animal in their own environment and you are inside your car . The entrance to lion, hyena, tiger, are all controlled thru electrified gates and reminded of Jurassic park !! The giraffe can be fed. Cottages are there for weekend stays and relax in a serene atmosphere. One feels very near to nature and animals . Kids will enjoy the Jurassic times , ice age, reptiles. stalls for food , snacks, coffee, gift items are there. A must visit place either children

I went with my family, my parents and my partner so as 4 adults. It was really great, I have always heard of such good things about this safari park and have been excited to visit for a long time, and it was really impressive and lived up to expectations. I have visited both Knowsley and Longleat before, and they were both impressive in their own right. What West Midlands Safari Park did best that made them different, was the lack of queues, the way the routes in the enclosures we laid out so you could get really close to the animals whilst the animals remained safe, some of their enclosures were huge and i absolutely loved just how much the park had to offer with all of these extra events, shows, talks and the walking part - we didn’t quite realise just how much the park would have to explore and adventure and we wish we had arrived earlier to truly experience it all. The staff were amazing, at every point they were kind, informative, friendly and helpful, a few initiated some small talk which really showed they cared, that they were passionate about the animals and their work, it made my day and really cheered me up just how nice everyone was. I will definitely be visiting again, considering just how much there is to enjoy the price is worth it. I really loved just how up close and personal we could get with the animals and my only complaint would be I wish there were more signage, it was confusing where we needed to go at certain points and we nearly missed the tigers during the drive thru and would’ve been great if they had their own dedicated space without having to look through bars or the plastic viewing points, and we sadly didn’t get to see the cheetah however I’m aware they are very shy animals so I can’t blame them! The animals we did get to see were amazing, I loved feeding the giraffes, I loved the sea lion show and how passionate the staff were, I loved seeing both the tiger on the drive thru feeding and the lions on the walk ripping at bones. I feel like we were very lucky with everything we got to see, and I love that there’s Dholes, I have never seen a Dhole in person before and I don’t know any other parks that have them, I found them the most exciting part of my trip just because I’ve always wanted to see a Dhole and I didn’t realise they were here :) I would love more merchandise specifically tailored and made for the park! Such as artwork, and anything to do with the Dholes c: I loved all the recycled plushies however and we got one of each thing that had been branded by West Midlands Safari park, we like to get souvenirs as memories specifically tailored to each park we have visited, and it’s our way of supporting the park.

All you could spect from a salary park that takes cares of animals and also visitors. Well organised, cleaned and very friendly staff. Animals look healthy and well take care ok. There are some rare species like white lions and large anacondas. Particularly amazed by the bats room where the animals fly arround. Food was also good in the Dyno Diner.

Great zoo. Ample space for the animals who roam a large area looking very happy. This location has a drive through safari as well as a walk through part, similar to a normal zoo. Lovely variety of animals often very close to the road. Food options are available in the zoo. Great sea lion show. Amazing theming. A large proportion of the zoo is also a theme park with lots of rides. Lots of huts you can stay in near the drive through safari. Good zoo with large paddocks.

We were totally thrilled with everything, the lodge was charming with huge windows that the tigers came right up to….. one looking deep into my eyes! I was excited for 48 hours. The meals were excellent too . I would recommend it to anyone who loves tigers as I do. I’ve waited 75 years to get so close,and Naresh gave me an enormous thrill.

Almost 5 stars but this was our first visit & entering the carpark we had no idea or signs to say which way to the entrance or instructions to pay for the carpark. It wasn't very busy today but we thoroughly enjoyed our time spending over 4 hrs. The staff were delightful & oh so helpful. Fish & Chips were utterly delicious, best I've had in a long long time. The houses & shops were wonderful, bringing back so many memories. All in all a truly wonderful day, thank you.

Such an amazing experience. The museum and what it offers is phenomenal and the staff and volunteers are so engaging. The way they have set this up is exemplary and we learned so much from the people there and the exhibits. The forging and Army and Navy store were two of our favourites as well as the canal and chain shop area. A must see if you are here, a short train ride from Birmingham New Street to Tipton and it's about a 15 minute walk to the museum. Excellent day.

Well worth a visit. Great family day out. We have two boys 7 and 11. They engaged really well. The fun fair cost more but parents of little ones went on free and they were great. Staff were super 👌. The fish and chips were amazing much better than we get these days and cheaper. The demonstrations were informative and entertaining. Definitely go down the mine but watch your head! The gift shop was reasonably priced.

Really enjoyed it and here. Took my 8 year old. Lovely to walk around and really takes you back. Even I remember houses like these when I was alot younger. The boat rides do have an additional cost. There is alot to see and do. Although they do have some eateries we didn't bother. I think I'd have preferred a packed lunch regardless. Definitely recommend a visit here!

Open air museum, this is more like a small, Industrial Revolution, town with plenty to see and do. Very good parking facilities with plenty of disabled space as well as spaces for families, especially those with younger children giving easy access to site. A quick 2 minute walk from the car park to the main entrance where you are greeted into a large atrium in a modern building with a comprehensive gift shop to the right on entry. To the left there is an eatery serving up hot and cold food, and the usual coffees/teas and soft drinks etc. Exiting the main entrance the is a world of history in front of you starting with a tour of the mines. Sadly even early In the morning 10:30 (30 mins after opening) there was a long queue however this was accessible during the day. Old buildings galore, presented in various period decor all accessible to view both upstairs and down as well as black smiths, foundries, smelting, brick production, the list goes on. Heritage building with cars and bikes for viewing. The museum also runs a bus service with busses from 1940’s. They operate an early funfair with several period rides including ghost train, carousel and penny slot machines, well worth a ride. To the rear of the museum there is a modern building dedicated to the canal trust and preservation with the ability to take passenger on a boat ride through the caves where they mined line stone. Several found outlets in the various building, accessible toilet throughout the site, actors on site who interact with the public. All in all a fantastic day out FYI, I travelled from Essex the morning of the visit. Worth every penny.

What an amazing day we had at the Black Country living museum. We got there about 10am and stayed about 5 hours . So much to see and do. The staff was very friendly and helpful and willing to answer any questions. The fish and chips was amazing . Had one or a few beers in various locations. Then we went back for peaky blinders night . What a great time that was. Music and attractions all over the museum. Can’t wait to go back for a 40s or 60s night next year.

Absolutely incredible experience, we do come quite often due to being in the midlands but the new updates are fantastic and there is so so much to do. I actually don’t think the museum is open long enough to do everything they now have on offer. Not to worry you are able to return as many times as you like within a year with those tickets! Incredible! Such a good time had by all!

Shugborough Hall is a place well worth a visit. It is a National Trust site located in a large estate in rural Staffordshire. There is plenty to see and do for Adults and children alike. On a nice day there are some very pleasant walks that you can do, as well as visit the house. There is a gift shop, toilets and tea room/restaurant close by. The Hall and all of its history is quite fascinating. As I like my photography I loved seeing some of Lord Lichfield's cameras and equipment, as well as the many photographs mounted on the walls. Some are of famous faces that you will recognise, and some of the Royal Family over various years. There are also events put on throughout the year. I have visited twice in December to see the spectacular display of Christmas Trees. They differ every year, and sometimes follow a theme. They also put on a light show display in December. I haven't seen this yet, but do plan on it this year. I have heard it is very impressive.

Wonderful national trust free entry day. Blessed with fine sunshine. Greeted by 2 very helpful members who explained the map. Added onto planned guided visit to new garden at 2pm. This proved really good with the gardener being very interesting. Volunteers in house brilliant, informative and friendly despite impromptu fire alarm, they were unflappable. Beautiful grounds, gardens and all with our rescue dog Maddie. (She stayed in the car whilst we went inside house). Just had such a lovely relaxing day. Thank you 😊

Lovely day out at Shugborough - the staff are 10/10 and gave brilliant service. The gentleman and lady upstairs in Patrick Lichfield’s apartments on Saturday were brilliant, friendly and knowledgeable and great help. The girl working the ice cream counter near the mansion tea room (but not inside the tea room) was amazing, really helped us with our intolerance while ordering an ice cream, super friendly to all customers in front of us and gave exceptional service to us with our celiac dietary needs. It’s a shame a lot of Shugborough has shut since the national trust took ownership, but still has lovely grounds on a sunny day.

Shugborough is simply beautiful whether you're visiting the house or just walking the grounds. Me and my fiance visit often as we just love walking our dog through the grounds and picking up a coffee at the tea room. Very friendly staff upon entry, plenty of info boards explaining future plans, the house is gorgeous inside and out with lots to see. Staff and volunteers are very knowledgeable with the history of the the house. It's just a fab place to visit.

First visit today and what a fantastic place! We decided to join as family members and it was well worth it. The grounds, gardens and mansion are all beautifully kept — full of history and charm. The tea rooms were excellent too, perfect stop for an autumn treat. Even during October half term it never felt crowded; plenty of parking and so much space to explore that you’d hardly notice how busy it actually was. A brilliant family day out — we’ll definitely be back! – O’Toole UK | Keeping it real, one visit at a time.

Had a wonderful day, strolling around the gardens and small walk plus a joy to hear so much history from the volunteers in the hall. The cafe was reasonably priced with good food and coffee.

Amazing place the mansion has lots of things to admire the gardens spectacular iff your going with your family pack up for the day and spend a full day exploring this huge place its a little pricey so best to make it a day and enjoy or the other option join the national trust and visit some of there amazing places

Great artefacts with areas for improvement. Visited on Wednesday, 03rd September 2025. Booked our free entry tickets in advance and paid for parking in advance, as there is a discount. There is a suggestion you make a voluntary contribution, but having had snacks and a sandwich and parking for circa £50+ you may want to hold fire as they get you one way or another. Easy to find, but watch you don't accidentally pull into the operational base, which is in advance of the museum entrance. There appears to be a dedicated train station a stone's throw from the entrance, and plenty of parking. As I say, parking is chargeable, which is unusual for a site where the parking has no alternative purpose. There is an entry building and 3 airframes to visit around the car park. The description boards for these airframes are completely faded and cracked, which is a shame. Once inside the entrance building, there is a café with a convoluted mobile ordering system and a very limited range of hot food options, but what there is inc chilled is way overpriced. There is a decent little shop opposite as well as toilets. Once through this building (you walk through to the rear, which is un-signposted and feels a little strange) or leave from the entrance and walk around the building. Behind the building, you come across a Nimrod, which wasn't open on my visit, as well as a PBY and Neptune. Again, faded signage felt strange compared to the money spent on the entrance building. You then enter a RAF 100 building, a Second World War display and then the massive but poorly designed Cold War Hangar. The first 2 hangars are brilliant and display stunning examples of airframes and artefacts brilliantly, but the Cold War Hangar is awful. The 3 V Bombers are located in it, but due to the lack of an elevated walkway, you have access to both the equivalent Fleet Air Arm Museum and Duxford; you can't really see the airframes at their best, as everything is crammed in, due in part to the frankly stupid style over substance shape of the building. Not aided by the last third of the building being closed off for no valid reason, it appeared. Still a wonderful museum, but with scope for improvement.

Having visited a number of millatry museums Cosford rates high on the list for the range of exhibits, organisation and value for money. Entrance is free with a donation requested but this can be as little as you wish so when added to the,£,7.50 car parking fee it's a really cheap day out for a family. On the subject of car parking there is plenty of space and it's all accessible for less able folks. If the weather is good or you just like aircraft there are plenty of outside displays and on specific days some of these are opened up to visitors to tour inside. Some of these are the largest examples of types like the Hercules, Nimrod and Shakelton. There is a play area for younger children all served by accessible paths. There are a number of halls displaying a huge variety of aircraft from world war one through prototypes of experimental models, to early examples of current aircraft. There are also some armoured vehicles and static displays. Interactive wise you can make a virtual reality parachute jump, fly a red arrow, sit in a Spitfire (and other types) cockpit and learn how mankind almost wiped itself out in the cuban crisis. The cafe has a reasonably priced menu selling hot and cold food and drinks and ther is plenty of seating in a clean well laid out eating area. All in all a great day out at great value.

Thus museum is very interesting. It shows some of the same exhibits as its counterpart in London but it has unique exhibits you will not see in London. For example it has vehicles, like cars. It even has an German Leopard tank. Some of the exhibits are American and Eastern Block aircraft. I visited both RAF museums and they are both great.

Amazing day out at the Royal Airforce Museum at Hendon, not tje midlands as titled bu Google! Some great planes there, free entry too! You just need to go online and book your entry. A great day out for any aircraft fan with plenty of historic war planes and accessories, well presented and very helpful staff. Coffee shop/restaurant/canteen and shop on site. All in all a great day out!

This is a superb museum and has such a great variety of aircraft on display. The information boards were very informative and takes you through the history of the aircraft on display. The cafe was clean and service was good even though it was busy. Enterance to the museum is free, just the parking to pay for. Thanks for a great visit, will be definitely returning again 👍

Amazing experience, went on a school trip where all staff were extremely impressed making me want to go on my own. Staff are very knowledgeable, lots of different planes and other items there, everything is well looked after. Tickets are free so just have to pay 7.50 for parking which as the you dont pay to enter you can't complain.

Excellent museum and extremely well curated. All sorts of Aircraft and history background to the various political and social history of the time. The Vulcan and cold war and fall of the east west divide is excellent particularly for those of us that grew up in that time it's all very poinent very reasonable parking fee that acts as a donation as the museum is free entry

I enjoy all the fun slides. The changing room is clean. You get a cheaper price when you book in advance. The downside is a lack of signage of where the water park car park is located and one of the claw machines is faulty.

A really nice and atmospheric water park, with plenty of theming. The water was warm and clean. The staff were polite, even though it was busy, they still had time for everyone. The only problem was the amount of time we spent quing to get an inflatable for the slides. It was also a cramped waiting area for the inflatables. But apart from that, we had a really nice day out.

We enjoyed it. Fun place to take the kids and we will comeback. The toilets however were dirty I attribute too it being very busy. Also it took a while to find a parking spot at least 20 minutes so I suggest arriving at least half an hour before your booking.

Was quite anxious as my 7 and 10 yo went off in different direction. Staff friendly and had the use of AI life guarding, continually scanning swimmers and those in trouble. Rides where great, queues manageable, pools warm , food was a bit pricey. Parking free.

Never been here before so took the grand children who had a wil of a time. Recommend fast track if you can afford it as there are long waits og up to 2hrs on some rides.

Pretty average water park. Firstly, there is only one big slide (master blaster) which I waited about 70 mins for. There are also lots of reliability issues with the slide and almost every time I get in the queue for this slide it end up stopping for 10 mins. The changing rooms and even parts of the water park smelt terribly of urine and a lot of the changing rooms are dirty. Also the lockers require 20p so keep that in mind. There are also some flumes outside which have a short queue for each one but are really fun. I also enjoyed the smaller ring slide which I only waited 5 mins for. It seems everyone just goes to the master blaster leaving the rest of slides with barely any queue. The water park is quite crowded and areas like the lazy river and pool get really busy. If you really like water parks then I suppose it’s worth a visit but if you aren’t that bothered then I’d give it a miss.

It all started with Doug in reception who was polite, helpful and welcoming and it just got better after that. The 20 Pence man was fabulous and then all the staff poolside were great. The pool was warm, exciting and really fun. My 6 year old loved it. We will definitely be coming back. Well done Alton Towers.

I'll start with the car park. It's decent size and well maintained. I completely do not agree with flat rate you have to pay on top of the entry tickets. Regardless if you are there for just couple of hours, half a day or full day, still have to fork out another £12. Park itself is spread out across vast space. There's lots and lots of walking. Rides are decent. Other attractions are good as well. For us it worked out quite expensive as we've come with a child under 2 years old mainly to visit CeBeebies Land. I've managed to pop on some rides when he had a power nap. Overall we've enjoyed our time in there and definitely rate it higher than any other UK theme park. Problem is, once you've been to Universal Orlando and other Florida parks you gonna find all rides in any UK park not as thrilling and stunning as what they have in there. We've found all staff to be friendly, helpful and polite. Cleanliness throughout the park was decent including rest rooms. We've even found a nice kebab takeaway on site which was a plus.

We’ve been to Alton Towers three times now, and it never disappoints! Whether you’re a family, a couple, or a solo rollercoaster thrill seeker, there’s something here for everyone. With a little help from Cadbury’s (who will you take vouchers — are a huge help! As it can be a little pricey) we were able to enjoy another amazing trip. The whole park is lovely and clean, and all the staff we met were really friendly and helpful. If you’re planning a visit, just be aware that during peak times the queues can get quite long for the rides. We went out of peak this time, and it was incredibly quiet — barely any waiting at all, which made the day even better! Just a heads up also food in the park is very pricey if you don't want to take food with you, but as a one off it's ok. like us going three times we learnt to take sandwiches and snacks and bought a coca cola refillable drinks beaker we take everytime. We noticed families taking the travel trucks with their bits and bobs into carry around for the day of there is a large amount of you who which is a brilliant family hack. Some of the food wasn't that spectacular and very cheaply made as you would get in most big theme parks but some little hidden gems in the park were lovely like the coach house confectionary in gloomy woods serving up there social media viral black ice creams and sweet foods. Overall, Alton Towers is an amazing day out full of excitement, laughs, and memories. Can’t wait to go back again!

We had an amazing day in Alton towers. We went on a Scare fest event, it was brilliant. I really recommend to download the app to see the waiting times in queue as well as if it’s closed or having a weather delay. It’s good to see every ride update so you don’t make any unnecessary walk. To be honest even the 45mins ques were quick. Staff were very friendly and helpful, food is nice but pricey. Bring comfy shoes and snacks!!! We went for opening which allowed us to go on every main ride. The scare mazes were fantastic, the themes the actors were spot on!!🖤🧡 Both day and night time all the resort looks very stunning with the rides lighted up and the Alton Castle! 🏰 all the park is very looked after. Definitely coming back next year!

Great visit everytime. The food stalls are expensive but if you can take some food to save yourself some money. Definitely recommend visiting during scarefest even if you dont do any of the scare mazes. Staff are brilliant they keeps things moving quickly so the ride times stay as low as possible and the park stay open 9pm meaning you can get to go on the rides in the dark. Which is well worth it!

Honestly hands down best theme park in the UK. The theming is immense and absolutely mind-blowing. Has the best rollercoasters in the UK and the best inverted coaster in Europe. The food is amazing Sand is worth it, especially the loaded fries on Tower Street. The Smiler is one of the most intense rides out there and is definitely a coaster worth going on, even if you are far away from the park it is definitely worth a visit. Loads of kids areas to adventure but some big areas for the thrill seekers. My favourite coasters in order: 1. Nemesis Reborn (Got on it 2 times in 1 day and got front row) 2. Smiler (Can be rough sometimes but is so thrilling) 3. Galactica (Really underrated and immense fun) 4. Wickerman (Best wooden coaster in the UK bc of Megafobia) 5. Oblivion (Short and boring after the drop) 6. Rita (The launch into the turn is amazing and forceful) 7. THI3TEEN (The droptrack's airtime is absolutely stunning) 8. Spinball Whizzer (Quite painful and colours don't suit Alton) Haven't been on: Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure, Runaway Minetrain. Honourable mentions: Toxicator (Best flat ride in the UK coming in close with Samurai. Sharkbait reef (I love fish and this was cool for a Theme Park) Hex (I love the story and the ride is quite unique) Congo River Rapids (Great family ride) So overall the price is worth paying and the food is worth eating. You should go to Alton Towers if you are wanting thrill and you can also go if you need a family day out with the kids. (Scarefest at Alton Towers is the best Halloween event at a major theme park throughout the whole of the UK and the vibe of the park already fits a Halloween vibe)

Look I totally get that there may have been issues with staffing as it was the last day of scare fest, but we still paid the same amount then any other days. Ultimately I have seen a huge difference in the service from staff at the resort, I’m not talking about the ones on rides or at the guest services, the main issue is the food and restaurants staff and the facilities. Shocking difference, the attitude on some of the staff and the serious lack of any customer service. It was like they have just grabbed a load of teenagers out of school and plonked them down, in all the restaurants and food stalls. 1. Total mess around the food stalls including hotdog stand. 2. Unlit areas when they have organise for night rides and attractions there were broken lights everywhere and massive dark spots across the park, including near the food stalls as. 3. Toilets, this shocked me as I had never experienced issues with unclean toilets at AT before. Really smelly and no cleaning staff in sight. Almost every toilet in the resort had an issue . 4. Lots of areas of the park were closed as they were setting up for bonfires night, it was almost like an excuse for staff to behave like the resort was half closed. 5. Monorail stunk of alcohol, first thing in the morning and generally needs to be cleaned up it’s old worn and looks uncared for. 6. Staff at the video stalls after a ride has some serious attitude problems, not all of them, but sone would just stare at you, not saying anything, and then mumble and give annoyed looks. The attractions/rides, as always were great. And the actors of the scare mazes were brilliant. but what makes Merlin entertainment brilliant is the whole magic of the resorts and the magic was definite missing and most of the staff just didn’t care, this could be because of the way they’ve been treated who knows but I was very disappointed, it’s lost its magic for me.

Absolutely amazing place! Definitely recommended for all the family If you're an older family I would recommend two days - would also recommend looking at the Waterpark as it is fantastic for all the family Only negative that you would expect, the food, drinks and merchandise is expensive so make sure you save up if you intend on eating and drinking on park

Fun, historic town. Lots of great little shops that have been used to fill lots of the buildings with authentic businesses from around 1900. In proper dress and character docents. Terrific stop for anyone driving through ironsgate village. Super nice area for kids to play and experience what it was like 125 years ago. Loved this place, but too many stores had no one to explain what you were looking at. The fish and chips were fresh and delicious

A truly wonderful, insightful visit. It was amazing revisiting as an adult after coming here as a child, what a fantastic experience to share with my 13 year old son, who was just as impressed as I was. A huge mention to the wonderful staff who make this experience incredible. Every member of this team from the reception throughout all the staff who are in full Victorian character are absolutely amazing. A real credit to this set up are you guys. You were all so welcoming, engaging, knowledgeable and totally endearing. What a fantastic landmark we have and to share such an incredible part of our history. It makes us and you feel proud of our heritage. Thankyou 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Really enjoyed our visit to Blists Hill Victorian Town. I haven’t been here since I came with my primary school, so glad to see it’s still as amazing at 23 as it was back when I was 8 (I walked in and remembered the layout and the fun memories of my school trip there, if that doesn’t speak volumes of how amazing this place was and has continued to be then I don’t know what could) . Went as a family day out with our dog, we were amazed at how dog friendly it was, out of everything there were only two places we couldn’t go with our dog which was no bother and completely understandable (sweet shop & bakery). The animals located in the town were well cared for and friendly with knowledgable handlers who were more than happy to answer questions, clearly knew the animals likes and dislikes and spoke fondly of their quirks showing a love and dedication for their four legged cast members. Our favourite Victorian character was the local police man (and his “cousin” singing in the pub - who was a very good singer). We met him on our way in and straight away were greeted with a welcoming warmth before he directed us towards our first stop of the day the post office for our very own dog licence which was decently priced as were a lot of items sold in their other shops around the town. My mum’s favourite activity was George’s carriage ride. The beautiful boy took us both and our dog around the town, he looked happy and well taken care of which as long term animal people it was a joy to see him comfortable and enjoying his work. My favourite stop off was the last one of the day for us. It was the printing shop which we visited after having a ride around the town in George’s carriage. Inside the printers we were taken through the different printers, how they are used to help create prints for the village and answered our questions from possibilities of injuries to how the different printers work in terms of changing letters, sizing of letters etc (it looked like a lot of fun and now I wish I could own one). we came away with a couple of notebooks and a postcard that fit perfectly in with Halloween. We will definitely be looking at Blists Hill Victorian Town for future day trips out, and we hope next time we visit we’re in the season for the use of the fair ground as it would have been lovely to have seen those in use.

Wow..What a excellent Victorian Town Everything as it was back in the day. You feel like you're in the Victorian Era. I got myself a one off adult single ticket, £27 Oct 2025 prices, you can buy a multiple pass to see other extractions which works out cheaper in Ironbridge area. It started with a short guided tour at 11.30 with Emily, She was so friendly, kind and so enthusiastic and told us all along short history about the town. The Town itself has shops,Bank, butchers ,bakery, clothing shop and a forerunner to WH Smith with a post office, and plenty of other shops. And don't forget to have a sing song at the pub on the corner The mine as well is a great reminder about how hard it was to work here and the forge, and the tile factory. The houses are open so as you enter you will find now and again a person dressed up and he or she will tell you about the house. There's a few places to eat and have hot/cold drinks. I had a trip as well in the carriage with George the shire horse pulling us around the town. The car park, you pay on exit ,just make a note on what time you actually park. I paid ( £6 for 5hrs, Oct 2025 prices) A must visit while you're are in the area of Ironbridge.

I visited Blists Hill Victorian Town about 20 years ago, and it was great to come back and see how it’s changed. It’s still a fun and educational day out! I loved the traditional fish and chips from the old-fashioned chippy and the Victorian-style photos. It’s a shame you can’t get some of the old-fashioned sweets they used to have, but we really enjoyed the singalong around the piano in the pub which was definitely a highlight of the day.

Definitely would recommend visiting Blists Hill. We spent numerous hours with our 10yr old son and he loved it as did we. I’d suggest going on a dry day as there is lots of walking outdoors and the fish and chip shop should you choose to go to doesn’t have indoor seating. Staff were all very pleasant and knowledgeable. Well worth the visit.

Visited for the Blists Hell Halloween event The spooky atmosphere was fantastic the setting and ambience were really well done and made for a really eerie vibe. Of the few scare actors I managed to see, those I did encounter were absolutely brilliant especially the clown with the balloons, the plague doctor, and the Nosferatu-style vampire. They really brought the event to life and deserve a lot of credit. Unfortunately, the event was let down by overcrowding. It was difficult to see everything due to the sheer number of people, and the queues were SO long. I queued 45 minutes for fish and chips, and another 20 for the bakery, not the fault of the vendors, but a clear sign of how overcrowded the event was. There were quite a few intoxicated and stumbling guests, which did feel inappropriate given how many young children were present. At one point, several areas were closed off due to fire alarms, which caused a lot of confusion and crowding. The movement of the crowd during that time was very chaotic almost like a stampede and raised concerns about how well safety was being managed. Finding staff was also hard with so many visitors in full costume, it was hard to tell who was part of the team. The atmosphere was affected by some rude behaviour from other attendees pushing swearing, and a general lack of courtesy. While the event itself had potential, the crowd size and lack of control made it hard to enjoy. Wouldn't rush back but that has more to do with the overcrowding and rude attendees than the event.

We had a great time here, we dropped onto good weather and being a Tuesday a bit quieter than usual. It's great that you can just walk around with the monkeys free roaming, there are plenty of workers there to look out for you. You must watch a safety briefing before entering, not long at all but important info regarding your visit. The forest is lovely and a nice walk around, its in a loop but both directions there is a hill to climb, I would say keep right, smaller hill. If you are lucky enough to be there when they are doing a feed, they tell you all about the history and about the monkeys. One being 31 years old now, which in human years is over 100. Banana cafe was good too, both having jacket potatoes. Toilet facilities were very good. Ample parking.

This place was amazing! My sister and I loved being able to see the monkeys up so and learn so many different facts about them for example, their origin and their diet. We were lucky enough to be there at the time of their feeding which we got to see a staff member feed the monkeys and teach us how they behave and the hierarchy of the monkey kingdom. At the time of visiting, they had over 100 monkeys to see and around 11 of which being babys as young as 4 weeks old. As you leave the monkey forest, there's a cafe and a really big park with unique attractions such as big tree swings and mystery trails to walk and venture on. This site is truly amazing and I couldn't recommend it for families any more!

Its a nice day out with the children. Its not a huge site so only took about 2 hours to do everything, which included eating in their cafe. The cafe had a nice variety of food and was actually quite reasonably priced. We used kids pass to get 25% entry so paid £44 for 2 adults and 3 children. I have only given 4 stars due to the size of the place and how quickly it took to get around. I would return though but wouldn't want to pay full price and recommend looking for a voucher code like we did.

Pleasantly surprised by this place. £54 for a family of 4, a little on the expensive side I thought, but when you wander in to the monkey enclosure you certainly get your money's worth! There's plenty of monkeys to see and they get quite close to you at times. There were lots of babies (1 month and younger) to see that were ADORABLE! A small play park and den building area for the kids for when you're done and some educational areas. These weren't too informative, but enough. There's also a short meadow walk. We ate from the pizza van and this was really good value at under £10 for a Margherita pizza. The ice cream van was also exceptional! £4.50 for two scoops and you get loads! Shout-out to all the guides in the enclosure. They were all really knowledgeable and were full of chat. We didn't use the cafe but the food looked good and we didn't visit the shop I would recommend at least walking through the enclosure from 4:30 onwards as the monkeys head back up the hill for the evening, very cool to see them all walking home!

I absolutely love monkeys, so I drove five hours round trip to visit the Monkey Forest, and I was absolutely not disappointed! The monkeys are adorable and live freely—they aren't kept in cages. The area is spacious, and I had so much fun watching the little monkeys playing around.

Absolutely great time. Monkeys everywhere, feeding, playing, all natural, ignoring people, other than to play tricks on us, like bouncing in the branches of an acorn tree when people walk underneath! Nice walk, good little cafe. All reasonable prices, including entry tickets. We'll definitely be back.

We’ve been to Trentham Monkey Forest a few times, and it’s always great value for money. Walking through the secure area where the monkeys roam freely is both scenic and fascinating. The well-maintained path winds through grassed areas, which are fenced off with a low ankle-height barrier. The monkeys walk, run, and swing all around you, with knowledgeable staff on hand to answer questions. We were lucky on our last visit — several babies had recently been born, so it was a treat to watch them playing and exploring. The main walk can take anywhere from 30 minutes upwards, depending on how visible and active the monkeys are. For children, there are two lovely outdoor play areas, plus another pleasant walk through an open field. The café is reasonably priced — the food is nothing fancy, but it fills a hole and keeps the kids happy! Overall, if the weather is good, Trentham Monkey Forest is a fantastic family day out.

Brilliant lovely day out with family. Shops and cafes really good selection. Garden centre is definitely worth a visit. I spent way to much on a wire fairy ( inprogress as we speak.

I visited Trentham Gardens today, I've been on many occasions and I have always enjoyed it and today wasn't an exception. But I was so pleased to see so many beautiful plants and all the nature that was being attracted by them. I'm not sure what the part is called but it's the little bit by the children's play area, which has a red bridge and a pond. Well I'm a massive fan of real flowers, bees, ladybirds etc and I was so happy to see the flowers and that area flourishing! Myself and my daughter (9yo) loved watching all the bees and wasps going from one flower to another. We loved seeing all the different things growing there and how calm and relaxing it was! It's beautiful and you can tell it's being well taken care of!

We visited for the Halloween event on the evening. Beautiful place to visit as always. The decor was lovely. Sadly they didn't have the seperate disabled access line they've had on previous occasions. The line did move quickly but our child became stressed with being surrounded by a large volume of people waiting in the queue. We booked the first slot for the event to get ahead of the crowds for this reason. Would be great if there was a section for older children who may enjoy being spooked. The food on offer was great.

A fabulous day out, reasonable prices for entry. A beautiful Italian garden & a walk around the lake is recommended. Also an excellent shopping village there too.

Really big estate, didn't get to see all of it, maybe next time when the weather is on my side. Would be great to see the wildlife, but I wasn't so lucky. Loved how intricate the metal dandelion sculptures were.

Amazing place, like a National Trust property but much larger than most of the ones I've been to. Obviously much of the gardens have been restored but they all look amazing. Lots of stopping places if you get tired. The boat ride on the lake is a reasonable cost and really nice on a summer's day. The residence is not accessible as it's just a shell but there are lots of plaques telling you about the history of the place. Would really recommend it for young and old, as there are walking trails around the lake and the youngsters can do a' fairy trail 'to try and spot all the amazing sculptures. There are beavers on the island too, you might not see them but you might spot their handiwork asking the edge of the lake. There are shops just outside the entrance too, I would recommend the ice cream at the Thornton's shop, by far the best on site (and we pretty much tried them all!)

Been a long time annual ticket holder and always pleased to go to the gardens . You sometimes baulk at the price but when you look around the gardens and see how much work goes on it easily value for money . The gardens are great . Lovely to stroll around the lake and pop in one of the two cafes for a drink before pottering around the Italian Gardens . My granddaughter is a great fan of the play park . And yesterday it was our first time on the boat . It was brilliant. Great commentary from the guys on board . Learnt so much and saw some great bits of wildlife . Once again great value at only £3 .

Great place for family day out. Swimming pool is a bit outdated but still beats others with slightly better theming. Don't look at rusty metal works and enjoy the waves and slides which are any age friendly, steps climb isn't too excessive and one doesn't have heart attack at middle age while climbing them, so one can still have fun in any age. They are trying stay on top of cleaning mess of pool and changing rooms. Again it does the job and it isn't too bad compared to some other pools. Restaurant offered quiet decent fried food with meal deals and share pallets, which was actually ok for fast food, but not too many healthy options, there was vegetarian Nd vegan option and beer for beer lovers. £5 refundable locker deposit, nice. £24 single entry and deal on family ticket or on dine or mini golf. Well it does come to a hundred at least for family of three with food but again kids have lots of fun. Viewing area for non paying customers isn't very comfortable or one can't see much unfortunately. Area is warm and one can sit and rest on chair and table. Website is very descriptive. Car park is about £6 if you stay 3 hours or more

Came last year and really enjoyed it, went last weekend and my gosh the place has nose dived. Organised chaos. Came for my lads 11th birthday and there was a poo in the outdoor pool, which took some time to clean, the queue system for the rings makes no sense, one line at the right hand side all waiting for singles, then you see people just walk up the left hand side taking doubles, so I asked (as I was waiting for a double) oh is that what we do, when we need a double use the left lane. No you wait in a line, then if I see you are waiting for a double I’ll call you forward? Err… didn’t make much sense. As I waited another 2 - 3 mins and then said, yeah you can come forward now? Needs two seperate lines one for singles and one for doubles or a member of staff asking, you a two? Yep, cool. Come forward. Then there are the queues on the stairs, swapping over mid stairway for one slide then the other over the various floors. We worked out at the very top, the queue was around 33 mins, mainly due to having one member of staff not only watching the ring one (possibly the cyclone) and then watching the (almost vertical ) slide at the same time. Just needs some actual management and some signage. A lot of unhappy people complaining about the same things. No mention that the blast slide was closed either, the one that’s like a rollercoaster and we are still waiting for a refund on our locker wrist bands. So disappointed after such a great visit last year. Wayyyy too many people in, no time limits or didn’t appear to be. Didn’t stay the full 3 hours of our slot because we all got bored of queuing, it was like human soup in the wave pool part. Water was cold, some places were clean, but the changing rooms absolutely packed to the heavens and when you have cold kids, couldn’t find a changing room for ages. Also adults walking about the pool area with trainers on and even when we raised it on hygiene concerns, they didn’t challenge it. Don’t think we will be coming back again sadly. Only giving it a two because of the first time.

We went with the boys (8 and 11 yo) on a Sat during Oct half-term, it was fabulous! The boys loved it and we spent 5 hours inside. We arrived early in the morning like 10:30, changing room was dry and clean, locker is easy to use. We paid £6 for the car park as we plan to stay long inside. Temperature inside is ok, a bit chilli if you get wet and stay out of the water, but the water is warm enough to stay long inside. We managed to play all the rides with less than 10 min wait before more people started to come at around noon. So my advice will be arrive early and enjoy the time with less people. We did get food from the cafeteria inside, food is ok, standard quality as you would expect to get inside this type of facility, as least there are enough choices for my fussy eater. More people in the afternoon meant a slightly longer waiting time for each ride, but still very manageable, and the arrangement for queue is good, there are quite many attendants/ life guards inside the facility too. We are from south of England, if there’s any chance we will travel north again, the boys would love to come again.

We spent a day at Waterworld during a heat wave when we visited the area from Scotland. The girl on the desk was lovely and friendly. We had issues using the QR code to pay for parking, so you're best using the machines outside. Parking was £6 for the duration we were there. I was actually surprised I had to pay to park. That's not common in Scotland. Most places have free car parks 😬 We paid, I think £96 for 2 adults and 2 children. You pay £5 deposit for a locker wristband, which you get refunded when you leave. The changing area was very big, and very clean. There were also plenty of lockers. There were a lot of slides, which was great 👍 and the outdoor pool was open, which was amazing when it was 27C outside 😅 My husband can't actually swim, so he was quite happy chilling in the bubble pools or outside. My daughter, her friend, and I went on the slides, river rapids, the wave pool, outdoor pool, and outdoor bubble pool. Lots of staff, and they were all being very attentive, giving clear instructions. I can understand why people in other reviews seem concerned about cleanliness. I wouldn't say the place is "dirty", I saw them doing water checks several times when we were there. It's more that it's in need of quite a bit of maintenance. For example, the race slides paint is badly worn, there is obvious rust on the spiral stairs, all of the tops of the flumes are caked in dust, the fans above the python and blackhole are rusty and covered in dust. It's all quite easily sorted out. The only thing I was actually concerned about was the bottom of the wave pool felt "slimey." You would try to jump with the wave, lose your footing, and you're straight under the water. I've been in many a wave pool lol that's not normal. We got the supreme platter from the cafe, and that was enough for 4 people and pretty affordable. Drinks were very expensive, though. Overall, we enjoyed our day and would happily come back if the maintenance issues were addressed.

Brought my child to Waterworld for the first time she 9 years old and she had the absolute best time staff were friendly and supportive she had the best day ever her words and wants to keep coming back she loved the slides but also loved the tide pool Lots of fun had :)

The second visit was just as good as the first. The place was as clean and well maintained as before, and although it was busy the queues weren't too bad. The changing rooms did the job.

Great water park we had a fab day. I had read a lot of bad reviews but we found it pretty good. It was clean and yes some of the slides and steps are old. But it was brilliant fun and all the staff were amazing. It did get a bit too busy after 2pm. But if you get there early you can have a great few hours. The outside pool is lovely too and is heated. Will definitely be back. Thank you

Beautiful gardens with free street parking if you can find it or loads of paid parking either around the town or in the gardens which can be located by the main road. Free public toilets, a small railway train that goes around the park for £2.50 per person, lasts around 5 minutes and is very cute, allowing you to see and take in the park from different angles. Theres loads of different paths, trees, wildlife and plants, some with information plaques, as well as frequent benches, bins and play parks for the kids. Extremely child, disabled and pet friendly. The streams, ponds and riverways are very well kept, as is the whole park and its lovley to see the ducks and wildlife enjoy it too.

Nice easy walk round a pond. Lots of water birds, ducks ,geese, herons. Quite a bit of duck poo on paths near pond. Nice bar, cafe, swimming pool, music venue.

Love the pavilion gardens here in Buxton. Some nice snack/eateries, locally made beers and I particularly like the "hot house" garden, and walking around the park.

What a lovely and unique place. We walked around gardens for a bit, lots of wild birds, small water lakes, had live music playing, which made atmosphere really nice.

Disability freindly in most of Buxton pavilion.Family freindly clean beautiful park and buildings, small train ride in the park lots of geese and other birds in the park.a small river running through the park.you have Buxton opera house with a tea room and inside garden area.not far away is the famous Buxton spring water well you can use your own bottle and fill it for free.You could have a full day out here all while including a day at the opera.

Absolutely stunning area. Great park with wide clean pathways. Plenty of wildlife around. Lovely facilities in the pavilion

Beautiful, well maintained gardens and old heritage buildings. Would be lovely to see more of the Pavilion buildings themselves open and used though.

HMP Shrewsbury, nicknamed "The Dana" after the original Dana Gaol on the site, is a fantastic Tourist attraction and insight into how Prison Life and conditions were. All the staff are wonderful and helpful. I went on a Self Guided tour on this occasion, although ghost and guided varieties exist if you wish. There are detailed and plentiful boards giving information about the rooms and topics surrounding that area of the facility. The only negative is the new chapel and Visitation was closed around the time of my visit, which I would have loved to see.

Great tour today with the 10:30 tour guides. Lots of information and interesting facts and interactions with the group. Now watching Time on BBC iPlayer.

Brilliant day out with easy parking. You get the full run of the prison, it's a real eye opener and well worth it. Wing c is very spooky and sad, the execution room really is sobering.

A fascinating and yet a sad place. Our guides were Malcolm and Alex who told us about the prison's history in an incredibly engaging way. The personal stories of Malcolm, who worked there for many years, are particularly captivating and moving.

Had a great time looking around the Historical Prison. Lots to see and good signage. Just wish we had time to do the guided tour!

A fascinating place , lovely to visit but must have been horrible to be in, with electricity , toilets and water in the cells only added in 1995. This was also 1 of 17 prisons that was allowed to carry out executions. Infoboards are scattered around the site , and are interesting if sparse. There are tours (1 a day) which would be better if you want to understand more. I managed a quick chat with a guide and an ex officer in the jail which was fascinating. There is a resturaunt on site and they do ghost tours in the evening if that's your thing.

Fantastic guided tour by Alex, very informative and his enthusiasm really showed. Definitely recommend it.

Stunning house, visit if you can as a wonderful and rare tour of the behind the scenes showing the butlers pantry and the brewery site. Also the Regency dressing room, do take advantage and dress up as your own Mr Darcy/Elizabeth as it really enhances the experience for you and those around you. The garden is great even in Autumn and dogs are very welcome A great day

Like a dream 🌿🏛🌿 From the Paddock cottage and Scottish Highland cattle to the the Cage and rolling grass hills. I visited many national trust locations during my recent trip to England and I can safely say that Lyme Park was my favorite. The property is expansive and beautiful. The house also had many interactive exhibits. I can't wait to return one day and experience it again.

Vast grounds, interesting house and knowledgeable volunteer room guides. The main lake near the house was part drained, so otherwise five stars. Gardens are worth a look, but the "cage" whilst open on the ground floor is quite a walk for not very much until it's refurbished and fully open again.

Had a great time, as always at Lyme Park with our daughter & grandchildren. (5&3) We love the gardens & all the Summer activities for the children are fantastic, along with the adventure playground which our girls loved! We enjoyed the refreshments in the cafes. It’s really great place to visit with so much history to explore in & around the house. We’ve only really just scratched the surface & we want to do more of the walks all around the estate in the future.

Unfortunately, the house is closed until the end of November, so I didn't have a chance to explore a house with six centuries of history. Walking around the gardens doesn’t take much time. There’s a bookshop and a nice café.

Huge grounds where dogs are welcome to roam. There's places where they are even allowed to run off lead, which is a rarity at national trust properties. The house is impressive to look around, and the gardens must be stunning in summer. The trees were in glorious colours on the autumn day we visited, but the flower beds were mostly empty and the fountains and pools drained for the winter. I can only imagine what it must be like in the summer. Maybe we'll come again and find out! Dog friendly section in the cafe was great. There's a bit of a steep walk from the car park up to the house entrance, but I saw accessibility parking signs so perhaps they avoid it.

The wide and beautiful garden was turned into a play area for the children’s summer event. My kids had so much fun! The house inside was also very large and interesting. There were children’s toys inside the house, and my kids had the special experience of playing freely in a historic building!

Fantastic. Went with our granddaughter who's not yet 3 and she loved it, as did we. Plenty of interest for all ages and plenty of interactive things for children, which are fun as well as being educational. The history of Jodrell Bank is amazing, going back to 1945 and the genius of Bernard Lovell. It's still one of the most important observatories in the world as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cafe, picnic area, playground and shop are all there.

This is a fantastic place to visit — super interesting and home to one of the biggest radio telescopes in the world. The main attraction is, of course, the Lovell Telescope, with its impressive 250 ft (76 m) diameter, making it the third largest steerable radio telescope on Earth. The site itself is beautifully set up: excellent car parking, clear signage, and well-presented exhibits. The atmosphere is lively — there are plenty of kids running about, full of excitement about space, planets, and life on Mars. I actually loved that as it feels very much like a science paradise for children. Overall, the whole setup is first-class, just what you’d expect from a UK UNESCO World Heritage Site. The only downside is the ticketing system. They only sell annual passes, and when you ask for a day ticket, you get into what feels like a Basil Fawlty–meets–Two Ronnies sketch. Technically, they don’t do day tickets… except they do, but under the name of an annual ticket. If you keep your sense of humour, you might even end up with a 10% discount like we did! On the plus side, the staff are all super friendly and helpful, which rounds off the experience brilliantly.

This is an amazing afternoon out. You can quite easily spend several hours here. Just exploring the grounds before actually exploring the main attraction. The motion pictures are incredibly well done. And the indoor sections are also incredibly well done and really put you in the place of what it must have been like all those years ago to be trying to build this sort of structure and what sort of visionary this human was. If you buy your ticket online, it lasts for an entire year and you can go as many times as you want. Not bad for 12 quid.

A great visitor centre. It's a pretty recent addition, so everything is still working as it should. The guides are all really helpful and know the sites history intimately. The main event, the 'Lovell Telescope', is an awesome sight up close. Well worth the trip.

A great place if you're into astronomy! You can see the Lovell Telescope and walk around it (and even watch it rotate, if you're lucky). Be sure to check out the dome show, it's very immersive. There's a good exhibition on the history of Jodrell Bank in the main pavilion, and a small "science lab" that's great for kids.

Reasonably priced day out with lots to see and learn. Despite its small size, there is a great amount of detail in all of the exhibition halls as well as lots of interactive activities for the little ones. However if you don't bring a packed lunch then be prepared to spend a bit more for the cafés. Overall I would say this is a great place to visit for all ages.

Really rewarding to visit, even on a wet and windy day. The Lovell Telescope is of course a wonder in and of itself, and Jodrell Bank as a whole is a UNESCO world heritage site, but there's been a concerted and very successful effort to make the site offer families more than simply a chance to gawp at a giant dish. 🙂 The permanent exhibition is very well curated and offers lots of interactivity, the films are high-quality and interesting even for junior-school-aged kids (though tots might get a bit bored) and the outdoor experiments offer some clever insights into how radio astronomy works. Staff are always on hand, knowledgeable and friendly. And as if all that weren't enough, buying tickets provides free return visits for a entire year. It's too far for me and the family to make the trip regularly, but for those nearby the temporary exhibitions alone are worth returning for.

We had a lovely day out here recently. It was a very warm day so we made use of some activities there with shade and water. The play pass worked out well for us for our children. The indoor water play with sandpit and play/climbing equipment was very crowded at times but it was perfect for a hot day so we went when it was not too busy and the kids were entertained for a long time. They also enjoyed the Gemstone activity and the new sensory play area. The soft play was overcrowded and it felt cramped. Be mindful that there are wasps everywhere but it looks like they have measures in place to manage this but still there were just so many. Thankfully we didn’t get stung. The icecream is delicious. For a day out there is so much to do there but it also works out quite expensive. It’s good that there is a good enough play area as you enter that you don’t need a play pass for. There was one member of staff that was extremely helpful, a young lady who served us in the water play part and the gemstone activity. Didn’t catch her name but she went above and beyond and seemed like she genuinely loved working there.

What a great day out. The entry cost is cheap enough, and then you pick and choose what activity play areas you'd like to add on. Good news, once you've paid for the activity area, you can go back as many times as you want during the day. Recently opened a sensory outdoor play area with soft mat flooring. Must have cost a fortune! Don't miss the indoor sand and water play area. Food was OK, typical burger and chips style, but fine for a family treat. Ice cream galore! And it's rather special too. Shame about the bubble tree that is supposed to spurt out bubbles once an hour. Otherwise a great day out!

We used the Drive-in for a couple of cones. Easy ordering and quick delivery. Fun, unusual way of getting your ice cream. I think the ice cream menu could have some more information maybe regarding the flavours themselves. The play centre itself looked pretty busy and the car park was full. Attendant was helpful in making sure we got to where we needed.

We love it here! We hadn’t been for a couple of years so we was happy to see there was a lot more activities. The new park is beautiful and colourful. Kids loved it! It’s great that you can spend as much time as you want in there too and the icecream is amazing. Had a lovely day with my family will be visiting again!

Great place for young children and families. So many activities to choose from covering a wide age range, from 5-15 year olds. Generous portions served in the restaurant with a decent selection too. Naturally an enormous selection of ice creams too choose from. Fairly expensive but a worthwhile day out!

Great day at Ice cream Farm 🚜🍦 was busy this day but kids have lot of fun. Many places to do picnic and play areas. My favorite was Ice cream fields colourful and so many activities. At the end we had Ice cream, so many flavours it's hard to choose 😅 I had mango and passion fruit, was delicious 😋

Kids really enjoyed the day out at The Ice Cream Farm even though the weather wasn’t too great. The water and sand area was the area they spent most time at. Make sure to bring water shoes and spare clothes as they will get wet and dirty. Water is very cold be warned. Pricing is individual for all attractions or can buy a pass. Ice creams are nice with plenty of choice. Overall good day.

Had a great time here for my friend Edens birthday. Everyone who served us that night was brilliant. I got chatting to one staff member Mit great guy but well done team

Great cocktails. I had a very good Negroni. Warm and attentive service in this atmospheric and intimate bar we stumbled on when trying to escape the rain. Highly recommended.

There is this one bartender who is a rude and arrogant. Our pints were not full and when we asked him to fill it to the bro he made sure to fill it but later made a very very arrogant comment and a rude face. Suggesting that my boyf and I were asking for something which was not usual. I have been to this this place so many times. The last time we went here we had a lovely time. Our bartender was as a lovely man!! He made sure we were look after! But this time it was comepelt opposite! A really rude guy!serving downstairs!

Beautiful discreet cocktail bar. Gorgeous decor and ambience. Makes a mean old fashioned. Really skilled staff.

Great tasting cocktails, very good ambiance plus very enthusiastic staff! The cocktails were amazing just a bit pricey but they were well worth it! The bartender even made me a customised drink when I asked for something that they would recommend for me - and that was absolutely lovely! Will definitely come back here!

So glad we found this place. From the moment we were greeted by the quirky friendly host the staff were so friendly throughout. This is also a serious cocktail place for people who like proper cocktails from mixologists that know their stuff. Thanks for a great night!

Nice, but quite expensive for what it is. We were expecting more of a science theme, but the drinks weren’t anything special. My partner got a good recommendation from a member of staff, but it was just not worth the money. It was also very loud, to the point where you couldn’t even have a conversation, with some patrons being very rowdy and staff not doing anything about it. Overall, it was okay but we wouldn’t go again, but we did like the ice cube!

Amazing library and is worth a visit especially since their is no admission fee (please feel free to make a donation). Although the library looks quite old, it only opened on January 1, 1900. It took ten years to build and was founded by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband, John Rylands. The staff here are extremely knowledgeable, it's worth waiting for the talk they give about the building's history. They're are some very impressive works in their collection. A copy of the Gutenberg Bible, a copy of Shakespeare's famous First Folio from 1623, and many more impressive items. It is a true functioning library and you can view books in their collections. We were very impressed with the library and will come back on our next visit to Manchester.

Went to this library with my friend previously, very astonished to see the lovely architecture and design of the place. Also there is a mini bay with a modern building right beside it, yet they were blended together very well. The differences and blending of both buildings are just fascinating. Again, our visit is just magically enhanced by the rare but welcomed sunshine. Took such great photos because of it as it shows how beautiful the stained glass windows are ♥️✨

100% worth a visit, for exploring or studying, I'd recommend getting in there early though before the crowds assend upon the library. It's like stepping into a library from Hogwarts, or more accurately put, I can see where the inspiration for a set from Harry Potter came from. Free entry, but you may need to wait in line for 10-15minutes, but don't let that put you off visiting as you will not be disappointed.

One of Manchester’s best attractions to visit. Very highly maintained building with a blend of old and new architecture. The reading rooms are beautiful and so is the library upstairs. The building is well laid out. They also offer a free talk giving you insight into the history of this place. Toilet facilities on site. Free entry. Staff are friendly too.

Absolutely stunning place, John Rylands Library is a must visit in Manchester! Part of the University of Manchester, this Gothic style library is open to the public for free. The architecture is breathtaking like stepping into a 19th century castle. Vaulted ceilings, intricate stone carvings, and dramatic lighting give it a magical, almost Hogwarts like atmosphere. The collection is equally impressive. Even if you’re not a book lover, the building alone is worth the visit. Peaceful, historic, and visually spectacular. Just remember, it’s a working library, so be respectful and keep your voice down. Perfect for fans of history, architecture, or anyone looking for a quiet escape in the heart of Manchester.

Today i visited the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England. It is a neo-Gothic building that was founded by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband, John Rylands, and opened in 1900. The building is considered one of the finest examples of neo-Gothic architecture in Europe The library is part of the University of Manchester and houses a large collection of rare books, manuscripts, and archives. The money in which the library comes from has a bit of a dark past. The Rylands' wealth was significantly linked to the transatlantic slave trade, as much of the cotton used in their mills was cultivated by enslaved people in the Americas.

Free entry and waiting time differs at what time of the day and what days you go. Friendly and approachable staff. Beautiful architecture. Exhibition is in the level 1 and reading room in level 2. Reading room has religion, history and geography books and Level 3 has research rooms to study the books which require appointment. People also come here for photoshoots such as for their graduation photos. Definitely worth a visit if you are coming to Manchester.

The Theatre of Dreams. What can I say, I was blessed to witness MANU vs Arsenal on 17th August 2025 in this iconic stadium, steeped in history. The atmosphere buzzes way before the kick-off. The vibe is unbeatable. Although MANU lost, it was truly a blessed moment for me coming from the other side of the globe. Old Trafford is an incredible pilgrimage for anyone who watches sports.

Going to a Manchester United game as a New York football fan was a dream come true. We stayed at the adjoining Football Hotel with an amazing view of Old Trafford. On game day, we had the Red Cafe Hospitality package and enjoyed a three-course meal before the game. The first course was a delicious and creamy soup. Next, I had the pork belly with mashed potatoes, which was astounding. Lastly, we had chocolate and fruit. While enjoying our meal we were charmed by ex-Manchester United players telling us stories of their playing days. The staff were so nice and friendly. Our seats were padded and comfortable at the Stretford end of the field. United won 2-0 and wett returned to the Red Cafe and enjoyed a drink and a wonderful meat pie. I will definitely be back. What a great time.

Visiting Old Trafford is truly a worthwhile experience. You’ll have the chance to explore the main functional areas of the stadium, learn about the rich history of the club, and visit the traditional trophy room. It’s an unforgettable tour for any football fan and a must-visit destination for anyone interested in the legacy of Manchester United.

The theater of dreams! A show! one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, you can breathe the English atmosphere, the passion for Man Utd and The magic of the Premier League! Incredible experience

My wife & I visited here in Nov 2022 the day prior to my surgery at the Spire. Awesome day & great to see my favourite teams stadium even though they have gone down hill. Either was good & would recommend. 👌

Visited Old Trafford for my first ever matchday experience, a 1-0 loss to Everton, and despite the result it was an unforgettable day. I’d been before for a stadium tour, but you really don’t appreciate the sheer size, atmosphere, and beauty of the place until you’re actually in the stands surrounded by thousands of supporters. There really isn’t a bad view anywhere in the stadium. The seating space was decent, and even from my spot I could take in the pitch and the scale of the ground without any obstruction. The atmosphere, chants, and energy of the crowd were something special, the overall experience was definitely better than the performance from the players that day. A must visit for any football fan, and I’m already looking forward to coming back for another match, hopefully with a better result next time.

Old Trafford. Full of history and atmosphere. One of the great football grounds. The security on entry to matches is slow. Arrive early on match day to get through the checks.

Great place for a family day out! Had a lovely experience at this place. The whole area is very clean and well maintained. The small zoo was a pleasant surprise, free and perfect for kids to enjoy. There's a large, impressive playground with plenty of activities to keep children entertained for hours. Parking was £4.50 for the whole day on the weekend. Overall, it’s a peaceful, fun, and family-friendly place to spend the day.

Beautiful park with many free things to offer. The mini zoo inside is a pleasant surprise with a variety of animals more to offer than most farms I have been to and it’s free. Open spaces with beautiful garden centre with plants to see a lovely little cafe with little stalls, plenty of clean toilets spotted around the area near the park as well as near the cafe area, definitely well kept and a breath of fresh air. The open spaces and park is just amazing with alot to offer children of all ages. Not many places have free things to offer and this had a good mix. There are two ice cream vans with affordable but delicious ice creams as well cold drinks. The zoo closes around 4:30 and the cafe at 5:00 so ensure you don’t miss out and go within the times of possible. The Thomas ride on is £3 per person and flags for £1 lovely little feature if you don’t fancy walking but want to see the park. Car park is pay and display and disabled spaces getting 3 hours for free.

Was fortunate to be able to have a wander around the hall as part of Heritage Open Days. The lady from the Friends group was extremely helpful and the group have done an excellent job with the house. It was built in the 1830's by the Greenall family, of brewing fame. Hopefully that work will continue so that it can continue to develop and be opened up more often for the public. It's now owned by the Council who have developed the grounds with a children's zoo and play area, as well as a cafe and plenty of local walks.

Recently checked this place out. It's great for families. You have a big children's play area. A children's zoo which is more like a farm with farm animals to visit. You also have a jungle Parc, crazy golf for children and normal golf course for adults. Cycle museum which I think you got to book to visit. You have Walton hall and gardens, a pond to view and there is also toilets and a cafe on the premises. Ideal place for a local day out with the family. Opens 8am until 8pm Current parking costs for cars Mon to Fri = £3.50 decent size carpark. Sat to Sun (bank holidays) =£4.50

Lovely day put for kids. Cute little zoo and play area. Gorgeous formal gardens. Parking wasa a challenge as was packed but managed to fund somewhere in the end. On way out went for a walk down the canal which was lovely.

Gorgeous park with a little animal area, really good sized play park for children with two separate areas for different ages. The food is gorgeous in the stables cafe area too. Nice visit.

Must say a hidden gem park with an amazing mini zoo (and it's included with the car parking which was £4.50 for the day). Very neatly maintained and loads of spaces to explore within the park. Will recommend getting some snacks & coffee from outside although there's a cafe in the park but a bit expensive (£4-6 for a coffee/hot choc). Overall it's a fun park with kids around.

We went with three kids 1, 3 and 7. They all thought it was great. The newer areas like Oz are well kept but some of the other areas just need a lick of paint and a tidy up. We saw a lot of rubbish and uncleaned parts of the park (picture of the lake). Every member of the young staff team were great, couldn’t be faulted. The rides are fine for that age, although most had a decent queue of 20 mins to 45 mins. We stayed in the lodge accommodation which was fine, don’t expect anything exceptional (the price reflects that). The safari lodges were chip board throughout with no doors separating the rooms and the shower filled up within seconds so your wash will be quite rushed. With that said as adults we saw both negatives and positives. The kids only saw the positives. If your going for a day or two with an overnight stay it serves the purpose.

We went on and SEN day where the park was quiet and both ourselves and our two little boys really enjoyed it. Weather wasn't great but we were still able to use all the rides, staff appeared to be more understanding of everyone's situations and if there was no queue they allowed us to stay on the ride for another turn which saved the hassle of having to get the kids off the ride to then put them back on after walking back to the entrance. Park is showing its age and could do with a general clean and update, but still a really fun day

Wow what an evening. We went as a large family group last night to the Land of Lights in Gulliver's World. This was our first time to this kind of event and we were not disappointed at all. The whole experience was truly spectacular. The lights were fantastic, the food great. We had pizzas all round nd the kids really enjoyed the witch ice-cream tubs, while the adults went for the delicious hot chocolate. All the staff were really friendly and helpful including all those on fire out duty for roasting the marshmallows . Along with I think it was Pete and Amanda who were really friendly and exceptional in their service 😁. I would highly recommend this if you have never been. We will definitely be back and watch out for further events at Gullivers.

This is a really fun theme park for the kids. I think the ages they are aiming at are probably between 6-10 but they still have some rides for the older kids too. Some rides are very popular & the wait time can be up to 30+ minutes but when I went it was Bank Holiday Sunday so was bound to be busy. My daughter is 14 & although some rides are for little kids they still had a few aimed at older kids such as the rollercoaster & drop ride which were really fun. We will definitely return & take my niece again when she's a bit older.

We went bank holiday Monday for my son’s birthday, paid £122, for 4 people we managed to get on 4 rides. Then over £100 extra inside the grounds, Really disappointed, most rides were 2 hour queing times. it wasn’t even they were really packed the problem was they had 1 person loading the rides, that same person would then have to strap each person in so the safety checks then set the ride in motion, then stop the ride unload the ride then reload the ride, the big rollercoaster only had 1 carriage running. Considering it was a bank holiday they should have had more staff working, knowing the weather was hot and it would be busy. The place is card only the internet went down couldn’t buy drinks ice cream nothing for like 40minutes. When we finally got round to getting drinks got through the massive ques there were no bottled pop left no bottled water. We went in the restaurant at the main entrance for lunch, the food was served quite quickly, but while eating lunch the power tripped like 7 times. I have made a formal complaint said I would hear from them within 7 days, I’m still waiting 2 weeks later 🙈 would we visit here again No, and we’re local only around 20minutes away, we normally do the eat sleep play and have been to Milton keys and Sheffield and Yorkshire. Never had any problems like we had in Warrington, I don’t think we will visit here again.

I took my 4 year old grandson and 2 year old granddaughter my grandson couldn't go on any rides with out an adult as it would mean leaving my granddaughter alone my grandson was so up set. The only saving grace is that the santa trip was excellent its truly worth it my grandchildren really enjoyed this part of the day, just wish you didn't have to pay full price if you can't use the rides. Also if your planing to go take another adult with you so your little ones don't feel left out. I must give a shout out to the young man on the merry go round he seen how up set the babies were and let them stay on for an extra go he is a great asset to the gullivers team.

It was our granddaughters birthday and we went along to the park with her. It turned out to be a great day out. There are tons of rides for younger children and lots of parks to play in with picnic area's nearby so you can eat while the kids play. There isn't very much for older children to ride on, so it's limited in that respect. But if you have younger children, it's great value for money and you can easily spend all day there and just about see it all.

Museum not open on Monday or Tuesday, so just walked around the grounds which were lovely. Stopped at the cafe for tea and cake which was lovely. Lots of places to enjoy a picnic. Need to pay for parking.

Lovely grounds to walk around. Clean toilets at the hall and a lovely brew at the rotunda by the car park. Only down side.. Reflection pond was empty at the time we visited

A beautiful historic house and art gallery, set in a really nice park with a wonderful garden. I particularly liked the chapel, long gallery and the Victorian kitchen.

Expectations exceeded. It's a forest, magnificent gardens, a stately home, a museum and an art gallery all in one. Even the coffee was good. All the staff were friendly and knowledgeable.

What a lovely place! Beautiful, well tended grounds, and a stunning, newly renovated stately home to look around. Sleepy ducks round a pond and fountain, wonderful flowers and ancient trees. A very nice cafe. Despite being a weekday when we visited, it was pretty busy, and we were lucky to find a parking space. Parking was cheap though, as was entry to the hall and museum.. cheap for me, and free for my student companions. My ticket is also valid for the whole year, should I wish to return, which I certainly will. Definitely worth a visit if history, nature and beautiful houses are your thing.

Excellent place. Ticket price is £5.50 for an annual pass, so can visit as many times as you want in a year. Staff welcoming, friendly, knowledgeable and informative. Lots of 'behind the walls' secret panels that were highlighted, along with information and historical stories. Great cafe in the grounds with a good assortment of food and drinks at a reasonable price. Nice outside grass and garden areas too. Great afternoon spent here

Amazing place my 4 grandchildren loved it I even got thanks of afterwards they found all the 19 mice

A great green open space and nature reserve for birds (no dogs allowed to protect ground nesting). Good set up where you can get a bite to eat and relax inside or out. The play area was a bit disappointing for the kids as it was under construction/refurb, but in fairness it looks like they're making a good job to make it better for the future.

We had a great time at the superhero event. My children are 18 months, 6 and 7 and they all joined in the fun! From mud throwing to den building, we were all entertained for a good 2 hours! The staff and volunteers were so friendly and great with the children. Thank you!

A lovely place to go visit with family, friends or just yourself. I usually walk all the way to Brockholes from the Preston city centre but even if the walk is long, the scenery makes up for it. A lot of greenery and amazing nature at Brockholes. A chance for you to bask in the nature and atmosphere and see the views. Definitely a must visit!

Had a lovely walk around Brockholes nature reserve. The weather was very pleasant nice sunny autumn day. Topped off with a coffee and ice cream. The car park has gone up to £6 which doesn't seem bad for all day parking but steep if your only there for a couple of hours. This makes people like cyclist park on the roadside so they don't gave to pay. The café is closed Mon, Tue, Wed now. Since we have been going the shop and plant stall have gone. The ice cream cafe has closed. You can get a coffee from the visitors centre out of a flask but the quality is poor and they charge £2.50 a cup. I know it's volunteer led, I know there is a cost to everything but if you don't provide facilities people won't bother going.

Ample parking, a great cafe and lots of well surfaced paths. Plenty of birds to see & photograph. The floating village is an amazing construction too.

If you love nature or bird watching you will love this place. Great for walking or picnic. Little shops there with local crafts, something to eat . Grab a coffe and enjoy the nature :)

It's nice enough here. Well kept, good walking paths, nice cafe and visitor village. We did see a few unusual birds, some butterflies and damsel flies. The walk through the trees is lovely, like an enchanted tunnel. What did spoil it for me though, was the overwhelming traffic noise, with the site being right next to the motorway. It made the walks far less peaceful than they should have been, and made it difficult to use the bird identification app that I often use on walks. The pollution from the traffic isn't great either. That said, it's free entry, though you do have to pay for the car park, which was fairly pricey at £6 for a few hours. I'd suggest a visit if it's nearby to you, but I wouldn't travel too far or you might be disappointed.

Absolutely brilliant! What a wonderful experience and to be able to get up so close to these beautiful animals. We bought the owl experience for my brothers birthday and he loved it! He couldn't stop smiling! All the volunteers are very knowledge, friendly and passionate about the birds and the sanctuary. I love the fact it's not commercialised. Its all about the birds and creating a safe and natural environment for visitors to enjoy too. Thank you for having us and allowing us to take photographs of a very memorable day.

Great sanctuary to see owls and bird of prey up close. The volunteer guides were informative and friendly, and all guests can experience handling some birds during the flight display show. Highly recommended place to visit and hope to get another chance to come again! =^^=

We found this place while looking for something to do on our journey back to north wales from the lake district. What an absolute gem of a place. It's £12 entry you get to see the various birds in the aviaries. There is also a flying display in the price at no extra cost. The display was absolutely fantastic finding out about the individual birds you also get the birds flying to your hand also. This place isn't a big company owned place. It's run by volunteers. All the money they receive goes to the care and feeding of the birds. I would highly recommend this place if your in the area.

Great little place. All volunteers which you can tell really love the birds they look after. The show was really good and got to hold one. No show will be the same because the birds will only do what they want to do, which is great they are not forced to do anything.

What a lovely little place. It's run by volunteers who are lovely. There is an array of owls and some birds of prey. It is £12 to get in and they also have consessions. It opens at 11am (ish) and closes at 2pm. From 1230pm to 2pm there is a flying display. This is very informative and you get to fly the birds. You can get a drink, hot or cold and snacks but there is not a cafe as such. I must reiterate just how nice the volunteers are. Will definitely go back again.

What a little gem, just under 30 minutes from home! We spent around 3 hours here and the time absolutely flew by. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and you can really feel how much they care for the birds. The flying display was a highlight: not only spectacular to watch, but also full of interesting facts that we learned along the way. The sanctuary is run entirely by volunteers, so every penny goes directly towards the care and upkeep of the birds. They do take card payments, but if you can, bring some cash along as it helps them avoid card fees and means more support goes straight to the upkeep of the sanctuary. We also got a great local tip for lunch afterwards at The Farmers Arms, just a few minutes away, which rounded off the day perfectly. Highly recommend a visit - we’ll definitely be back!

This place was absolutely fantastic!! Such a special day. I came with my family and immediately the staff are super friendly and helpful, they all clearly have lots of passion for the birds they care for. the displays are wonderful, you get a good view of the birds and get to see them up close. All the birds have educational signs posted to their enclosures about the species and conservational status so it's super great to teach children too. There are many birds to see, along with a small park to roam in and you can make a day out of it with a picnic. The best part by far were the Owl showings. It's an intimate little gathering where the volunteers show the owls up close, out of enclosure, and even give you the oppurtunity to hold and feed them. This is of course, only if the owls feel up to it, which is my favourite part about it, as it puts my mind at ease knowing the best interest is in the animals rather than the audiences entertainment. The Owls were super friendly and playful the day I went, and so were the volunteers, who really just have so much love for these birds, and make sure that each and every member of the audience get to participate fully. All this for a relatively cheap price considering the experience, can't recall the exact amount but it was worth every penny!! Aboslutely recommend for anyone who loves birds, animals or has kids with a passion for learning and nature