Bristol Zoo Gardens, Bristol

Bristol Zoo in Bristol is a very conservation-aware zoo. As such it mainly has animals which are endangered, such as gorillas and lions. It does not have the sorts of popular animals which usually attract visitors such as elephants, rhinos and giraffes. This, however, does not take away from the attraction of the zoo, it is still a great place to take kids. The zoo is buggy friendly with lots of flat pathways, there are also plenty of places to eat and drink at the zoo including a number of picnic areas and there are lots of toilets and baby changing areas.

We had a lovely day at the zoo, weather was good and there was plenty to keep the kids occupied. They enjoyed the penguins (you can go through a tunnel and see them swimming) and the bug world (though not all children would like the creepy crawlies!) and of course the adventure playground. We also had fun doing the Zoolympics where you can see how fast you can run, how far you can jump etc. and compare your results to the animals. We finished off doing colourings and making badges in the activity centre. There is a small charge for these activities but they have a lot of fun and come away with something to take home. A fun day out for all the family!

You need a whole day for a trip to this zoo, there is so much to see and do. After looking at the meer cats and red panda we went inside the bat house and then on to the reptiles. This takes you round to the café where we stopped for a drink. There are some great 20p ride on toys here which the children loved. We then went back outside to watch a live show on the green, on the day we went it was birds of prey. We also took this opportunity to eat our sandwiches. Then my son spotted the play area and that was it. He didn’t want to leave at all but eventually I managed to drag him away to see the penguins and monkeys. A brilliant day out, would highly recommend.