Recently, we were treated to a fab day out at Chester Zoo by the lovely folks at Matalan. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time catching up with some other bloggers and their kids. The boys loved every second of it, especially the giraffes who are a bit of a family favourite.
It was a big day out for the kids and they were exhausted by the time we got back in the car and slept most of the way home so I thought I’d share some tips on making the most of a day at the zoo with little ones both from myself and some experienced zoo visiting bloggers.
- Plan what you need take and pack your bags/changing bag the night before so you’re not rushing but don’t go overboard as you’ll be carrying it around all day.
- Plan you route beforehand including any feeding times you want to see so you don’t miss anything you really want to do – Andrea (All You Need is Love and Cake)
- Think about the weather and then plan for all eventualities – layers, water bottles, suntan lotion, umbrellas – in the UK you just never know!
- Arrive early so you are there when it opens and can enjoy everything before the crowds build up – Jennifer (Jennifer’s Little World)
- Double check you’ve got everything when you get out of the car as it’s always a long way back to get something later.
- If there’s something they really want to do (e.g. playground, shop, penguins, whatever) let them do it first so you can enjoy the rest of the visit without them going on about it – Sandy (Baby Baby)
- We pick the three areas we’re most keen to see: lemur enclosure, penguins and feeding the farm animals. Everything else we just let flow: if things get missed or skipped, that’s fine, so long as we get to see The Big Three – Kelly (Domestic Goddesque)
- Picnics are a good idea, food on site is often expensive and unhealthy and most zoos have nice picnic areas that you can take advantage of – Jayne (Mum’s the Word)
- Make sure you find out what the animals will eat at feeding times. Finding out that your favourite animal likes to eat cute fluffy chicks can be a bit of a shock, for adults as well as children – Rebecca (Here Come the Girls)
- Don’t let them see ANY of those little rides if you want them to pay attention to anything else and avoid a very public meltdown when he has to leave them – Jenny (Mum of One) I can empathise with that!
- If you enjoy it and think you’d like to go again, join on the day to save money – Jenny (Cheetahs in my Shoes)
Sandy Calico says
Great tips, Cat. Thanks for including mine.
Domestic Goddesque says
I’m saving this for future reference. Thanks for the mention!
Jennifer says
Some fantastic tips here, and thanks for including mine!
The Fairy and The Frog says
Lots of great tips 🙂
Amanda says
What great tips, we have a visit coming up, so I’ll make sure I give them about her read before I go. 🙂