Drayton Manor Park
near Tamworth
Staffordshire
B78 3TW
Tel: 0844 472 1950
About Drayton Manor Zoo
Drayton Manor Zoo is located in Tamworth, Staffordshire, as part of the award-winning family attraction, the 250-acre Drayton Manor Family Theme Park. It comprises an entertainment complex with thrilling rollercoasters and other rides, but the 15-acre Drayton Manor Zoo is a standout family attraction in its own right, offering a great family day out all year round (even when the adrenaline rides are closed off-season).
A ticket to Drayton Manor Family Theme Park includes Drayton Manor Zoo, and this part of a family day out is just the ticket if you’re looking for some rest and recuperation after a hard day’s thrill-seeking on the 100+ rides and attractions, or simply if you want to wind down and enjoy a lovely conservation and zoology site that has much to offer.
A family day out at Drayton Manor Zoo takes the ticket holder into the heart of one of the oldest parks in the UK, having been founded in 1949 by George Bryan as an ‘Inland Pleasure Resort’ with the motto of ‘Family Run for Family Fun’. The sentiment still applies and Drayton Manor Zoo is a family attraction with a hint of adventure as well as a providing an informative insight into the lives of the 70+ species and over 200 animals retained on site.
Exploring the fascinating world of wild animals from across the Continents, Drayton Manor Zoo boasts numerous rare and endangered species and is actively involved in breeding and conservation, with a unique Discovery Centre providing hands-on learning displays about the animals and their environment.
Among the highlights of a day out to Drayton Manor Zoo are big cats such as the tiger burning bright, reptiles like lizards and frogs, various types of exotic monkeys, feathered friends such as owls, eagles, and parrots – just the ticket for all twitchers – plus an exotic creature reserve that has spiders, strange mammals and other unusual species.
Besides the Drayton Manor Zoo itself, native fauna is represented at the family attraction by a farm and museums (where corporate banquets and other special events can also be booked), along with a Rainforest Pizzeria, Snack Stop, Peeler’s Tea Room and picnic areas. There are numerous eateries throughout the Park too, and children are catered for by animal-themed rides and play areas.
The focus of a family day out at Drayton Manor Zoo are the Animal Collections, which are grouped into Mammals (of which there are 24 species), Birds (18 species), Reptiles (24 species) and Amphibians (five species), each with dedicated sections spaced about the family attraction, with disabled access paths, viewing (including undercover platforms and screens), as well as Disabled toilet and wheelchair hire. Hence, Drayton Manor Zoo is an all-year round family attraction that everyone can enjoy – just the ticket.
The star of the big cat parade are the Tigers, which maraud their enclosures with grace and poise, despite weighing in at up to 30 stones. Feeding occurs daily and the sight of the biggest feline predator in the world getting to grips with its prey is something to behold – from a safe distance!
Always guaranteed to raise a smile on a family day out, the Chimps are another star turn at Drayton Manor Zoo, climbing on their frames and running amok, they play to the crowd and do everything but hold their own tea party! One of the most sociable of all the primates, the chimps interact with visitors in a special way, and their feeding time is also a highlight of a family day out at Drayton Manor Zoo.
Another crowd-pleaser, especially when begging for fish, are the Californian sealions, joined in their water world by waddling, comical penguins, both of which are as elegant in the drink as they are relatively cumbersome out of it. The two species vie for attention and play up to their keepers’ promptings, enlivening an already fun family day out.
Among the cutest of the animal exhibits on show for the ticket holder to Drayton Manor Zoo are meerkats housed in their very own Meerkat Manor, the various breeds of scurrying and ever watchful monkeys in their monkey house enclosure, and breeds of quite adorable owls, which nestle in their aviaries without a care in the world.
The feeling will rub off at Drayton Manor Zoo, its coffee shop, Zoo shop and garden centre adding to the therapeutic value of rubbing shoulders with calming animals on a family day out. There’s also a restaurant with reassuring open food preparation and a nursery with a viewing area, affording a relaxing family day out. Winner of Group Leisure’s Best UK Attraction for Children in 2004 and 2005 and the Heart of England Tourism’s Gold Award for Visitor Attraction of the Year 2005, Drayton Manor Park and its zoo make for a family attraction with a host of gold stars.
Another plus is the array of exotic sights to behold at Drayton Manor Zoo, thanks in no small part to the Small Mammal House, with its rodents and burrowing critters, the Reptile House, with one of the largest collections of snakes in Britain, and the colourful Parrot Walk, with its talkative and quite flappable feathered denizens. Their forebears are also re-created in the Dinosaurland zone, while an exotic creature reserve houses survivors of bygone eras.
Native breeds of animal are additionally featured in the family attraction with a separate Farm area showcasing a selection of rare breeds of domestic farm animals, from sheep to cattle and pigs, not to mention a separate enclosure with birds of prey, including British species.
It all adds up to 15 acres of Animal Magic and, with disabled access throughout, as well as free parking, Drayton Manor Zoo is a captivating family attraction that everyone can enjoy. Whether visited as part of a ticket to Drayton Manor Family Theme Park or as a family day out in its own right, a trip to Drayton Manor Zoo offers great entertainment.