A day feeding the Animals... (Noah's Ark Zoo Farm (Wraxall))

Member Name: ps8sjk

Product:	Noah's Ark Zoo Farm (Wraxall)
Date:	05/06/09 (189 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relaxed atmosphere and Feeding the Animals

Disadvantages: none

Noah's Ark Farm is situated between Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare - in Wraxall just 7 miles from the Centre of Bristol. It is a great place for a fun family day out. It is different to a typical zoo - it has less enclosures then Bristol Zoo but it has much more of a friendly, family feel and is much more of a hands-on experience. I loved it and would even consider buying a season ticket so I can keep going back.

One of the main attractions is being able to feed and touch the animals yourself, although you pay a small price to buy suitable food from the shop - just 50p a bag for either animal or bird feed. I would definitely recommend buying the animal feed as you can feed the llamas, camels, goats and deer amongst others. The llamas were particularly friendly! I found feeding the birds a little less exciting (mostly ducks and geese that you could actually hand-feed) so would probably just stick to the animal feed next time. Other animals in enclosures include a giraffe (they are hoping to get another one soon), bison, rhinos, zebras, ostriches, horses, donkeys, emus, tapirs, gibbons and meerkats so there is a wide range of animals to see. There is also a reptile house and a barn which had smaller animals such as lambs, rabbits, and chipmunks.

One of the best parts of the day is that the keepers often walk around with the animals, such as the llamas or lambs so you can stroke and feed them up close. They also add events throughout the day you can go to which means there is always something to do - these change depending on the time of year you go so each visit is unique. On that day they had a lamb race, a falconry display, a meerkat feeding and talk (where I fed them an egg!) and at the end of the day they put the rhinos to bed. One of the barns also has seating where they hold talks about the animals but it was such a hot day that we stayed outdoors for the day.

We also saw a tiny baby emu - who had escaped his enclosure into a bigger one with other emus and a big pig - but luckily the keeper quickly got him back! They also had a baby tapir so it was a good time of year to go.

We also had a tractor ride - it was extra for this but for just a pound each the tractor takes you on a quick 15 minute tour around the park - although it is quite bumpy so may not be suitable for everyone. You also have beautiful views of the working farm and out towards the Bristol Channel - stunning on the hot day that I visited.

There are two mazes here as well. An easy one for young children and a more complicated one (with questions) for adults and older children. It is quite a walk around this one (especially if you get some of the questions wrong!) and they recommend you leave about 45 minutes for this which was about right. Some of the fences were a bit broken where people had obviously cheated and the hedges are still growing but in time, this I am sure will be improved and it was fun - reminded me of my childhood!

The emphasis is definitely on family here. There is plenty to keep children entertained as well - many indoor and outdoor playing areas, including a rope swing and a splash pool - great on a hot day but kids will need wellies! There are many places to sit and have picnics - some undercover in case it rains. There is one café which can get busy and is quite expensive so perhaps bringing some food and drinks is wise. Although the food we had there was delicious.

There is a small gift shop which sells the usual type of items - although not many were actually branded by Noah's Ark. As it was my birthday the shop assistant (and the farmer's wife!) wrote me a birthday card which was very sweet!

There seemed to be ample parking although we arrived quite early so I imagine it could get quite busy during the summer. It is open seasonally - 10.30am to 5.00pm Monday-Fridays and a ticket for the day cost £10.50 for adults and £8.50 for children except under 2's are free and there are family deals or season tickets for those that want to visit more often, especially if you live close-by.

I definitely would go back again in the summer, it is well worth another visit since I feel each time would be unique. They are also expecting Bengal Tigers in the summer and they were completing their new enclosure while we were there so I imagine this will be very popular.

I would highly recommend this zoo park. The friendly atmosphere is a big advantage over more conventional zoos; the enclosures and environment also seem to suit the animals - who all seemed as relaxed and happy as the visitors.

Summary: Wonderful place