No E-Coli Here! (Birmingham Nature Centre)

Member Name: CheekyCharlie08

Product:	Birmingham Nature Centre
Date:	22/09/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good location; Wicked selection of animals; Good cafe

Disadvantages: Bins shaped like animals isn't a good idea in a kids attraction

The Nature Centre is a wicked place to take the kids and it's safer than a lot of petting zoos because the animals are mostly in cages and special fenced off areas so there's not much chance of copping E-Coli here!

There are loads of animals to see and a nice cafe and soft play area for the little kids. My favourites are the red pandas even though they're usually in the tree and you have to squint to see them unless it's feeding time and then you've never seen an animal move so quick!

There are owls and other birds as you go in and my little sister loves standing watching them because she prefers birds to animals but I'm not keen on that bit of the Nature Centre because the cages don't look big enough for them to stretch their wings in. The cages aren't tiny but I reckon owls are such big birds that they should have more room than they've got here.

You walk through the Nature Centre through a set of paths and they're all signposted so that you don't miss what you're looking for. There's a reptile house and a place that is full of spiders and scorpions in glass vivariums. I HATE stuff like that but always end up having to take my sister in and then I have to keep looking away from the massive tarantula in there because it makes my skin crawl the way it tries to climb up the glass. The snakes are cool though but they always seem to be asleep when we go.

There's goats in there as well and they roam round the field at the back of the Nature Centre. You used to be able to go and touch them but I think they're fenced off now and they weren't out last time we went. There's some sheep as well but they don't really do anything and run off when you get near them so I don't see the point of them being there.

There used to be a beaver and an otter there as well but I don't know if they're still there because we missed that path when we went last week. Actually I don't know if they've ever been there because you can never see them because they're always in the water! I reckon the Nature Centre has been conning us for years and it's just a load of dirty water where they should be!

There's a little gift shop when you come out but there's not much in there and even though it's ok for pocket money toys not much of it is about the Nature Centre and is just pencils and rubbers with pictures of foxes and stuff on them. The cafe is ok and you can get a cup of coffee and a sausage roll or sandwich for quite a cheap price. One bad thing is that the bins in the Nature Centre are shaped and coloured like frogs and other cute animals and that's a bad idea because little kids then want to go to the bins and play with them.

It only costs about £2.00 to get into the Nature Centre and that's a wicked price because if you take a picnic you can spend all day in here. Next door is the massive Cannon Hill park that has got a lake and loads of grass and a kids play area. We usually park the car at the park and walk through to the Nature Centre then back to the park for an hour to have a walk round and let my sisters play for a bit.

Summary: A Wicked Day Out In Birmingham That Costs Next To Nothing