I do love a family day out. It beats a romantic meal for two or a night out anytime! I love seeing the kids having fun and experiencing new things. So this weekend we headed off for West Midlands Safari Park. It was a particularly exciting day because I was also meeting up with the lovely ladies behind
The Crazy Kitchen and
The Boy and Me!
The award winning West Midlands Safari Park is in Bewdley. It boasts a 4 mile long, 100 acre drive through safari where you can get up close and personal with a host of wild animals. It also has a funfair with 26 rides and attractions, a Discovery Trail and the new walk through Lemur Woods.
There are cafes, kiosks and shops that cater for all your needs while you are there. There are also picnic benches and plenty of grassy spots for relaxing.
When we arrived we went through the drive through admissions' booth for our tickets which was really efficient. Adult admission is £13.99, children cost £11.99 and under 3's are free. Each paid for ticket includes a free return ticket for another visit making it excellent value for money! You can also buy animal food to feed the deer and antelopes. Once you have driven through the gates you are free to enter the safari or park up and go into the rest of the exhibits. We headed for the drive through safari.
 |
| Drive through admissions booth |
 |
| Animal food at the ready! |
The drive through takes approximately one and a quarter hours, but during busy times this can take a lot longer. A rogue giraffe in the middle of the road can slow down proceedings considerably!
You can come face to face with some of the world's most amazing animals in the open enclosures. Some come right up to your car looking for food, others brazenly walk down the middle of the road with no regard for the cars! The kids absolutely loved seeing the animals in such close quarters.
After our encounter with the animals we parked up and entered the Lost City Plaza. The arcade is full of shops and places to grab some food. It leads into the Discovery Trail where you can experience a variety of talks, encounters and shows. We saw a Reptile Encounter featuring some very large snakes!
We went to the Explorers cafe for lunch. The hot food was a bit school dinnery and the choice was limited for us as vegetarians, but it was OK. When I go again, I think I'll bring food from home because there are a lot of nice spots to sit on the grass for a picnic, and the car park is close enough so you wouldn't have to lug a picnic basket around all day.
West Midlands Safari Park includes an amusement park for which you need to purchase wristbands for unlimited rides. Individual tickets (£6 for 3) can be purchased but at £10.99 for children and £11.50 for adults, the wristbands are better value for money if you are going to hit the rides in a big way. Our kids did just that! The price of the rides does make the day a lot more expensive, especially if buying for all the family.
There are 26 rides and attractions and the queues were quite short meaning our children really made the most of their wrist bands. With rides for all ages including flumes, dodgems and roller coasters there is something to suit all levels of adrenaline junkie!
 |
| Pirate Ship |
 |
| Swings |
 |
| Rhino Coaster |
It would have been nice if there were some rides for toddlers that were free to use. A wristband for tiny tots costs £7.99. My son had one go on a ride before bursting into tears and refusing to go on any more. Toddlers are temperamental little creatures and their behaviour can be unpredictable. £7.99 is a lot of money to lose if your child doesn't want to go on the rides. As under threes get into the zoo for free, maybe they should get a few rides for free too.
 |
| Help Me Mummy! |
We spent a whole day at West Midlands Safari Park. The kids had a fabulous time and Kizzy certainly had good value from her wristband. The return ticket is a really nice touch and we're planning a return visit later in the year.
For more details visit
www.wmsp.co.uk. You can also book tickets online and save £1 per ticket!
*I received 2 adult admission tickets in order to do this review.*
