Dudley Zoo and Castle — Attraction in Dudley

First time going back to Dudley Zoo since going as a child, The place is amazing, so many amazing animals to see, so much to do and explore, The staff there are first class and are always willing to help with whatever you need!...I would recommend taking your own food/ packed lunches as there's so many places to sit and enjoy a picnic especially on the castle grounds and there's tables and seating all over the place the other reason i recommend taking your own food and drinks is because the food sold at the cafe's and so forth is so expensive for what you get ( almost a £5 for a cheese sandwich) the small bottle of coke at places cost £2.30 (you get the idea) so taking food and drinks is what we personally will do from now on. The "funfair" i wouldn't really bother again expensive for what you get and whats there (£1 a ticket and most rides are two tickets per ride) and it seems not many people/ kids use it, well not when we was there!..But minus that it's a brilliant day or days out yes i say day's out as we never got round the whole place as we was taking our time taking photos and enjoying ourselves so much that we decided we would get the membership to the zoo which was super cheap and would also recommend looking into that as it means you can go back as many time's as you wish for a whole year and we do plan on going back many time! The place is very hilly and steep at places so do keep that in mind, I also did notice they have mobility scooters so maybe it's worth ringing and asking about hiring is possible and if needed! Wide range of animals from birds to tigers and lions, also a petting zoo for the kids to get up close..I added a few photos from many i have taken (and will be taking many more) The membership is fantastic as i now call it my get fit card as there's a lot of walking involved but that's not a bad thing at all! It has it's busy times and busier areas but the kids would love it as would the...

I had a wonderful time visiting Dudley Zoo and Castle with my mum today. The range of animals to see was so varied and wide ranging.

Our favorites were definitely seeing the tigers so up close, even if the enclosure felt too small for two large big cats. The otters, flamingos, meerkats, red pandas and Capuchin monkeys were charming to watch. The information boards, although they are designed for kids gave us information that surprised us.

The cafe is a tad expensive with cappuccino costing £3.10 each and a small portion of chips were £3.50 but we felt obliged to buy some food from there because they don't like you bringing in picnic food. It was a cold day today so it would've been nice to have felt like we could still eat food that we bought with us.

The major problem we found with today's visit was that we couldn't really view the lion enclosure properly because of where it's situated, behind a listed building. I know we can't choose where the lions were sitting but it would've been nice to have more vantage points so we could get some photos of the lions. It's definitely a place that's worth a visit during the summer season as there weren't many animals outside. Luckily you can still see that vast majority of the animals inside their shelters.

A discounted price during the winter months may be a nice idea. The castle critters area was closed as were all the drinks stalls, and other attractions such as the fairground area and booths. Considering a lot of the animals were inside and the other closures of certain animal enclosures it may be worth a wait before paying the £17.70 until the summer months where it can all be enjoyed to it's fullest extent.

Staff were all friendly and obliging and the gift shop prices were actually not too bad. If you're in the area and want somewhere to visit to look at exotic animals, Dudley zoo is...

Wonderful explorable Norman castle and grounds. This was my first visit, on a winters afternoon. There was not much going on, I assume there are more activities in the summer months, the castle really is beautiful but I feel a lot more could be done with it as there is not a lot of it that is accessible. There were several fallen ladders and building equipment that looks abandoned around the castle, which probably should have been cleared up before allowing visitors on site. Other than that, the castle is lovely, inside parts of the castle is a short historical tour and examples of what animals would’ve been seen within the castle, including bats.

The zoo itself: The animals look very well looked after, and there is a large variety of them. The zoo map is messy with no clear route through the zoo to ensure you do not miss any animals. There are multiple restrooms around the zoo which is great and a restaurant/cafe which serves hot food and drinks. There are also a number of play areas for children too.

The zoo’s buildings look extremely run down and are in desperate need of attention. On my visit, there was a tannoy announcement every 15 minutes from 2:30 - 3pm onwards stating that the gift shop will be closing early and the zoo shortly afterwards despite latest entry being at 2:30pm and stating that the closing time is 4:30pm. This lead to a mad rush of guests into the gift shop which I can only describe as chaotic!

To explore the whole castle and zoo I would say takes around 3-4 hours. As the castle and majority of the zoo is up a large hill, there is a zoo train which can take guests up and down. Parking is close by, although there are currently road works in the area so navigation apps will not direct you to the correct parking entrance and there are no signs guiding you from the blocked entrance to the...