Best wildlife parks, zoos, and farms in Staffordshire

In the school holidays, you may find yourself searching: “safari park near me”. If you’re in Staffordshire, you’ll be met with a wide array of safari and wildlife parks, zoos, and farm experiences. 

Overall, there are 24 wildlife parks and zoos to choose from – which is a significant amount! Each provides a fun and educational day out for the whole family. 

Staffordshire wildlife offerings range from exotic animal enclosures to up close and personal petting farms. To narrow down your choices, we’ve selected the top seven animal parks found in the county. 

The 7 best wildlife and zoos in Staffordshire 

If you’re looking for a family day out in Staffordshire, one of your best options is to pick from the county’s extensive zoo and wildlife adventure parks. Here are the best seven: 

Peak Wildlife Park 

Location: Little Paradise Farm, Winkhill, Leek, ST13 7QR, Staffordshire, UK

Opening times: Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 6.00pm 

Starting with the most fascinating zoo experience in Staffordshire, this animal park provides visitors with a look at exotic animals in purpose-built recreations of natural habits and environments. The staff at Peak Wildlife Park are dedicated to making the animals feel right at home, providing visitors with an authentic safari experience. 

Formerly known as Blackbrook Zoological Park, this enclosure is home to animals from three continents. To name a few, you can walk through enclosures populated by lemurs, wallabies, penguins, meerkats, polar bears, and continental giant rabbits. 

Peak Wildlife Park is home to the widest array of interesting and unique species in the whole of the county. Recently, the park welcomed red pandas, an endangered species native to China. The park is also home to a rare maneless zebra, which was born in the park in June 2024. 

When you’re not getting to know the zoo’s furry residents, you can dine at the onsite picnic area. Alternatively, onsite catering is available at Peak Cafe, which serves paninis and pizzas. 

Trentham Monkey Forest 

Location: Trentham Estate, Stone Rd, Tittensor, Stoke-on-Trent ST12 9HR

Opening times: Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm 

If you’re looking for zoos close to Stoke-on-Trent, look no further than Trentham Monkey Forest. Like Peak Wildlife, this park creates natural surroundings for its monkey residents. 

The 140 free-roaming Barbary monkeys are allowed to explore their 60-acre woodland enclosure as they please. They can climb the huge trees that tower above the park or climb down and meet the human guests as they walk along the ¾ mile path. 

Visitors can observe the natural behaviours of the monkeys from a distance as they play and interact with one another. 

This unique experience is not only for the public’s enjoyment but the park is also dedicated to the conservation of the Barbary species, which are currently considered to be one of the most endangered species in the world. Native to North Africa, there are estimated to only be between 1,500 and 3,500 left in Algeria and around 9,000 in Morocco. 

In addition to the enclosure, Trentham Monkey Forest also features the Jungle Shop and the Banana Cafe. 

Drayton Manor Zoo 

Location: Drayton Manor Dr, Fazeley, Mile Oak, Tamworth B78 3TW

Opening times: Monday – Friday, 10.30am – 4.30pm. Saturday – Sunday, 10.30am – 5.00pm. 

Better known for the theme park, Drayton Manor also has an onsite zoo full of meerkats, parrots, birds of prey, reptiles, and insects. Right in the middle of the resort, you can find 15 acres of dedicated zoo enclosures, exhibitions, and conservation areas. A total of 500 species call Drayton Manor Zoo their home. 

If you’d like to learn a little more about a specific animal, you can book a dedicated zoo experience. This allows you to get up close and personal with carnivores and primates, pet and even feed them! 

There’s also a Zookeeper Experience option, which allows visitors to take part in the daily care of the animals, work in the cleaning enclosures, and prepare meals for feeding time. 

National Forest Adventure Farm

Address: Postern Rd, Tatenhill, Burton-on-Trent DE13 9SJ

Opening Times: Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm 

There’s so much to do at National Forest Adventure Farm, from mazes and inflatable slides to go-karts and farm animals. As you wander around the paddocks, you can say hello to dexter cows, boar goats, shetland ponies, donkeys, reindeer, chickens, and alpacas. 

There’s also an animal barn where guests can meet pigs, pygmy goats, and chinchillas. In the spring, visitors can feed the new baby lambs. On top of daily animal demonstrations, visitors can also hop on a tractor and experience the park from a farmer’s point of view. 

Once you’ve met all the animals and explored the National Forest’s maize mazes, you can grab lunch at the Farmhouse Kitchen and dessert at Crumpet’s Ice Cream Parlour. 

Amerton Farm 

Address: Stowe by Chartley, Stafford, Staffordshire ST18 0LA

Opening times: Monday – Sunday, 9.30am – 4.30pm 

At Amerton Farm, you can shop for fresh produce at the Food Hall, let your kids play in Billy’s Farm Barn soft play area, and learn a thing or two about farm animals at Billy’s Animal Farm Barn. 

The Animal Barn is home to pigs, cows, horses, ponies, sheep, chickens, alpacas, ducks, and chickens. The barn has an extensive activity timetable that changes depending on the season. Popular activities include chick hatching, lamb bottle feeding, calf bottle feeding, meet the rabbits, and horse grooming. 

For those wishing to learn more about the great outdoors, Amerton Farm is also home to the Be Wild Forest School. Here, guests can learn camping and survival skills that’ll prepare them for an adventure in the great outdoors. 

Afterwards, why not try Amerton Ice Cream? Made fresh with Jersey cream, the onsite Ice Cream Parlour has been serving guests since 1984. 

Kingsley Bird & Falconry Centre

Address: Banks Ln, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 2BX

Opening times: Open for booked tours only 

Kingsley Bird & Falconry Centre is home to one of the biggest birds of prey collections in the UK. Here, you can learn about and meet saker falcons, tawny owls, harris hawks, goshawks, and steppe eagles. 

Book a personal tour around the centre as a member of staff introduces you to each bird and demonstrates how to handle them. Bird-handling experiences are also available. 

The Churnet Valley scenery that surrounds the centre are not only picturesque but allows the birds to feel comfortable. 

It’s important to note that guests must book a tour at the Kingsley Bird & Falconry Centre in advance. 

Lower Drayton Farm 

Address: Lower Drayton Lane, Stafford ST19 5RE

Opening times: Monday – Thursday, 10.00am – 5.00pm. Friday, 10.00am – 7.00pm. Saturday, 10.00am – 5.00pm. Sunday, 9.00am – 5.00pm. 

Lower Drayton Farm is home to a range of farm animals, including rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, cows, eagles, owls, emus, llamas, and meerkats. The animal zones at Lower Drayton are all under cover, which makes this farm a perfect option no matter the weather!

Live demonstrations take place daily and handling experiences can booked. Aside from animals, there’s lots to see and do at Lower Drayton farm. This includes the indoor soft play area, zip wires, pedal tractors, go-karts, and inflatables. 

On-site, you’ll also find the Honeypots Cafe, which is perfect for picking up a quick drink or sitting down for a hot or cold meal. Lower Drayton Farm is expected to get bigger and better, with renovation work scheduled for 2024. 

FAQs 

Are there polar bears in Staffordshire? 

There are around 12 polar bears in the UK, two of which can be found at Peak Wildlife Park in Staffordshire. Originally there were three polar bears – a mother and two children. However, the mother, whose name is Hope, recently moved to Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk. Her twin cubs, Noori and Nanook, still live in Staffordshire. 

How long does it take to walk around Peak Wildlife Park? 

It’s possible to spend most of the afternoon at Peak Wildlife Park. However, for those who are short on time, it should only take you around an hour and a half to make it around all of the main features of the park while exploring at a leisurely pace. This will give you enough time to stop and admire the animals in their purpose-built enclosures. 

Is it possible to pay at the gate at Peak Wildlife Park? 

Yes, it’s possible to pay on the day of your arrival at the gate of Peak Wildlife. However, if you want to book a specific experience at the park, it may be a better idea to book in advance. You can pay using both cash and card at the main gate and throughout the park. 

How long should you spend at Trentham Monkey Forest? 

Most visitors to Trentham Monkey Forest spend between two and four hours walking around the enclosure and enjoying the onsite cafe and shopping options. Two hours will provide you with sufficient time to walk along the pathway and regularly stop to admire the monkeys.