On our recent visit to Scarborough we took the opportunity whilst in the area to visit Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo, its been a good few years since we last visited and to be honest I don’t even think Amelia was born the last time we were there.
Flamingo Land, situated between York and the East coast, opened in 1959 as a stand alone zoo. However, by the 1970’s amusement rides were a permanent feature which made it the first park in Europe to combine both zoo and attractions in one location. I can remember visiting as a child myself so it holds special memories and I love that every year there is something new to keep people coming back.
On arrival at the park we were greeted by two of the pirate mascots who taught the girls how to flap like parrots and give a hearty pirate shout! We didn’t manage to get to the pirate show but loved looking around all of the ships and decor – the costumed pirates certainly earned their wages as they were on full form all day throughout the park!
We headed off in the direction of what I was sure would be my favourite section of the park – Dino Stone Park! I’m not even sure I have mentioned it before but I am obsessed with Jurassic Park, its my go to movie when I can’t find anything to watch and the whole concept of a Jurassic island fills me with excitement instead of fear! Needless to say i bought myself a notebook, pen and pencil with little dino toppers – seriously I don’t know which addiction is worse, the dino one or stationery!
We managed to drag my sister (who is afraid of heights!) onto the wagon wheel and have to admit that it was a little funny watching her nervously laugh and turn a funny shade as we got higher and higher!
There were a lot of rides we couldn’t go on what with Amelia being such a shorty – she was only a couple of inches under the line but I was glad to see that the staff stuck to the rules and declined her admittance. I am always worried when people bend the rules, especially on something as dangerous as rides.
However there was plenty for us to do as there were lots of the smaller kiddie rides including a carousel, mini teacups, flying aeroplanes etc. Plus she loved the animated rides, the Haunted house was one of her favourites as she got to snuggle up to me in a car that took us all around the inside of a manor house filled with friendly ghosts and characters.
The most recent addition is the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground, Secret Treehouse and Lily Bobtail’s Nature Discovery area. This was one of the main reasons for visiting for us as Amelia is a huge Peter and Lily fan, she has the dress up costumes, toys, movies and it was her dream to meet them one day.
Lunch as always was inside the American Diner – can you even go to Flamingo Land if you don’t eat there?! I opted for the Philly Dog and loved every bite! I was was surprised that the kids hot dogs were the same size as the adults as there was no way the girls could eat a whole one each but they did give it their best effort after working up an appetite around the park!
We arrived early morning which gave us enough time to have a look around the zoo and park before heading over to see Peter and Lily live at the Mansion House & Tea Rooms with lots of other excited little ones.
By this point the sun had come out and everyone was in a great mood and considering queues were quickly worked through we were pleasantly surprised with the amount of time they gave to each child. Nothing felt rushed and both Lily and Peter were more than happy to pose for photographs.
The zoo was probably one of the girls favourite parts and with it being quite a compact area you can do it all in a relatively short period of time. We loved walking through the wallaby enclosure and seeing them up close with no cages or bars, they were friendly enough to not chase or run either which was great for the kids to learn more up close. The penguins were, as always, a favourite no matter where we go – they are such characters and the girls loved watching them jump from the rocks and swim.
One of my favourite parts of the day was feeding the Rainbow Lorikeets, not only were these little birds beautiful but if you held out a tub of nectar they would come down and eat it! This of course freaked out Evie but Amelia was straight in there and couldn’t wait to feed them. Thankfully there was no huge rush to get to the nectar and they were quite civilised, one at a time, otherwise I think there might have been some screaming involved!
Overall we had another fabulous day at Flamingo Land and I would highly recommend it to others for a fun and educational day out.
Prices start from £35 and the season runs from 21st March to 1st November (the winter zoo is on selected weekends throughout Feb, March and Dec).
XOXO
Debbie
We were invited to review Flamingo Land. All views and opinions are our own and genuine.
Aww I love Peter! Flamingo land looks fab! I have actually never heard of it!
Oh wow my eldest daughter would love being able to meet Lily and Peter Rabbit! They are her favourite characters at the moment 🙂
My four are obsessed with Jurassic Park, just like you and they would love Dino Stone Park! It’s funny they’ve kept the name “Flamingo Land’ even after so much expansion.
I love such attractions combined with a zoo, I am adding to my list of places to visit with my nephew, they live closer to York than I do.
I think I will love the zoo more as well. Those penguins are so cute, they do have a way of entertaining and stealing peoples’ hearts 🙂
Flamingo land is one of my all time favourite theme parks! We love it, the fact there is a zoo there too is amazing!