Chester Zoo 2019

Chester Zoo is one of my favourite family attractions in the UK and holds a special place in my heart. As a child we often visited Chester Zoo whilst on family holidays and it was always a fun and exciting time, as such our visits there are some of the fondest memories I have from my childhood.  It was also one of the family attractions we visited when on our first family holiday with our eldest child when he was a toddler. He was so excited to see the amazing animals as we explored the expansive zoo. 

Fast forward a few years and we again visited Chester Zoo again during our first holiday as a family of four. Again we created many fun memories that I treasure during our visit to Chester Zoo. Back in the summer of 2017 during our first family holiday as a family of four the boys loved seeing the magnificent animals, adored the boat ride on The Islands and had lots of fun playing in the PLAY! Space.

As we are planning a UK staycation family holiday for this summer where we will be travelling from Pembrokeshire up to North Wales and then across the North of England, we have decided to stop in Chester for a few days. As we love Chester Zoo and have had many wonderful visits there it is no surprise that we plan on visiting yet again this summer. With that in mind as part of planning for our summer 2019 family holiday I have been looking at what plans Chester Zoo has for this year.

Chester Zoo 2019

This year sees lots of exciting plans for the UK’s most visited zoo. Chester Zoo are delighted to announce major plans for new habitats and a range of hands-on exhibitions for families to explore and learn from. Inspired by the global regions where the zoo’s conservationists work, the new animal habitats are part of a major long-term plan to transform the zoo into spectacular zones.

Lego exhibition of Big Cats

Wednesday 13 February - Tuesday 30 April 2019

The world’s biggest felines – from lions to tigers, cheetahs and leopards - will be brought to life as they are spectacularly constructed by master builders from thousands of LEGO® bricks!

The major exhibition of 12 life-sized big cats will be joined by a host of other specially created LEGO animals on public display for the first time. Families are invited to explore a trail through the zoo, marvel at the big cats display, have a go at creating their own animal models, and join the Zoo Rangers to discover more about big cats!

Madagascar zone

From Easter 2019

Madagascar is home to stunning wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Five percent of the worlds’ animal and plant species are only found on the island. Chester Zoo’s major new Madagascar zone will bring wildlife conservation to life through detailed recreations of stunning forest habitats for visitors to explore.

Visitors will be able to take a true expedition through the multi-million pound Madagascan forest. Inhabited by Madagascan animals including rare lemurs and the mysterious fossa, Madagascar’s largest carnivore.

Predators

May - September 2019

A major Predators experience will invite visitors to travel back in time. Spanning more than 200 million years of history, huge life-sized animatronic hunters will be on display at Chester Zoo throughout summer 2019.

These enormous, long extinct mega-beasts include everything from dinosaurs to a giant bear and unimaginable sea creatures! With so many animals today threatened with extinction, this thrilling exhibition could not come at a more relevant time as it reveals the reality of extinction.

Asiatic Lions

From Autumn 2019

Later in the year, from autumn 2019, visitors will be invited to discover an expansive new habitat for the zoo’s endangered Asiatic lions. The specially designed area is inspired by the dry forest and savannah habitats of Gir National Park region of India, which is home to the last surviving wild population Asiatic lions, with fewer than 500 left on the planet.

The new state-of-the-art lion habitat specially created by the zoo’s conservationists will feature raised earth hilltop viewing points for the lions to survey their savannah, as well as heated rocks, a water hole and sandy beach area. The zoo’s conservationists will be caring for the species as part of a European endangered species breeding programme.

As we love Chester Zoo and are excited about their 2019 plans we cannot wait to visit again this summer to see the wondrous animals that make the zoo magical and make more special memories. Unfortunately we will have missed the Lego Big Cats exhibition which is a shame because we love big cats and Lego. And sadly we will be soon to see the Asiatic Lions and the amazing work that the zoo’s conservationists have done in created their new habitat but missing seeing them just gives just another excuse to visit Chester Zoo again in the future.

Prices vary depending on the time of year you are visiting. When we will be visiting the gate prices will be £28 per adult and £23 per child but as booking online saves money we will be purchasing our tickets online.

  

* No payment or product has been provided for this post. I am simply writing about it as part of our summer staycation plans. Permission has been granted by Chester Zoo to use their photographs and press release *