The tropical house
A warm, humid glasshouse where butterflies fly free around visitors all year round, and the best thing here.
Half an hour east of Sheffield, a heated glasshouse fills with tropical butterflies that drift over visitors' heads and, if a child stands still long enough, settle on a shoulder. That glasshouse is the heart of a place that opened in 1994 on roughly four and a half acres in the village of North Anston and has grown, still family-run, into a compact wildlife park of over 140 species: lemurs, meerkats, otters, wallabies, porcupines and rainbow lorikeets that drink nectar from your palm. The point is participation rather than viewing. Animal feed bundles are added to the ticket at checkout, and the park does not promise any will be left to buy on the day, because quantities are capped so the animals are not overfed; buy them with the ticket, not on arrival. On the current timetable an Animal Antics show runs once a day at 12:30 on weekdays and twice at weekends (12:30 and 14:30), weather permitting, and a VIP lemur feed for up to six people can be booked as an extra. Outside there are playparks, sandpits, a dinosaur trail and a splash zone that operates in summer only, so pack a change of clothes. Set expectations accordingly. This is a day for families with children under twelve, and a half-day at that: the booking itself gives you a three-hour slot with no re-admission, and entry is online-only in advance, even for the free under-twos. Adults without children will find it small and will linger only in the tropical house. The bug and reptile house is currently closed pending a new building. The ground is level and pushchair- and wheelchair-friendly, the one exception being a pond viewing platform in the Bird House that is reached by steps. The gates shut at 15:30 on weekdays year-round (16:30 at weekends), but the warm humidity of the glasshouse makes it one of the few places that genuinely rewards a grey Yorkshire afternoon. From Sheffield by car, take the Parkway onto the M1, leave at junction 31 and follow the brown tourist signs along the A57, about 30 minutes; parking is free but fills on event days and bank holidays, and a booking does not guarantee a space. By bus, the X5 from central Sheffield towards Worksop stops on Woodsetts Road, then a fifteen-minute walk. Lottie's Coffee Lounge at the entrance serves pizzas, salads, paninis and afternoon tea, with vegetarian and vegan options advertised but no halal option, and can be used without a park ticket.
A warm, humid glasshouse where butterflies fly free around visitors all year round, and the best thing here.
Feed bundles booked with the ticket let children feed lorikeets, meerkats, otters and goats, and may not be available on the day.
Playparks, sandpits and a dinosaur trail, plus a splash zone that runs in the summer months only.
Woodsetts Road, North Anston, S25 4EQ
With under-twelves and a relaxed half-day in mind, yes: hand-feeding and the butterflies win them over. With older children, teenagers or no children it will feel thin, and Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster is far larger and fills a full day, though it costs more and sits about fifteen minutes further away.
No. Entry is by advance online booking only, with a chosen arrival time and a three-hour slot, and school-holiday days sell out ahead. Bookings are non-refundable, but the date can be moved with 48 hours' notice for a fee.