Last weekend i was lucky enough to have had a long weekend as i booked the Friday off work to go and visit a fantastic Yorkshire attraction; Tropical World.

Located in one of the largest and most popular parks in Europe, Roundhay Park is a great place to visit as it not only plays host to some fantastic events and activities including Cricket, Geology, Canoeing, Dragon Boat Races, Farmers Market, the Asian Festival, Fun Fairs, Fitness Classes, Soccer, Running Clubs, Walking, Rowing, Cycle Racing, Childrens Rides, Brass Bands and much more, it is a place of outstanding beauty. Read more about Roundhay Park and consider visiting; click here



We hit the road early and had arrived by 10am, parking was easy and free as there was plenty of spaces and car parks close-by. It was well signed posted on the drive in on the main routes in so it was easy to find. Access to to the attraction was flat so it was perfect for our pram and wheelchair access.

Greeted by whooshing autonomic doors you walk into an exciting, hot gift shop and reception area. You have lots to see and you get a good feel for the place as soon as you walk through the doors.

One of the great things about Tropical World was that is was only £4 for adults to get in and it was free for under 2's. The staff were warm and friendly and provided extra information based around the remodeling and renovations that were currently taking place.

You walk into the Swamp from the reception housing between 30 and 40 varieties of Butterfly, exotic plants, fish and citrus trees. There are plenty of information points to help you spot the different varieties, it was great to see them all flying around the place.

You then go through to the Amazon Tank where you will find the usual interesting fish and the amazingly large Niger Catfish (Pseudoras Niger) from South America,  Pacus, Piranha, Tiger-skinned Shovel-nosed Catfish, Red-tailed Catfish and even a Giraffe Fish.

The next area is the Australasia House is home to a huge variety of plants, including the rare Jade Vine, terrapins and an amazing waterfall. The paths are wide and clear perfect for everyone to stop and look we even found some rather friendly birds.

Creature Corner housed Lizards, Spiny Mice and snakes, yes – plus Tortoises and the Boss Monitor. The Water Dragon and Degus stare back at the visitor undaunted by all the attention.

One of my favorite areas was the Desert House - it was home to a family of Meerkats,Plant, animals and birds specimens from the arid areas of the Americas and South Africa are to be seen here in the Desert House. Canaries, Weaver Birds and Finches skit about amongst the cacti and succulents.

The final areas housed a nocturnal section with fruit bats and hedgehogs and the final upper swamp housed more great birds and plants as well as a very sleepy alligators.

Through-out i was impressed with how well kept and tidy the place looked and considering they are currently renovating and updating the sites i doubt its an easy thing to do. All the animals were well looked after, friendly and happy to interact with us.

All in all it was a great experience, a very warm experience, but one i would recommend to those whose children love animals. With plenty to see and a superb gift shop at the end anyone who visits the attraction will not be let down. A great educational and fun experience with something for everyone!

They do have a cafe on site for those family wanting food, we didn't go inside the cafe but it did look interesting, reasonably priced and seats both in and out side. We did however nip over the road and visit the Rounday Fox a fantastic, a country pub and restaurant oozing rural charm and rustic character. I recommend ordering the garlic bread, it was divine!

Let me know if you have any questions or have recently been.

For more information on fun family days our in Yorkshire check out my experiences of the following places: Yorkshire Water reservoir walk, Eureka the National Children's Museum or the Creepy Crawlies adventure play site in York.