A very good family day out. Site is hilly so we started with train ride. Lovely scenes both sides. Monkeys run was amazing. Animals seems very well looked after. Signage for guidance towards different enclosures of animals is visible. The Castle visit was great. Very quite and peaceful atmosphere. Panoramic view of city from top was mesmerising. Best place to take photos. Short journey of Ski lift was good and our grand children had multiple ride as they have seen monkeys running. Staff patrolling was minimum. Food prices are bit high and quality is also not up to mark. But overall it was a good trip. We enjoyed.

My 10 year old and me were the first visitors in on a drizzly day. It was half term for us, but school was still in for local kids. Having Chester Zoo on my doorstep, it was the Tectons that drew me here however, the animal experience at Dudley is different and special in its own right. Lemur forest was a stand out. We loved that. It’s possible to get closer to the animals here than at other zoos I have been to. That includes the tiger, flamingos and orangutans. Despite the dreary weather we saw everything. The Tectons didn’t disappoint. There are orientation boards by them showing historical photos with the original animals in situ. This gives a good feel for how the design was intended. The zoo could maybe have considered how to maintain the clear lines of the structures a little more - some aspects are obscured by other structures, posters or wheely bins. I think to avoid the accusations of being ‘shabby’ some explanation of the repairs in progress would be useful too. The new entrance is labelled as having a Tecton exhibition however I couldn’t see anything there though I was a bit footsore by that point so I didn’t enquire further so maybe it was there? Apart from the animals and the Tectons we enjoyed the land train and absolutely loved the restored chair lift. It was quiet so we rode several times. A climb up the castle keep to admire the views made for a really varied day out for my child and me. October and November has an offer of a free child place with a paying adult so it felt like we got excellent value for money too. A great day out.

The zoo itself is very good, obviously this time of year you got to expect the Animals to be lethargic. One point I must stress and it's very important if you are travelling here as a disabled person, DO NOT hire a mobility scooter or take your own, there are many areas that are not accessible, including the castle, a fully charged scooter will last around 40 minutes here with the hills. It is however a great family attraction that will keep the kids busy for a few hours. Cafe/restaurant is a little expensive, best take your own picnic.

Never been before despite living 30 mins away. Visited with my two boys aged 11 and 12 and I am glad we did. I would definitely visit a zoo again at this time of year. No crowds, which was great! We followed the map and saw everything in about 4 hours. Our favourites were the impressive tigers, the baby orangutans and the spider monkies. The man with the glasses who did the orangutan talk was very informative and it was interesting. People complaining about crumbling buildings obviously don't know about Tecton. So have a read before you go. However, I think the zoo should have more signage about this and explain about the funding to restore and what is going on. Other signage about the animals was great. We took a packed lunch, so didn't use any of the eating facilities. The zoo was spotless, with plenty of bins dotted around. The castle was a little disappointing. I think more facts and information would be useful. However I would recommend a visit to the zoo as we had a lovely time looking about.

I have never visited the castle before but went on a ghost hunt on Saturday night with my wife with a company called Haunting Nights. By dark, the castle and its surroundings are beautiful. We visited the cottage and the undercroft and experienced a few spooky goings on which couldn’t be explained. The castle is well-maintained and the Kirsty who opened up was lovely as was everyone in attendance: guests and organisers. We really enjoyed the night and will be back again either on another ghost hunt or to visit the site by daylight and see some of the animals at the zoo.

Definitely the best time of year to go , the weather might be cold but the walking keeps you warm , we had thermals under our jeans and hoodies, it felt like we had our own private zoo , exhibits are excellent and close ups of most animals via the indoor viewing areas (I guess they were a bit chilly) were great a treat. The castle takes you back in time and there is a creepy crawly walk through experience within the castle walls , the giraffe keeper was very informative and happy to share her knowledge with us , loved the cheese and onion pastie from the cafe, literally had the best January day ! Well done Dudley zoo ! X

Lots of renovation going on to improve the zoo. A place I visited so many times as a child and with my own children. The iconic entrance is now unused and you enter from the car park. Plenty of families there on a cool winter day. The old chairlift was out of use. The cafe was closed and the main restaurant was busy. So many animals seemed to be alone, very sad. The shop is very nice though with good quality gifts. Children still seem to love the zoo and it's well worth a visit.

Today we had a brilliant day out with a 3 year old and a baby. There is a huge variety of animals, all very well looked after. Our favourites were the giraffes, Arctic foxes, penguins, monkeys and chimps! We also loved the reptile house and inside the play barn! Really interesting creepy crawlies in here and adorable giant rabbits!! We loved the pretend cows udders to have a go at milking, fantastic! There is plenty of children's parks too - I recommend the parks next to the play barn. The land train is fantastic, we decided to catch the train to get to the top and then worked our way down which was a great choice. The little fair ground rides near the entrance/exit are great fun for the little ones too. It's a favourite zoo of ours and we have been here numerous times since my daughter was a baby and will keep coming back! The only suggestion I do have for the zoo is, it would be great to have picnics indoors in the colder weather!! I understand the restaurant needs to make money however I'm sure they would still make plenty of money as we would still buy hot drinks and maybe a cake or icecream even with our own picnic otherwise plenty of nice outdoor picnic areas.

I visited Half term weekend, I travelled from Merseyside and the traffic was poor on the day we were booked to visit. We arrived at approximately 230pm but last entry is at 2pm but the lady at reception was so kind and considerate. I explained what had happened. She allowed us entry. My daughter is special needs so would have been quite difficult to deal with if we were turned away. She wouldn’t have understood. I have found Dudley Castle and zoo ever so accommodating to those with needs which I really appreciate. We were booked in quickly and even got a free return. Even though we were late we still got to see quite a few animals as they get put away at 3pm which is really early so I was a little taken aback by the last entry at 2pm. We got the land train back down to the bottom and the little one had a play on the play frames. We had a good hour in the location and were gone by 1530hrs as they close completely at 1630hrs. I highly recommend this zoo for variety of animals, the close proximity you get to the animals, value and kindness of staff. Also there are talks by the castle regarding its history which is interesting I come from time to time but if this was my local zoo, I would definitely have an annual pass. We have annual passes at Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari. This is definitely one of the best. Give it a go, never feel ripped off, ever so reasonably priced especially compared to Chester zoo. Also there

For our 16 year olds birthday, he did a zoo keeper experience. We arrived just before opening at 10am, and in the shop were met by the first keeper of the day. We were then accompanied and show around all day. All the keepers were very friendly, very accommodating and, as you’d expect , knowledgeable. The lady zoo keeper for the geleda was especially passionate and keen to share her knowledge and insights. Got to feed juice to a couple of orangutan’s, lots of fish to penguins and some fresh meat to the tigers from very close up! It was a full day, right up till closing. Our youngest was also accommodated and invited to meet and stroke the tapir, very kind and considerate. Yes it’s expensive, but it’s a great experience and goes toward caring for amazing animals, great and small. Thank you Dudley Zoo