Hello readers, welcome to my monthly article on things to do and places to visit in Yorkshire. I hope you all enjoyed my Easter egg special from last month. This month I am reviewing Tropical World. Read on to find out more…
Tropical World has just reopened after lots of refurbishment so it is a place you will want to revisit if you have been before. Tropical World happens to be the third most visited place in Yorkshire and is one of the biggest tropical houses in the UK. If you thought Tropical World was good before prepare to be amazed by over 100 species surrounded by its amazing new look. Not sure what Tropical World is? Well it’s basically full of animals and plants in temperature controlled areas which makes you feel like it’s summer no matter what time of year you go.
As you first go through the doors the main change you will notice straight away is the new gift shop. It is now massive and sells a lot more things. My favourite pick from the shop would be the Keel toys meerkat which says Tropical World on it. The other big change you will notice is the cafe area. With 100 extra seats there is room for everyone and there is an outdoor seating area making it suitable for all weathers.
From the shop you will first enter the beautiful butterfly house with lots of butterflies flying everywhere. I learnt that they get a new butterfly every week through a fair trade programme from different countries. The terrapins have now also been moved into the butterfly house to give them a better home.
The next section is where you will notice the biggest amazing change, the aquarium. It has all been decorated in an Inca theme with paintings and everything. The thing that wowed me most was the new centre piece which was like a little temple with water running down it into a tank. How to Train your Dragon fans would appreciate this as there is a salamander in the tank that look exactly like Toothless! Although there are many tanks filled with different sea creatures including fish, long neck turtles and sea horses another one of my favourites was the Fish Out Of Water tank where there are fish that like to be out of water. As we went round we saw loads more animals such as meerkats, monkeys, bats and a crocodile all in different sections to replicate their natural environment, not to mention all the different types of birds. There are also new education boards for children with screens telling you about the different animals there and flip cards.
I would like to thank Tony the animal keeper who took the time out to kindly show me around.
I definitely recommend you visit the newly refurbished Tropical World, I loved it and it is fantastic value for money!
Entrance prices at Tropical World are as follows:
Adults £5.00
Leeds Card £3.00
‘Extra’ cardholders: £2.00
Breeze card holders £2.00
5 to 15 year olds £2.50
Under 5s Free
Opening Times:
10am to 6pm (last admission at 5:30pm) during summer (BST time)
10am to 4pm (last admission 3:30pm) during winter (GMT time)
