Even though it is not our closest zoo, we just love Colchester Zoo and have had annual passes since my daughter was born.
Not only are the animal enclosures really good and constantly being updated, there are tons of play areas for the kids and plenty of toddler friendly activities to enjoy.
In addition to the animals, there is also a train, soft play, dinosaur walk through, farm, indoor discovery centre, and more playgrounds than you have half eaten cookies behind your sofa.
Unlike other zoos we have visited, all of the above is included in your zoo entry.
Adult tickets are £25-£32 but they often run special offers at off peak seasons such as November and January. They also regularly advertise cheap annual passes which works out good value if you go more than once a year. Plus under 3s are free.
The zoo itself can be quite hilly so I always feel like I’ve had a good work out pushing the pram up and down all day but this could be a problem for less mobile parents or double prams.
Play areas for toddlers at Colchester Zoo
As soon as you enter the zoo there is a huge playground.
I tend to avoid this with my toddlers as it is quite big so can be difficult to keep an eye on both children. There are also some areas that can be dangerous for little ones. If you don’t feel like playing Sophie’s Choice, there are much more suitable parks around the zoo for toddlers.
We always headed for the smaller playground near the indoor giraffe enclosure but as of June 2026, they have got rid of the small toddler slide in this park so don’t think it will now be as toddler friendly. Though my 4-year-old still likes to test my blood pressure by going on the tallest slide!
This now means the best playground for smaller tots is the ‘train’ playground past the elephants. It is quite big but most of the play equipment is suitable for toddlers.
There are other play areas dotted around but these aren’t particularly toddler friendly.
Colchester soft play with Toddlers
The soft play at Colchester Zoo is incredible and suitable from young babies to older children.
There is a separate baby section that my 4-year-old still enjoys, and the older section is accessible to my 2-year-old. Though with his confidence he would probably find Everest Base Camp accessible.
During busy periods you may be required to book a time slot but during the week we just turn up and they have always been able to fit us in. Still, do check the times as the sessions are in 45 minute slots and you have to leave no matter what time you entered.
Eating with toddlers at Colchester Zoo
Another perk of Colchester Zoo is the amount of eating areas with highchairs.
Apart from the restaurant areas they welcome pack lunches and provide highchairs in all picnic areas which I don’t often find in other zoos.
Though most picnic areas are covered, there is also a nice indoor picnic area for colder days which also has plenty of highchairs.
The eateries offer children meals but, like most zoos, they are on the pricier side.
Toddler friendly activities at Colchester Zoo
“An engine is happiest when he’s really useful.” – Thomas the Tank Engine
One of my highlights at Colchester Zoo is the train.
It takes you around the outside of several animal enclosures and stops at the Lemur enclosure where you can get out and actually go inside the enclosure.
On colder days they tend not to stop here but they will have a sign at the train queue entrance stating that Lemur viewing is not on today.
…or like my daughter likes to call them the “move its”
You can’t take prams on but there is a pushchair park right next to the train.
My son was sleeping in the pram once and the lovely drive let us on the disabled carriage with him but this was on a really quiet day. I have probably ridden this train over 50 times and have never seen a pram on it so we may have lucked out.
“Even after millions of years, dinosaurs still have the power to capture the human imagination.” — David Attenborough
Fairly recently, Colchester Zoo added a small but impressive dinosaur walk through which is now my son’s favourite thing to do here.
The boardwalks are pram friendly, and the dinosaur sculptures are striking.
What really impressed me was at the exit of the area there is a small interactive palaeontologist lab where children can interact with different mechanisms to discover more about dinosaurs. My toddlers spend ages in here and they even have little ‘hatched’ baby dinosaurs that are ‘breathing’ to keep the magic alive. That is until my smarty pants 4-year-old crushes my 2-year-old’s dreams and explains that dinosaurs are extinct.
“The child is capable of scientific research… The child is a discoverer.” Maria Montessori
My daughter’s favourite building in the zoo is the Discovery Center and though basic, it is impressive. My children can spend more time in here than they take to put their shoes on.
Inside the Discovery Center is a sand pit. Not just any old sand pit – a magical sand pit. Ok it is a sand pit with animals projected onto it, but the way it occupies my toddlers, it feels magic.
The other interactive feature is actually magic. I don’t know the fancy name for it so will just have to explain what happens.
Children colour in a dinosaur (or can sometimes be zoo animals) and write their name on it.
They then place it on the magical blue rectangle and it teleports to the large screen to an egg then hatches your children’s design.
The technology is probably simpler than rainbow Wordart but my kids, and I, are incredibly impressed with it!
“Tame birds sing of freedom. Wild birds fly.” — John Lennon
Though you have to pay a couple of quid for the nectar to feed the parakeets, you can walk through for free.
It is a bit hit and miss how active the birds are. It usually depends how hungry they are but this is a nice interactive walk through. Unless you have ever seen Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Colchester Zoo will keep your toddlers occupied all day and in addition to the many animals available to see there is also sealion underwater viewing, a nature reserve walkthrough and farm where little ones can feed the animals.
Plus so much more.
Special events with toddlers at Colchester Zoo
There is a calendar of special character events and festivals at Colchester Zoo:
https://www.colchesterzoologicalsociety.com/events
This doesn’t mean a little pumpkin here or there for Halloween, Colchester goes all out with theming; with activities and often shows throughout the day.
I always attend their Christmas lights because it is really reasonably priced compared to others, and they add something new every year.
It is extremely toddler friendly. The one way loop is full of stroller safe boardwalks. Although they did not include the train last year, on previous years they even had a trailer to put prams on which shows their consideration to families.
We just love Colchester Zoo and hope your family do too!