We went to the zoo voted UK's second best after Chester - and it's half the price

Public reviews site Tripadvisor revealed their Top 10 best rated zoos and aquariums last week - and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Chester Zoo came top of the list.

But the zoo that came in at number two on the list, based on hundreds of positive comments posted on the public reviews website over the past year, is one I'd never even heard of.

For taking the title of second best zoo in the UK for 2025 was Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Shropshire - trumping the likes of Blackpool Zoo, Yorkshire Wildlife Park and West Midlands Safari Park - in the top ten list.

Despite having two dino-obsessed kids, Hoo Zoo had never previously been on my radar for a day out. But seeing the Tripadvisor rankings made me think it was probably worth taking my children, aged 9 and 5, along to give it a whirl.

Recent reviews from families heap praise on Hoo Zoo, with the likes of Stella H saying: "Lovely, well maintained and well cared for animals. We visited with family from 8 months to 73 and there was so much to see."

While Les J wrote: "Really enjoyable day out. Nice mix of animals and activities. If you or your family love dinosaurs it’s the place to go. The play park was excellent for all ages."

I have been to Chester Zoo many of times before in the past, and most recently to check out its huge new Heart of Africa zone, where you can watch giraffes and zebra strut together across a savannah which I loved.

So I was interested to see what sort of experience we'd find over at Hoo Zoo in Telford in Shropshire, which is around a 90 minute drive from Manchester.

And the first thing we discovered was a very welcome surprise - and that was the price of tickets. I headed online to book a family ticket, a couple of days in advance of our planned trip to