Money saving: The Christmas day out at Twycross Zoo that's packed with Xmas fun & includes 12 months entry

Christmas has arrived at Twycross zoo, with a snowy Gruffalo trail, a fun Santa show and a full day at the zoo. This day out is a packed full day out for the whole family.

As a money-saver, this day out is good before not only do you gain entry to the Christmas event, you also get access to the rest of the zoo and an annual pass to visit the zoo as many times as you’d like for a whole year. 

Read more: Your bumper Midlands Christmas guide 2024: Markets, Santa visits, garden centres, real trees, pantos & more

We began our Christmas visit at Twycross being greeted by the cheery elves who handed the children a Gruffalo booklet to collect stamps in each and 2 tokens to exchange for a marshmallow and the Santa show.

We then headed through the Gruffalo trail that has been decorated with snowy trees and Christmas wreaths.

The trail was brilliant, taking just under an hour to complete, and having lots of interactive opportunities for the children along the way, such as game screens, buttons to press that play the Gruffalo story and lots of sensory parts to explore.

Along the trail is a walk through butterfly paradise, home to some huge beautiful blue butterflies and fascinating glass boxes containing chrysalis! 

Near the end of the trail you’ll see the zoo’s goats before heading to the Santa show. The show is packed with Christmas cheer, sing-alongs, dancing and even some magic, that I have to say was impressive! It’s a lovely interactive show that involves the audience, with friendly elves to help Santa with his on stage performance. 

Following the show, the audience is taken to queue for Santa’s grotto, now this is where the experience became a bit rushed, it’s a very quick Santa visit that only allows time for a quick family photo with Santa and then you’re handed a Gruffalo toy for each child and led out of the grotto.

If you’d like your child to spend some time chatting to Santa, then this experience may not be for you, but if you prefer the activity elements of the trip or have a little one who perhaps isn’t keen on Santa, this could be ideal! If you want to purchase the photo taken with Santa, this will set you back £10 for a single print. 

After the show and your visit with Santa you can head back to the main Christmas area, where your little ones can participate in free craft activities such as colouring and pine cone decorating, or you can decorate a hanging Christmas decoration for an extra £1.

At this part of the experience you can toast a giant marshmallow, that is included for each child in the experience, and meet the Gruffalo and Gruffalo’s child, an experience my girls loved!

There’s also a carousel to ride but this is an additional cost of £3 per child, which does seem a little costly for a quick ride. Outside the craft room is a wish tree, for your little ones to write their wishes and tie on to the tree, a lovely sentimental part of the experience.

 If you want to grab a bite to eat, there’s a restaurant offering festive choices of pigs in blankets and roast potatoes with gravy and festive hot Costa drinks, these aren’t cheap so if you’re looking to save, bring along a picnic to enjoy instead. 

Once you’ve finished in the Christmas experience, you can head to the rest of the zoo for the day, to enjoy a range of beautiful animals such as zebras, penguins and even rhinos! 

I would rate this experience an 3.5 out of 5, I have to take a couple of points away for the very rushed Santa meet and greet, but I think the fact you get the little extras such as a marshmallow, crafts and a free cuddly toy included alongside the free return for a year, works out to be good value for money. 

Address: Twycross Zoo, Burton Road, Atherstone CV9 3PX.

Amy is a West Midlands mum-of-two who runs a Money Saving page on social media. Find out more here: Thrifty Money Saving Mom (@_moneysavingamy)

Tickets range from £38 per adult, £32 for a child and £14 per toddler - this includes the Christmas experience and 12 months of zoo entry. Find out more here.