The Enchantment of Chester Zoo Review

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Quirky characters, potions and a mission to help fight evil?  As I read the information about the Enchantment of Chester Zoo, it sounded more akin to a story line from a children’s but it is an interactive experience for families to enjoy.  The Enchantment of Chester Zoo, is the latest work of the pioneering Wild Rumpus in conjunction with Chester Zoo, bringing some of the Wild Rumpus’s magic and love of imaginative story telling into an already glorious zoo experience.  We visited Chester Zoo for the event and everyone had a wonderful time, here’s our Enchantment of Chester Zoo Review.

So what is the Enchantment of Chester Zoo

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In typical Wild Rumpus fashion the order of the day is imagination and interactive storytelling.  The Enchantment of Chester Zoo begins in the Enchanted garden which is a little walk from the entrance, so if you are booked in early make sure you head over with enough time.  Once you enter the enchantment area you are greeted by owls who explain that the zoo has been placed under an evil spell by a sorcerer and four creatures have already lost their super senses and there is a possibility that the whole zoo could be lost.  Even though the “owls” are dressed up, as you look around the crowd of children, their faces are all transfixed by the story with each child hanging onto every word.  The trail lasts about 15 minutes and you encounter all the animals which you are then tasked to seek in the zoo.  Each encounter with the animal is different from the acrobatic tarantulas and bat and music playing Aye-Aye.  The final stop is a meeting with an owl who gives every child a vial to collect elixir to add to the melting pot to work against the spell.  I loved that there was a vial for every child and not per family.  It was a great way to get every child involved with them all being tasked to play their part  As the children left the garden it was a delight to see the determined looks on each face as they embarked on their mission!

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What was the Enchantment experience like?

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Following the meeting with the owls, the children had to find and visit the four animals in the zoo. The mission entailed not only to find the animals but to go and learn about their super sensory powers which had been stolen.  The children then shared this information with the owl outside the stop who would then add a little potion into the vial.  The animals are across the zoo, so you are able to see a number of different animals on the way.  I loved that the animals that were chosen are lesser known creatures and helps to raise awareness and knowledge of these nocturnal animals.  Another benefit that I noticed about the mission was that my little adventurers started to read the plaques about every animal and learnt a lot more then they normally would.  The experience ends with the children adding the potion which they have collected into the pot which is being brewed.  The children were really excited to see the potion bubbling and brewing and it looked like a real magical potion brewing.

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The zoo

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I had last visited Chester Zoo a number of years ago and this was our first visit with the little adventurers.  The zoo is great, with a great selection of animals and large, gorgeous grounds for the animals to enjoy.  Since my last visit there have many additional animals and even new areas such as the islands added.  I loved the layout of the zoo, promoting not only animals, but countries and the areas the animals traditionally belong too.  There is also a monorail that now operates, this is an extra cost but you can purchase a daily pass which allows you unlimited rides on the monorail throughout the day.  The size of the zoo is extensive so if you are visiting with young children I would also bring a pushchair along even if they are good walkers, after several hours, it makes for very tired little adventurers.

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What we loved

  • The Enchantment of the Zoo starts from home, with a letter from the owl, seeking help from the children.
  • The event is free for visitors to the zoo and I think is a lovely addition to a zoo experience which already has so much to offer families.
  • It is simple but highly effective in getting even young children to get more involved into the zoo experience.  y little adventurers were out with the map, looking for the places to collect more potion and actively reading and learning about the animals.
  • , so it highlighted that initiatives like this can really help to enhance the knowledge of visitors to the zoo.  We learnt so many new facts and even discovered a new animal.  My nephew is a walking encyclopaedia and he hadn’t heard of an Aye-Aye.
  • You got to see and experience new things, in the bat area the zoo keeper, had a sonar machine and for both children and adults alike it was great to see how these work and how this would apply to a bat.
  • The bats and Aye-Aye were both in the dark.  The bat experience was really cool, with them flying all round you, touching you and made the experience really attractive.

Things to be aware of:

  • You are able to book a slot for the event, but even if you haven’t, it maybe possible to attend one of the later sessions.  It should be noted that there are only limited spaces so I would recommend booking these as soon as possible.
  • I would start the day with the Enchantment experience and then you can collect the potions throughout the day.  I would be mindful that the children will be very keen to finish off the mission straight away so your plans of seeing all the animals may have to be delayed.
  • The event is running until 31st October, so make sure you book your tickets if you want to visit the event.
  • We were very lucky to have glorious weather on the day we visited but there was a chill in the air.  I would recommend  wrapping up warm, to ensure that you have a fun day.

Overall, we had a fabulous day at the zoo and you can see a full vlog of our day below.  If you want to book tickets to Zoo and then book in your free session for the Enchantment of the Chester Zoo experience..

 

Nisbah

I am a traveller, mother and blogger. We love to go on adventures (big and small, near and far) and strive to show our children how amazing and beautiful the world is! I caught the travel bug many moons ago and despite having three little adventurers, I still suffer from "itchy" feet. We love the great outdoors and one another. Come and join the fun :)

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1 Response

  1. Oh wow, this sounds fantastic. What a brilliant idea, right down to the potion!

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