Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park Review

A few years ago I wrote about my trip to Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park, and while the experience is still the same lovely, small-scale zoo feel, some of the details have changed. If you’re planning a visit in 2026, here’s the up-to-date info you’ll actually need.

About Askham Bryan Wildlife Park

Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park is a small wildlife park and zoo set in the beautiful arboretum at Askham Bryan College. Their mission is to inspire and educate future generations to respect and conserve animals and plants and the park is home to a variety of animals, many of which are endangered or vulnerable species, and it is dedicated to promoting education and conservation efforts.

Askham Bryan College is a specialist land-based college. It has many animal-related courses such as veterinary care, agriculture and equine management. The wildlife and conservation park is based in the Animal Management Department at Askham Bryan College, York.

It has over 100 different species of animals, plus many plants and trees to look at. Some animals we saw:

• Terapins
• Clownfish
• Lemur
• Meerkats
• Chinchillas
• Blue Frogs
• Snakes
• Tortoise
• Otters
• Wallabies
• Armadillos
• Lizzards
• Racoons

The cages all have information about the animals on them so you can your children can learn a few things too!

The wildlife park is only small and isn’t as big as Yorkshire Wildlife Park or Chester Zoo, but it’s good for a stroll. We spent about 90 minutes looking around and showing Leo things.

There are also benches to sit at so you can pack a picnic ad eat lunch there and a park for children to play in. The park is also involved in a number of conservation and research projects, including breeding programs for endangered species and efforts to restore and protect local habitats.

Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park is a unique and educational destination in York, offering you the chance to see a variety of rare and endangered animals while learning about conservation efforts and the importance of protecting our natural world.

Animal Encounters

When I first went, they were doing longer “animal encounters” where you could spend an hour getting hands-on. Now it’s been simplified into 20-minute sessions with specific animals on set days.

Think meerkats, reptiles, and a few other favourites – it’s a nice little add-on but not the full-on zoo keeper experience. You’ll need to book in advance for those.

The Wildlife Academy Program

The Askham Bryan wildlife academy is offered at the ABC Wildlife Park for children aged 7-17. The program is designed to provide a hands-on, interactive learning experience about wildlife, conservation, and zookeeping. It includes a variety of activities such as animal encounters, talks, and workshops. Students will have the opportunity to learn about a range of animals and their habitats, as well as the importance of conservation and sustainable living. The program is split into 3 age brackets and tailored to meet the needs and interests of the age group.

They are two-day workshops that cost £150 per student (at the time of writing this).

Going to Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park with a 5-month-old. 

Now, let’s get to our trip.

Usually, Leo has a poo a couple of times in a morning. It got to 10:30 am, still no poo. I swear he does this every time we go out! So we travelled to the park and start walking around. The part is an aquarium and reptile home with fish, replies and other tank creatures. We spent some time looking at the terapins and he enjoyed watching them swim around. We then went outside and took him out of his pram to take some photos in front of some lovely flowers. I’m sure you can imagine what happens next!

He does a poo. So we ended up having to backtrack a bit to the toilets. Thankfully there was nobody else around so going in the opposite direction of the one-way system didn’t feel too illegal (this one-way system was a Covid measure, but it’s been removed now)! But I think needing to change your babies nappy is a good enough reason. We weren’t far from the toilets.

There was a disabled toilet that had baby changing facilities and it was the first time I’ve had to use those plastic pull-down trays. Leo WAS NOT happy haha!

I changed him and went back to find my partner who was talking to one of the keepers in the tortoise enclosure. He got them to walk towards us so Leo could see but he wasn’t really looking. He’s at the age where something really has to catch his eye and I think they blended in too much for him to look at. He was staring at the bright yellow dandelions on the floor!

We then found a place with some wooden bears you could sit on and take photos. Leo was getting a bit grizzly by then so I sat down and breastfed him as nobody was around. Typical Leo!

Then he was sleepy so we put him in his pram and he seemed to enjoy being laid flat down looking out the side than us carrying him around! He was too young to really appreciate and see the animals. A lot of them were hidden away and you had to look through the enclosures or glass for them.

When we came to the end we to the cafe. We got coffee and my partner had a blueberry muffin and I had a Solero ice cream. Of course, Leo did a Leo and pooed.

The car park had no parent/child car parking and someone had blocked us in. We had taken my 3 door car as the battery keeps going flat from not driving it and we have to fully open the door to get Leo in his car seat in the back. There was about 10 disabled bays near we were sat and none were in use, so my partner pulled the car into one and we changed him in the boot. Leo being Leo had somehow managed to poo all down his leg so we had to completely change him! All while rushing because even though there were loads of disabled bays free, you still feel bad for being in one! We changed him as quickly as possible and then put him in the car and left haha.

It was still really nice to take him out somewhere. Despite all the poo drama.

Going anywhere with a baby is hard as you don’t know when they need a nappy change and GOSH they get mardy when you miss a nap time!

Anyway, we really enjoyed it apart from this. The Askham Bryan Arboretum was really nice for a baby actually, as he loves looking up at tree branches waving in the air.

We’re probably going to get a season pass for next year when he is toddling about as it will be nice to take him when he’s a bit older. It will be somewhere we can visit with family too, we’ll take a picnic and then Leo can play in the park after looking at all the animals.

If you want to go, you can book your tickets here.

Opening Times

The park is still part of Askham Bryan College, which means their hours are a bit different to most zoos.

• Weekends & school holidays: open 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
• During term time: closed Monday to Friday (so don’t just rock up midweek and expect it to be open!)

Winter hours are usually shorter, so double-check their website or socials if you’re visiting outside of summer.

Prices at Askham Bryan Animal Park

Single Admission Prices 2026

Adult	£8.50
Concession	£7.50
Child (3-15)	£6.50
Child (2 and Under)	Free
Family (2 Adults, 2 Children)	£29.50

Annual Pass Prices 2026

Adult	£25.00
Concession	£20.00
Child (3-15)	£20.00
Child (2 and Under)	Free
Family (2 Adults, 2 Children)	£75.00

Parking is still free (big win), and dogs aren’t allowed, apart from assistance dogs.

Extra Bits

• There’s still a café on site for coffee, snacks, and ice creams.
• Educational workshops and “Wildlife Academy” days run during school holidays (these change year to year – worth checking their Facebook for dates and booking).
• It’s very pushchair- and family-friendly, though not a full-day outing unless you combine it with something else nearby.

2026 Update

We bought the season passes and visit Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park a few times a month. It’s brilliant for Leo. When he started walking, he just wanted to walk around on his terms and it was quite difficult to control him at times. At ABC Wildlife Park we can just let him walk around and we follow him. It’s a safe place for him to explore without the fear of any roads. It’s usually pretty quiet. We tend to go as soon as it opens. I just wish it was open during the week, too!

Hope you enjoyed our Askham Bryan wildlife park review! Have you been? Be sure to check the animal park out the next time you’re in York!

Check out my Bettle Bank Farm review and Piglets Adventure Farm.

Are you looking for more things to do with the kids in Yorkshire? See this post with lots of Yorkshire family fun!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a zoo in York?

Not really, not in York itself. Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park is the closest thing — it’s a small wildlife park and zoo based at Askham Bryan College just outside the city, home to over 100 species. It’s nowhere near the scale of somewhere like Chester Zoo or Yorkshire Wildlife Park, but for a couple of hours out with younger kids, it does the job nicely.

What are the ticket prices for Askham Bryan Wildlife Park?

For 2026, single admission is £8.50 for adults, £7.50 concession, £6.50 for children aged 3-15, and free for under 2s. A family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) is £29.50. Annual passes are also available if you’re local and planning more than one visit — we have one and use it most months.

Other Yorkshire Marine & Wildlife Attractions

Planning more Yorkshire adventures? Check out these other excellent attractions:

• SEA LIFE Scarborough – Smaller aquarium with seal hospital, from £10.67
• Yorkshire Wildlife Park – Polar bears, big cats, full day out
• Flamingo Land – Theme park and zoo combination
• Tropical World Leeds – Indoor tropical wildlife, £9 adults
• Sewerby Hall & Gardens – Historic hall with penguins and small zoo
• Zoos in Yorkshire: Your Complete Guide to the County’s Best Wildlife Parks