Review of Drusillas Park in East Sussex from Let's Go with the Children   Drusillas Park Reviewed April 2012

We have just had a wonderful day at Drusillas Park in East Sussex; we took my eight year old son and his friend. It was the very first time any of us had visited Drusillas and we were absolutely delighted. They call it “No ordinary Zoo” and I can understand why.  There are over one hundred different animal species and all extremely well kept. The park was very clean and well maintained. This large collection of mainly smaller animals means that you actually see every single one. You can also get up close to some of the animals including Lemurs, penguins, beavers, monkeys and a walk-through bat enclosure which was fascinating. We went into the walk-through aviary and fed the beautiful birds including Rainbow Lorikeets and Parrots. We all thought this was very special and took some fantastic photos when the boys had several brightly coloured birds perching on their arms. We all love Meerkats and the boys especially liked the tunnels which lead to domes within the enclosure so they could get a closer look. There were several interesting Keepers talks and feeding of the animals during the day including the Squirrels, Monkeys, Penguins, Otters, Lemurs, and Penguins. The children enjoyed filling in the Animal Spotter and Zoolympics booklet as they went around the park, a cleaver way to make this an enjoyable and educational experience. The free ride on the Thomas train which ran throughout the day looked fun and extremely popular with the younger children. The journey time was well timed as the queues were never too long. The boys enjoyed the Discovery Centre where they dug for Dinosaur remains and came back proudly clutching a certificate. My son informs me that he found 8 or 9 fossils his friend found 4, including a Raptor claw, Brontosaurus leg bone and Camarasaurus leg bone. This was finished off with fun on gigantic bouncy slide The Penguin Plunge, followed by exploring the cleverly designed interactive Eden's Eye Maze. Finally we went to the huge play area where my husband and I enjoyed a cup of coffee in the outside seating area of the Oasis Café while we watch the boys play. I was really surprised at the size of the play area, which was split in two so that the equipment was age specific, so very safe indeed. I would definitely recommend Drusillas Park as a great day out for all the family – we will certainly be visiting again!