Ponderosa Zoo

A superb small zoo with a nice selection of smaller animals and creatures. Perfect for a few hours out. £28 for a family ticket is great value. We especially liked the serval cat (best seen at feed time because as you know cats like to hide away and snooze). Lots of parking, food and drink outlets, playgrounds and a gift shop.

Great place to spend a couple of hours.
Some very informative talks from the keepers during feeding times.

My sons 8, 5 and 10 months all loved the lemur walk through, it was great to be so up close to them watching them do their thing.

The Parks and sand pit are always a great hit with the children.

Visited this hidden gem for the first time and was not disappointed! Such a lovely zoo with a great selection of animals and some very knowledgeable keepers and staff who put in a lot of effort. There are food and toilet facilities, all super clean. Convenient parking and a lovely souvenir shop. Definitely worth a few trips across the year to see their special species and any new and upcoming developments :)

We visited Ponderosa zoo midweek, it was a Tuesday and we arrived about 12pm. There was ample parking, no doubt due to being early in the week and not a school holiday.
The reception staff was very helpful explaining the route around the zoo and informing us that some of the animals were not out due to limited staff. However we were told that if we really wanted to see them, then a member of staff would take us into their enclosure. We didn't mind as it was early in the season and we do intend to return later in the year.
The zoo looked very clean, well kept and signposted. It was pushchair and wheel chair friendly with gently inclines for most of the zoo.

The first animals we came across were the Meercats and then the Porcupines then into the nocturnal house. All the enclosures had descriptions of their guests and details about their natural habitats.
It was all well laid out and a very pleasant stroll with planted areas to break it up. There is also a large playground area with seating to watch the kids burn off some energy.
A nice serene pond area with an overlooking restaurant which wasn't open at this time of year (March)

We popped into the Cafe for a quick drink and were pleasantly surprised by the very reasonable pricing. I was intending to just have a drink but at those prices I opted for a tuna mayo sandwich which was very generously filled. There are not too many tables inside but there is plenty of room outside for when the weather is a little warmer.
They also had a large counter selling a wide variety of ice creams that looked great.

All in all a very pleasant visit and we will definitely be back although it will be much busier no doubt as the weather improves.
I didn't realise this place existed and very happy to have found some where close to home, it was a half hour drive for us from east Leeds, that we can visit so easily and won't break the bank

Visited the zoo over bank holiday weekend. we got to see a lot of amazing animals that looked well looked after.

All the staff was super friendly and answered all of our questions about the lemurs and other animals on show.
Will definitely recommend a visit and we will be going back soon.

A lovely hidden gem. Small & quiet zoo but friendly & knowledgeable staff who clearly care for their animals. Plenty to keep the kids entertained: as well as the animals there are playgrounds & air bouncers at no additional cost. The nocturnal animal walkthrough is a real highlight & worth going for this alone, saw some animals we have never seen before at some of the bigger zoos (cloud rats are too cute!) Brilliant day, thoroughly recommend.

Absolutely lovely place, a hidden Yorkshire gem.
We visited for my daughters 3rd Birthday and we all had a great time.
Highly recommended

It's been awhile since I've visited Ponderosa as my kids are all grown up so it was a real treat to bring my 6-year-old Niece to visit and how it has changed. The animals are more exotic, I was disappointed the barn where the children could handle the small animals rabbits, guinea pigs etc was gone but the new reptile and nocturnal houses are wonderful. There is lots to do and see, various play areas, zip wire, sandpit, pitate ship, and more for the littlies throughout the venue. The pathways leading through the park are clearly marked and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. There are toilets situated throughout and refreshments avaliable at various points. The Lakeside Restaurant/Venue is set in beautiful grounds next to a large pond full of coy carp. Icecream, snacks and juice/coffee are not overpriced. Free parking. This is a fantastic day out and won't break the bank.

Such a great little zoo - a great variety of animals and they all have excellent enclosures. Staff were very helpful and went above and beyond to show us around and give us a wonderful experience. Hannah saw us looking at the lemur enclosure and took extra time educating us about the lemur species and the individuals in the enclosure. Highly recommend for anyone interested in animals no matter the age!

Oh I loved this little cozy zoo 🤩 absolutely beautiful park and 4 different playgrounds such as a big 2 bouncy pillows, sand with a big ship, play area for toddlers and 1 big massive playground for all ages kids. Every play area has picnic area 😍 and of course many nice animals

its nice small zoo good place for familis with kids.
they have quite few animals but most of them hid in shed its small zoo but enjoyable 😊

Lovely place to visit, not your large zoo with the big African 5. Animals were small and plenty to see. Even got to see a baby spider monkey. Snack shop was very reasonably priced. 2 large hotdogs and coffee and bottle of Pepsi max £10. Walk thru the lemur enclosure was lovely 😍

Great zoo on a small site, perfect size for little ones. Plenty of opportunities for interactions with some rare animals. The Lemur walk was brilliant and features two species of Lemur with another species in a separate enclosure. We were able to talk to the keeper who was quite informative and our 4 year old was excited to be so close. Reptile house, Nocturnal house, Otters, Scottish Wild Cats and Porcupine to name a few. There are a number of play areas and bouncing pillows. Two cafes and great clean facilities. Definitely worth a visit and we will be back in the Summer!

The price reflects the size of the zoo well, we saw lots of animals we had never seen before which is impressive because have visited an array of zoos. Would definitely recommend and will be visiting again. (24 and 25 year old)

Lovely zoo. Kids loved it. It was raining on the day that we went so we never got the full experience... nevertheless it was a nice outing and we'll definitely be back for sunny days.

Great place and very local which helps. Reasonable entry price as well. Didn't use the cafes/restaurant as we took a picnic. Plenty of seats and picnic tables around. They also have picnic tables that have spaces to get a wheelchair under. It was good that you could walk through the lemur enclosure and they were certainly active whilst we were in there! Overall its a great place to go if you don't want the hassle of driving to Doncaster to the Yorkshire Wildlife park and be with the crowds. Would definitely go again.

Had a lovely day out at the zoo. Great value for money, fantastic staff, fabulous carvery, well worth the money. Plenty to see and do for children. All in all a great day out.

Definitely one of the best places to visit with your child. Very well looked after premises where the animals are kept, spacious/ nature like areas for the bigger animals, clean and rather large. Highly recommend going in the morning to have the time to see everything and to have enough time to spend at the play areas which are also very well looked after with lots of things for different age groups. All the staff are very friendly — at the ticket office, at the cafe, at the restricted visiting areas (lemurs). And the tickets are only 8.95£ per person. Definitely worth the value. Very pleasant experience. Highly recommend. Will definitely be back here again!☀

Great family day out. Lots of spaces to explore.. 2 parks/play areas for children which were lovely. Lots of snack/coffee shops. The enclosures look nice. Staff were friendly and helpful. Well worth a visit.

Plenty of car parking space. Would recommend better signage to here as you can miss it on the main road.
Animals well looked after. Very clean.