Formerly an Edwardian palm house, the butterfly house is now a rainforest home to butterflies, Koi carp, tortoises, and more
Fountain and lake at the beautiful Williamson Park(Image: Lancs Live)
Finding activities to keep the kids occupied can feel like a never-ending task, and many families can feel like they visit the same places over and over again. But there are plenty of exciting destinations just a short journey from Liverpool which can offer a change of scenery and keep your little ones entertained for hours.
One such place is Williamson Park in Lancaster. Boasting a sprawling 54 acres of park and woodland, the park also has spectacular views across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District fells.
Williamson Park has a mini zoo, which is home to the park’s resident meerkats and marmosets, and a butterfly house, which used to be a tropical palm house.
Formerly an Edwardian palm house, the butterfly house is now a rainforest home to butterflies, Koi carp, tortoises, and more.
Whatever the weather, families can be sure of a warm welcome in the oasis of trees, twisting vines, a rocky waterfall and flowering tropical plants.
Ashton Memorial, which is a folly in Williamson Park, Lancaster, Lancashire(Image: Lancs Live)
Visitors can walk among some of the world’s most stunning butterfly species, including the blue morpho, emerald swallowtails and cleverly camouflaged owl butterflies.
Butterfly pupae can be seen waiting to emerge in their glass display case – and little ones can keep their eyes peeled for caterpillars munching on the leaves all around them. Children can also learn about the diet and lifecycle of a butterfly from the information boards or talk to one of the attraction’s knowledgeable zoo keepers.
Entry to the butterfly house and mini zoo are available for purchase at the gift shop and admission is priced at £5 per adult and £3.50 for children, with kids aged under three going for free. A family of four can purchase a £14 entry ticket, or a family of six can buy a ticket for £20. There is a concession price of £4.
Stunning view out across Lancaster towards the Lake District from Ashton Memorial(Image: Lancs Live)
The butterfly house and mini zoo are open all year round, apart from on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The park is open from 10am until 5pm between April and September, making it an ideal destination for a day trip on a spring weekend, or during the school holidays.
Last entry to the attraction is at 4.15pm each day. Each weekend and every day during the school holidays at 11:30am families have the chance to meet the zoo keepers, and get even closer to some of the animals.
In January 2018 the mini zoo welcomed two rescue common marmosets called Colin and Leo, who joined the attraction from Monkey World in Dorset, a collection that specialises in caring for primates rescued from the pet trade, and includes various species of chimpanzees, gibbons, orang-utans and monkeys.
Common marmosets are members of the Callitrichidae monkey family and are native to Brazil in South America, mainly feeding on insects and plant exudatives such as sap and gum.
The attraction is popular with families and often features on the social media profiles of family-focused influencers who share ideas for fun days out. One such video posted by Liverpool influencer Morgan Bold described the attraction as being something kids ‘will love’.
Williamson Park is also home to the Pavilion Café and Shop, which are unfortunately closed until further notice due to recent storm damage. However, the pop-up Ashton Bar can be found outside, serving hot food seven days a week, plus Cece, the park’s coffee concession, which serves hot and cold drinks.