Whilst on holiday in Pembrokeshire we were invited along to Folly Farm, Tenby. Its name might imply it is a farm but it should be called Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo. It’s so much more than a farm and I’d go as far as saying it’s one of my favourite family days out here in the UK. You can even go camping there too now so its a great for family days out and holidays.
Ad- press trip. We were invited along to review Folly farm in exchange for this review. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. We last visited May 2019 but this post was updated June 2021 based n website information.
It’s one of several zoos in Wales. There are over 750 animals over 120 acres, 8 play areas and 17 vintage rides. We had a fabulous day. It’s clear that they love their animals and they really look after the attraction. It’s very clean and well maintained. There are no areas that need updating which is fantastic. They clearly understand kids well as the play areas and the attention to detail throughout the attraction is second to none.
Everything you need to know before visiting Folly Farm
Where is Folly farm?
Folly farm address is – Folly Farm, Begelly, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, SA68 0XA
There is plenty of free parking.
what animals are at Folly farm?
If your child loves farm animals they’ll love it here. There are two main areas of farm animals and a zoo area too.
Let’s start with the farm animals at Folly farm. There is an indoor space – Jolly barn and the rare breed paddocks which are outdoors. We started our visit in the Jolly barn. I was blown away by the barn when we first entered it. I was expecting a standard barn with simple animal enclosures but the Jolly barn is so much more. The first thing my kids noticed was the farm-themed play area which was perfect for both our 3 and 6 year old.
The next thing you notice is all the colour and well-designed exhibits that really capture the attention of children. There is so much signage everywhere and the attention to detail is fantastic. The animals include shire horses, ferrets, rats, chickens, goats, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, owls, miniature ponies and donkeys. We particularly enjoyed the hatchery where we were lucky enough to see a few chicks in an incubator.
My girls also enjoyed the lifelike model cows where you can have a go at learning to milk them. There is also the opportunity to pet some of the animals here too and there is a board near the entrance to the barn telling you which animals will be on display at what time. On the day we visited there were animals that could be petted pretty much the whole day.
At the back of the barn is an energy centre where you can learn more about what Folly Farm is doing to reduce its carbon footprint. We learnt about biomass, solar power and much more.
From the barn, you can access the underpass which takes you under the main road to the piggery and the land train which drives around the rare breed paddocks. The land train is a tractor driven, 15-minute ride where the driver tells you all about the rare breed animals in the paddocks. There are deer, llamas, alpaca, sheep, goats and donkeys. My kids both really enjoyed the ride. The ride runs between 11 and 3 pm in the summer months and is included in your ticket price.
Folly farm zoo
The next part of the attraction we explored was the zoo animals. There are currently over 100 species of animals here, some are rare breeds that are in danger of extinction.
Folly farm are passionate about animal conservation and take part in breeding programmes as well as raising money to help too. We saw their Eastern black rhinos which are critically endangered. We also loved their giraffes which are the only giraffes in Wales. There is a viewing platform that we were lucky enough to be on when a giraffe walked right passed it. In fact, we were so close that we could have reached out and touched it. There were zebras in with giraffes too.
Penguins are always a highlight of any zoo trip for us. We particularly enjoy watching them swim underwater. Other animals we saw included lions, meerkats, flamingos, armadillos, Barbary macaques, tortoise camels and much more.
You can tell that they look after their animals and they’ve even won awards for their enclosures like their lion enclosure. They clearly put a lot of thought and work into making the attraction the best they can. They researched the best lion enclosures across Europe for example before designing theirs.
Folly farm play areas
There are many large, themed play areas at Folly Farm. These include a small farm-themed indoor one in the Jolly Barn, a large indoor soft play area “carousel woods”, a destruction playground, a pirate play area and much more.
My girls loved the destruction play are which is a giant sand pit with lots of construction themed play equipment. The pedal tractors are also another great free activity. There are a few other outdoor play areas that are fantastic and really appeal to children as they are so imaginative. My girls loved the wooden pirate ship. Let’s be honest, they loved all the play areas.
Value for money
When I was researching things to do in Pembrokeshire with kids, Folly farm kept coming up but sometimes it was mentioned that it was a little expensive. 2021 prices are £19.95 for adults, £17.95 for children aged 3-15 & seniors (65+), £12.95 for 2 year olds, free for under 2’s. There are also discounts for disabled visitors.
Personally, I think the prices are good value for money when I compare it to similar attractions. There is so much to see and do, you really can spend a full day there. Annual passes are even better value for money if you are local enough to visit more than twice.
We didn’t eat in any of the cafes so I can’t comment on these. Picnics are welcomed and there are plenty of benches for eating them at. We did buy ice creams which cost us £10 for the 4 of us which is a little more than we paid elsewhere in Pembrokeshire but is comparable with a lot of big family attractions.
Plenty to do on a rainy day in Tenby
There’s plenty to do if the weather is not great. 50% of Folly farm is undercover including the Jolly barn (which includes indoor play areas), other animal enclosures and the vintage fairground. Tropical trails and Folly Interactive Explorer is another undercover area. This houses many reptiles and birds and also has a great interactive learning area for kids.
Folly farm fairground rides
The vintage fairground has been lovingly restored and includes 17 rides including dodgems, a ghost train and much more. There are many rides suitable for little ones and my girls loved riding on the mini train ride. The rides are not included in your ticket prices but the prices are very reasonable. There are also lots of classic slot machines here too including 2p machines which are always fun. There really is a fun-filled atmosphere in the fairground not least because of their might Wurlitzer organ playing classic fairground music.
As well as rides, the fairground is also home to a 700 seat theatre. There was a magic show on during our visit but we didn’t have time to fit it in. There is also a cafe and a very large soft play area. As the weather was so nice on our visit we focused on the outdoor play areas but I can see that the indoor one is fantastic for wet days.
Plan your day at Folly Farm
- Check their website for opening times before you visit. Usually, the attraction is open from 10 am with closing time varying depending on the season.
- Book your tickets online before you tavel.
- Arrive early to make the most of your day. We arrived close to opening time and left not long before closing time. We practically had to drag the kids out kicking and screaming. They were not keen to leave, the sign of a great day out.
More things to do in Pembrokeshire for kids
- Have you considered visiting the Big Retreat Wales festival?
- Looking for somewhere to stay near by? Have you considered Bluestone
- Fancy a day trip to Cardiff? Find Top 10 things to do in Cardiff with Children here.
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