Indoor tropical rainforest in the UK with free-roaming sloth you won’t have heard of – but mums are raving about
THE UK is home to it’s own tropical rainforest – and it makes the perfect day out for rainy days.
The Living Rainforest is in the tiny village of Hampstead Norreys in Berkshire.
Run by the Trust for Sustainable Living, as many as 100,000 people visit a year.
Inside are three glasshouses, with more than 800 types or plants and animals – many of which are free roaming.
This includes the blue poison dart frog as well as pythons and toucans.
The larger mammals include the two-toed sloth which is free-roaming and a six-banded armadillo.
You can also buy activity booklets along the way for kids to be able to tick off everything inside.
You can even book Keeper Experiences, ranging from 20-90 minutes.
There is an on-site cafe serving, although you can also book an afternoon tea with cakes, sandwiches and tea.
Outdoor seating and a small play area are also free at the attraction.
Parents have been raving about the attraction, calling it the best place to kill a few hours in bad weather.
One mum wrote: “I wanted a tropical experience and this delivered. I thought it was beautiful.”
Someone else agreed: “My favourite place to visit! I’ve been going to the Living Rainforest for many years and it’s always a wonderful day out.”
A third commented: “[It’s] a lovely little haven to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. Never even realised it was there.”
Someone even called it a “hidden gem for rainy days”.
Common advice from guests was to wear light layers, with it remaining a tropical temperature indoors, as well as wear mucky shoes as it can get wet inside.
Tickets cost £11 for kids and £14.50 for adults, while kids under two go free.
Open from 9:30am until 4pm, you can also catch live feedings from 10am to 2pm.
It’s not the only tropical attraction in the UK.
The Barbican’ s indoor garden is the second largest conservatory in the city and is free to enter.
City of LDN wrote: “It’s a hidden tropical oasis in the heart of the City of London.
“Home to exotic fish and over 1,500 species of tropical plants and trees, a visit to Barbican Conservatory is the perfect way to enjoy a relaxing day out with friends and family.”
The UK's best indoor attractions
The UK's unpredictable weather means finding indoor activities is essential for parents treating their kids to a day out.
Here’s a list of some of the best attractions found firmly underneath a roof in the country.
Empire of the Sea Dragon Indoor Zone
This play area claims to be the biggest indoor play park in the UK.
The entertainment hub is home to five floors, with slides, rope bridges, swings, net towers and rides.
There’s also the Trauma Tower, which Empire of the Sea claim is the “best indoor ride in Devon” because of its huge 50ft drop.
Other indoor rides at the Devonshire-based indoor play area include a Ferris Wheel and a Submarine Ride.
Play Factore
This indoor play zone claims to have been designed especially “to provide families with a state of the art active indoor play arena to play in together”.
Included in its attractions are the tallest standing indoor slide in the UK, as well as a full indoor laser tag arena, interactive trampolines and zip wires.
In addition to the UK’s tallest indoor slide, it also has the country’s largest indoor play frame, made up of a network of tunnels, slides and obstacles, including giant bubble balls, spider nets and rollers.
What’s more, for kids more into playing ball sports, it has a football pitch and a basketball court built into the play frame.
Gravity Max
Gravity Max has sites in both the north and south of the UK, including in Liverpool, Castleford and Wandsworth.
It also recently opened a brand new one in East London at the Westfield Shopping Centre.
The main draw of the site is its E-karting super track, which runs on two separate tracks across multiple levels, offering various different racing experiences.
It also has Tokyo-style arcades covering almost an entire floor of their own upstairs.
There’s also a nine-hole Coca-Cola minigolf course, which requires players to tap their club in before starting, so each shot can be counted digitally, meaning no cheating is able to take place.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the Heineken sports bar is found, which has private booths to allow those who have booked them to have their own choice of music, as well as their own TV screens to watch their choice of sport.
And there is also Borrowdale Rainforest, the biggest temperate rainforest in the country.
Despite rainforests being associated more with tropical environments, countries with milder – and wetter – conditions have their own type of rainforests too.