Chester Zoo is home to over 21,000 endangered and exotic animals based in beautiful, award-winning gardens and is the nearest large zoo to Manchester. With over 500 different animal species in their 125 acres, visitors are sure to have an adventure discovering and learning about the amazing wildlife. Conservation and education are at the heart of everything at Chester Zoo. They are committed to providing the highest standards of care for their animals as well as protecting native and international wildlife. Their team of expert and knowledgeable staff work hard to prevent extinction and are passionate about connecting visitors to the natural world. Chester Zoo has a variety of tours and hands-on experiences, as well as daily animal talks to guarantee a day full of animal adventure. Stop for a snack at one of their many restaurants, cafes, and kiosks, including their recently refurbished contemporary British pub, The Oakfield. It's a huge zoo, but there are plenty of options for getting around, including the Zoofari Monorail and the Lazy River Boat Trip on the Islands. Don’t forget to stop in at the gift shop on your way out for a souvenir of your trip.

Step back in time at the wartime air-raid shelters and experience the sights and sounds of Britain’s Home Front. Visitors can walk through original tunnels, carefully re-equipped to show what daily life was like during the 1940s, and follow the stories of locals through clear, well-curated displays and an audio guide. First opened in 1939, the shelters were the largest purpose-built civilian air-raid shelters in the country, originally designed for 3,850 people and later expanded during 1940–41 to hold up to 6,500. Cut directly into the sandstone cliffs beneath the town centre, the mile-long network offers a rare look at wartime engineering and civilian life. The site reopened in 1996 as a visitor attraction after restoration by Stockport Council and has since become one of the town’s most important museums. Today, it works as both a memorial and an educational space, giving a direct sense of how communities lived through the air raids.

Go on a pony or horseback ride right on the beach. Riding lessons are available from the age of four, and even the two year olds can enjoy a handheld walk on a pony.

Friedrichhafen’s Zeppelin Well was rebuilt in 2000, basing on the original model of 1909 that had been destroyed in the Second World War. Close by lies the Zeppelin Monument, which commemorates Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.