Last weekend, we headed to Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park, just outside Ipswich, for the first time. At around £65 for two adults and one child, it’s not the cheapest day out (especially not just before Christmas!), but did we feel that we got our money’s worth…?
Here’s what to expect at Jimmy’s Farm, starting with…
The Animals
The website boasts that there are “over 100 different species and breeds”, and these range from the more common to the more unusual.
You’ll find your goats, ducks, chickens and pigs, as you would at any regular farm park.
Jimmy’s Farm, though, is no regular farm park. Here, you’ll find everything from capybaras to crocodiles – even polar bears.
There are reptile and butterfly houses to walk through, tapirs and anteaters, and the most recent additions (which came from Chessington, I believe) are the lions and tiger, which were capturing plenty of attention when we visited.
The reception team sells animal food, priced at £2 per box, and it’s clearly marked on the fences if the food isn’t suitable for a particular breed. All the enclosures are well-designed, with plenty of space for the animals, and we saw no signs of distress during our visit.
Tip: Check out the board by the entrance: sometimes there are feeding times listed – or ranger talks where you can learn more about the animals at Jimmy’s Farm.
Kids’ Activities
If you’re visiting Jimmy’s Farm with children, there’s a decent amount to keep them entertained beyond the animals.
You’ll find various play areas dotted throughout the site: a smaller playground for toddlers, a large piece of play equipment with two slides and various nets and climbing walls to scramble over, and two bouncy pillows plus sandpits to burn off some energy. There’s also a wooden obstacle course by the donkeys.
Up in the woodland, between the main entrance and the pigs, a den building area is the perfect place for kids and adults alike to get creative with nature – and there are some impressive constructions already there!
After all that activity, you’ll probably need to refuel…
The Food and Drink
There are plenty of food and drink options at Jimmy’s Farm. Before you enter the ticketed area, you’ll find The Barn Restaurant (booking advised), and one of the two coffee cabins is just past the ticket office.
There’s an ice cream van in the summer, a jacket potato place in the woodland, and The Trough, selling picnic foods, at the Rare Breeds Farm. The Cow Shed, by the bouncy pillows, sells everything from pizza and sausage rolls to ice creams and milkshakes, but we opted for The Field Kitchen, located by the reptile house and with a covered outdoor seating area right next to it.
This place serves things like loaded fries, bacon rolls, hot dogs and pasta. At £6.50, we thought the kids’ lunchbox (a choice of sandwich, plus biscuits, Pom Bears, raisins and a drink) was ok value, given the location, but sadly our choices weren’t as good.
We both went for the loaded fries: the Hog Dirty Fries (£9.50, with grated cheese, pulled pork, BBQ sauce and spring onions), and the seasonal Turkey and Stuffing Loaded Fries (£9.50, including cranberry sauce). Both were pretty dry: the cheese wasn’t melted on the former, the turkey and stuffing were tasty on the latter, but I needed plenty of mayo to wash it all down. There was also a bone in the turkey, which I know is a risk, but wouldn’t have been ideal if I’d been sharing these with the seven-year-old.
I think we’ll book the main restaurant next time (and remember, you can also take a picnic to save money and time!)
Special Events
Throughout the year, Jimmy’s Farm hosts a variety of seasonal events – check their website to see what’s on. As we visited in December, “Ewa’s Magical Journey” was included in our ticket price.
Our son received a trail sheet: his mission was to find each of the animals pictured and located the stamp pad outside each one’s enclosure.
Once he’d found them all, it was time to make our way to the marquee outside the butterfly house for a magic show and stories with Santa, and a free cuddly toy from his elves.
The whole experience was fantastic – really well-organised and exciting for the child, which is the most important thing!
Other Things To Do
While you’re at Jimmy’s Farm, be sure to check out the retail outlets near the entrance – a country clothing store, a farm shop, a sweet shop, a plant centre and a gift shop that offers far too many temptations for visiting children!
If you’re stuck for unique gifts for animal-lovers, it’s also worth checking out the range of animal experiences on offer. From feeding the anteater to giving the tapirs tummy rubs, they would create truly memorable experiences!
Is Jimmy’s Farm Worth Visiting?
You’ll pay more to get into Jimmy’s Farm than you would to visit other local farm parks – but that ticket price guarantees a whole day of great entertainment. This is a place where the animals are at the heart of the experience, but there’s so much more on offer, too. Make use of the playgrounds, get stuck into the den building and head to the ranger talks, and you’ll easily find that you can keep the whole family entertained for the entire day.