Skegness Natureland

Skegness Natureland is a seal sanctuary and zoo located in the heart of the town, on the North Parade. Much of its work is concerned with the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured seals that are picked up on the nearby North Sea coast. The Lincolnshire coast has a breeding ground for Grey seals at Donna Nook, but the seals at Natureland are more likely to be Common or Harbour seals.

Natureland is quite compact, but the attraction does fit a lot into a relatively small area. There's a heated greenhouse known as the Floral Palace which houses tropical butterflies amongst beds of brightly-coloured blooms. You may be able to see them at all stages of their life cycle.

Pictured below left are some ground-dwelling Chinese quail, which are also found in this section. The Floral Palace merges into an arid section filled with various types of cacti and other desert plants.

Another feature is the tropical house, filled with creatures such as lizards, scorpions and even giant cockroaches. More familiar creatures are found in the petting area, and there's also a large pond full of koi carp.

This attraction has about half of its creature features indoors, as well as a gift shop and restaurant. So poor weather won't make much of an impact on your visit. As far as value for money, it's roughly on a par with other similar visitor attractions in Lincolnshire. Since the location is so compact there isn't a lot of walking to do, so allow between one and two hours to see everything, and for maximum cuteness don't miss feeding time for the baby seals.