Home from Home
🏖️ 2.24 miles from Blue Anchor West (Poor water quality)
Watchet, South West England
Sleeps 6
£353 per break
Check availabilityZoos & Wildlife · Minehead
Tropiquaria
📍 TA23 0QB
Photo: Rabbi WP Thinrod (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Reptile House inside the original Transmitter Hall
- Aquarium housed in the old service basement
- Nocturnal House in the former battery rooms
- Two near life-sized pirate ships for imaginative play
- Outdoor play fort and zip wire across the lawn
Tropiquaria is a small zoo and animal sanctuary in Minehead, Somerset, built in and around a repurposed 1933 BBC Radio Transmitting Station. The Grade II listed building houses a Reptile House, Aquarium and Nocturnal House, with several acres of outdoor enclosures beyond. You can see mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, including meerkats, lemurs and a notable breeding collection of Goodeid fish, and there's a restaurant plus indoor and outdoor play areas with pirate ships, a play fort and zip wire. It suits families wanting a relaxed day combining wildlife, history and conservation. No dogs are allowed except assistance dogs. For a stay nearby, Blue Anchor West beach is 2.8 miles away, Taunton station 14.3 miles away, and there are 32 bookable places to stay within 5 miles on BritStays.
Practical details
- Open
- Open daily, 10:30–5:00pm, last admission 1 hour before closing
- Dogs
- No dogs permitted except registered Assistance Dogs
- Booking
- Tickets available on arrival or bookable in advance online
- Best for
- Families, with indoor and outdoor play areas alongside animal encounters
From the attraction's own website on 20 Sep 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Restaurant
- ✓ Cafe
- ✓ Toilets
- ✓ Gift Shop
- ✓ Picnic Area
- ✓ Indoor Areas
- ✓ Parking
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Create a free account to claimPlaces to stay near Tropiquaria
Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
1.3 mi
1.3 mi
1.4 mi
1.6 mi
Sunnyfield - Orchard View
🏖️ 1.64 miles from Blue Anchor West (Poor water quality)
Minehead, South West England
Sleeps 2
£523 per break
Check availability
1.6 mi
Sunnyfield - Brook Cottage
🏖️ 1.64 miles from Blue Anchor West (Poor water quality)
Minehead, South West England
Sleeps 4
£667 per break
Check availability
1.7 mi
🎪 What's on near Tropiquaria
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 11:00
Shiiine On Weekender - Minehead
Butlins Minehead Resort, Minehead · 5.8 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:00
Hindsight's 27th Birthday - Fright Night
Labyrinth, Taunton · 14.4 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 4 Dec · 12:00
Taunton Audio Tour: Echoes of History and Heritage
County Hall, Taunton, Taunton · 14.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 4 Dec · 20:00
Mambo Presents: The Sound of Christmas
Mambo, Taunton · 14.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
🗓️ Make a break of it
Turn a visit to Tropiquaria into a proper getaway — ready-made plans, and the drive worked out with fuel, EV charging and the best stops.
🚆 Or come by train
- Taunton 14.3 miles
- Bridgwater 15.7 miles
- Rhoose Cardiff Airport 15.7 miles
Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page