The Great Brick Safari at Marwell Zoo

This week Marwell became the first zoo in the UK to host a collection of giant LEGO® brick animals and we were lucky enough to be some of the first to find them.

Over 2 million LEGO® bricks were used to make 81 stunning sculptures representing 27 different species, created by LEGO building company Bright Bricks. Among them is a 1.5 tonne elephant, a life size Bengal tiger and a family of lions.

Other sculptures have been inspired by Marwell’s diverse collection of animals, with a red ruffed lemur, a warthog and a mob of meerkats all featuring on the trail.

The kids were given a free spotters guide as they entered the park which listed the animals they had to find. You have to be vigilant though, some are quite well hidden (remember to look up as well as at floor level).

As part of the Brick Safari trail, sculpture spotters can find out the number of builders, hours taken, weight and number of bricks used for each of the LEGO® animals featured. 

There is the chance to win a family tour of Bright Bricks by guessing how many bricks were used to build ‘Earl Grey” the magnificent elephant sculpture.

For kids itching to try and build their ownLEGO® creation, there is the Great Brick Building Zone in front of Marwell Hall with a LEGO® brick pit to play in, or they can contribute to a record-breaking attempt at a LEGO® brick Python by building segments to join onto its body. 

The Great Brick Safari is included with general admission to the zoo and runs until Sunday 1 October.

The brick animals are situated all around the park, giving you the chance to see all the zoo residents as you wander around.

Marwell has also recently opened their new Lemur Loop attraction which is a new walk through, home to four different species of Lemur; Aloatran gentle lemurs, Black and White ruffed Lemurs, Crowned Lemurs and Ring-Tailed Lemurs alongside a new species at Marwell – the endangered Green Peafowl.

Marwell Zoo has 140 acres to explore, packed full of hundreds of endangered and charismatic animals from anteaters to white rhino, giraffes to penguins, zebra to snow leopards and many, many more.

One of our favourite recent additions to the zoo is the African Wilderness, their largest exhibit to date, which is home to the White Rhino, Zebra, Scimitar-Horned Oryx and Ostrich, which all roam around together.

Marwell Zoo is one of our favourite local places to visit as not only is it packed full of animals to see, but it has wide paths and plenty of play areas for the kids to burn off all their energy and is easily a full day out for all the family.

Entry prices to Marwell Zoo cost from £17.26 per adult and £13.62 for children with kids aged under 3, free. They also offer family discounts.