Near Mablethorpe on the East Coast of England lies The Seal Sanctuary & Wildlife Centre. Located north of the popular seaside town of Skegness and south of Cleethorpes, this family-friendly day out is conveniently located for anyone enjoying a nearby caravan holiday. Nestled right next to Haven’s Golden Sands, we actually visited from the Park Dean Sunnydale 15 minutes down the road.

We were looking for something to do with our 1 year old and this little gem did not disappoint!

The entrance price for this attraction was very reasonable so we assumed it would be quite a small place. We were pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of different areas to explore.

We started by visiting the birds and were met with peacocks, eagles, parakeets and all kinds of owls just to name a few!

Next we headed for the reptile house where our daughter liked to get up close and personal with the tarantula as well as getting rather excited about the snakes!

We continued to follow the signs leading us around the centre admiring the beautiful landscaping. The place was lined with greenery and they’ve done such a good job of making it pretty.

They even had dinosaurs! I must admit, my 1 year old will be starting to think dinosaurs aren’t extinct as they seem to be appearing in all the wildlife places we visit lately!

We weren’t given a map when we entered as it’s not something they offer. I found this quite unusual but it actually added to the fun! We had no idea what we were going to come across and there were plenty of signposts which made the park easy to follow so you didn’t miss anything.

I was surprised to see such a variety of animals from alpacas to gibbons to pigs! Especially given it was a ‘seal sanctuary’.

The place even had a little play area which we were able to enjoy as a family.

Picnic tables dotted around the centre meant we could even enjoy lunch surrounded by animals. We sat by the big cats in the sun.

Being a seal sanctuary of course they house injured seals and nurse them back to being well. There were a few seals here  including one with a bad head injury. The location is very close to a known seal colony. I was surprised to hear about just how many seals are born in this area each year in comparison to the general seal population – 1000 out of 200,000 in the world!

When it was time to head out we left our car here and walked in to Mablethorpe for a day at the seaside. It’s about a 30 minute walk and the centre even reimburse your parking costs upon entrance.

Overall, we had a great family day out at the Seal Sanctuary. I absolutely love introducing our daughter to lots of animals whilst she’s so little. She loves it and we love seeing her reaction to all the animals too!

I can’t wait to see where our next adventure will take us. Until then, please send me any recommendations by leaving me a comment below. Thanks!

Useful bits

Website: https://www.thesealsanctuary.co.uk/
Location: Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
Entry Fee: (Correct in April 2025) Adults £13 Children (3-15) £9 – Under 3s Free
Bonus Factors: Free parking with entrance fee and plenty of it. Loads of outdoor and indoor space for picnics if you want to bring your own food. Small play area for the kids to enjoy. Easy to spend a couple of hours here exploring and meeting the animals.
Verdict: The entrance fee was extremely reasonable given the amount of animals that you can see here; especially for under 3s (£26 for 2 adults and a 1 year old).
TripAdvisor: The Seal Sanctuary and Wildlife Centre