Dartmoor Zoo

I don't know anything about the zoo or from where you are making the day trip. If London, it appears to be 3 hours each way, about $100 each for the train, plus bus or car rental to get to the zoo and admission.

It's a minor zoo that got famous because it was crappy. I've never wanted to stop. You decide.

I visited the Whipsnade Zoo year before last and was very impressed. It's immense and one could spend the whole day there, which we did, actually. Google for directions on how to get to it.

The 'We Bought a Zoo' film has greatly increased visitors to this zoo on which it was based, but considering it as a zoo alone it is an attraction more at a local level.

Long, costly day trip so in MHO the answer would be "no." FYI the location in the film was a ranch in Hidden Valley an area North of Los Angeles just outside of Thousand Oaks.

The owner wasn't particularly happy about the story being transposed to California, but I guess the money talked enough ...