England's best attractions for 2026 have been revealed, and the winners may surprise tourists expecting Buckingham Palace or Legoland. Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park in Suffolk took the top prize at the Visit England Awards for Excellence, winning Large Visitor Attraction of the Year.
Surprise Winner: Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park
Owned by TV star and conservationist Jimmy Doherty, known for Channel 4 and BBC programmes including Jimmy's Farm, the wildlife park focuses on British rare breeds and houses camels, primates, tapirs, crocodiles, lions, and a tiger added in October 2025. Its standout feature is Europe's largest polar bear facility, the Lost Lands of the Tundra, which also houses brown bears, Arctic foxes, grey wolves, reindeer, and red-breasted geese. The bears are visible from trains on the London–Ipswich line.
The park has 1,800 five-star reviews on Tripadvisor out of 2,400 total. Visitors praise its animal welfare focus, woodland walks, and family-friendly facilities. Access from London takes about an hour by train from Liverpool Street to Ipswich, then a £13 taxi ride each way.
Silver and Bronze Winners
Second place went to Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, where visitors learn about WWII code-breakers. Bronze was awarded to Attwell Farm Park in Worcestershire, a family-run petting farm with Pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and ducks.
Other Category Winners
The awards, hosted by journalist Sean Fletcher on 3 June at Aerospace Bristol, covered 17 categories. Notable winners include:
- Accessible & Inclusive Tourism: Hoe Grange Holidays (Gold), Nottingham Playhouse (Silver), Attwell Farm Park (Bronze)
- Large Hotel of the Year: Bovey Castle (Gold), Watergate Bay Hotel (Silver), The Grand Brighton (Bronze)
- Experience of the Year: Blacksmithing Experience Days (Gold), The Wizard Walk of York (Silver), Make Your Own Distilled Spirit (Bronze)
- New Tourism Business of the Year: One Acre Wood (Gold), The Story of Emily (Silver), Flora and Fauna Exmoor (Bronze)
- Taste of England Award: Carriages Restaurant (Gold), Eight at Gazegill (Silver), Blackfriars Restaurant (Bronze)
Ministerial Praise
Tourism Minister Stephanie Peacock said: “I am delighted to see so many businesses across England being recognised for their outstanding work... Our upcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will provide a clear, long-term plan to unlock investment, back businesses and showcase more of our great destinations.”
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes added: “The awards are a celebration of England’s outstanding tourism industry... From a hands-on, traditional blacksmith’s visitor experience to a castle hotel and spa, these awards showcase exceptional quality, customer service and innovation.”
Full list of winners available at VisitEngland's website.
