An Award Winning Break in Chester

Chester Zoo 

Large Attraction of the Year — Highly Commended  | Team of the Year — Winner | Regenerative Tourism Award — Winner

Chester Zoo needs little introduction. The UK’s number 1 zoo and one of Europe's most visited wildlife attractions, it is home to over 35,000 animals and 128 endangered species, spread across 128 acres of award-winning gardens. But to think of it simply as a day out would be to miss the bigger picture entirely.

"Visiting Chester Zoo isn't just a great day out. It's a direct contribution to the survival of species around the world."

The zoo's triple win at this year's awards reflects an organisation that is genuinely leading the way in sustainable and regenerative tourism. Its ambitions are bold: net-zero carbon, zero waste, and over 30% biodiversity gain on its land, all by 2030. And the work to get there is already well under way.

The Networks for Nature project is perhaps the most ambitious of these initiatives, restoring 60 square miles of habitats across Cheshire through hedgerow planting, wetland creation, and wildlife corridors stretching from Chester to Ellesmere Port. Meanwhile, the new Reserve at Chester Zoo brings the safari lodge experience to the heart of England: 51 eco-friendly lodges with green roofs, designed so that every stay directly funds global conservation. Add solar panels, electric heat pumps, and a campaign that made Chester the world's first Sustainable Palm Oil City, and you begin to understand why this team took home three awards in a single evening.

Plan a full day, or better still, make a weekend of it. Staying at the Reserve means waking up to the sounds of wildlife on your doorstep, knowing your visit is putting conservation work into action.

Escapism Chester

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year — Highly Commended

One way in. Only one way out. If you're looking for something a little different to fill an evening in Chester, Escapism's live escape rooms deliver exactly that: an hour of clue-hunting, code-cracking, and collective problem-solving that makes for a genuinely memorable group experience.

The rooms themselves range from theatrical to genuinely spine-tingling. Help a panicked stage crew locate a missing Dame's wig before curtain-up in The Show Must Go On, or take on the challenge of retrieving a priceless relic from a heavily guarded museum in The Heist. For those seeking something with a little more edge, The Missing and Fallout raise the stakes considerably.

Perhaps most fittingly for Chester, there's also Conservation Crisis, a room built around a wildlife rescue storyline in which every booking generates a donation to Chester Zoo. The city's conservation spirit, it seems, runs right through the walls.

Groups of two to six people. Sessions run for 60 minutes. All rooms are bookable online at escapismchester.co.uk.

744 Experience, Tattenhall

New Tourism Business of the Year — Winner

When British Airways retired its 747-400 fleet in 2020, most people said goodbye to the Queen of the Skies for the last time. The team behind 744 Experience had a rather different idea.

Tucked away near the village of Tattenhall in rural Cheshire, two significant sections of a former British Airways Boeing 747 have been given a remarkable second life. The cockpit of G-CIVM has been preserved as a fully operational fixed-base flight simulator, complete with original instruments, avionics, and a 220-degree wraparound visual display. Every button, every switch, every system works exactly as it did at 35,000 feet.

"A simulator built by professionals, for enthusiasts and anyone who has ever wanted to experience the genuine controls of a Boeing 747-400."

No flying experience is needed. A trained operator and co-pilot guides you through engine start-up, push-back, taxi, take-off, cruise, and landing, letting you choose your route, your destination, and your weather conditions. Two shorthaul experience durations are available: 90 minutes and 150 minutes.

The experience goes beyond the cockpit. Board through the Upper Deck Business Class cabin, settle into original British Airways seating, and if the mood takes you, combine your flight with a Business Class Afternoon Tea or one of the themed destination dining experiences served in-flight.

Whether you're an aviation enthusiast, an ex-crew member, or simply after an unforgettable gift idea, 744 Experience is one of those rare Cheshire discoveries that genuinely has to be seen to be believed.

Axt Haus, Chester

New Tourism Business of the Year — Highly Commended

Axe throwing has arrived in Chester, and it has arrived with a pretzel in hand. Axt Haus brings together the primal thrill of sending steel spinning through the air and the convivial warmth of a German-inspired bar, and the combination is as entertaining as it sounds.

Hosted one-hour sessions run for groups of up to ten people, taking everyone from complete beginner to competitive by the end. There are options for hen and stag parties, corporate team-building packages complete with exclusive venue hire and a dedicated meeting area, and straightforward drop-in sessions for those who simply fancy something a little out of the ordinary.

Deva Fest, Cholmondeley Castle Gardens

Best Event or Festival — Winner

Set against the extraordinary backdrop of Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, Deva Fest returns this summer for four days of music, comedy, camping, and the kind of family-friendly atmosphere that keeps people coming back year after year.

This year's headliners include Jessie J, Ronan Keating, and James Morrison, supported by a packed programme of live entertainment, a free-to-ride fairground, and food and drink stalls drawn from the finest local producers across Cheshire and beyond.

Deva Fest 2026: 6th to 9th August at Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, Malpas, Cheshire. Tickets at devafest.co.uk.

Nunsmere Hall, Oakmere, Northwich

Large Hotel of the Year — Winner | Wedding Venue of the Year — Winner

There are hotels, and then there are places that make you feel as though you have stepped into somewhere entirely apart from the everyday. Nunsmere Hall is firmly the latter. Set within 60 acres of private grounds on a peninsula surrounded by its own lake, this magnificent Grade II-listed Edwardian manor is one of Cheshire's most celebrated country house retreats, and this year's winner of both the Large Hotel and Wedding Venue of the Year awards.

"Where original oak panelling, ornate ceilings, and heritage features transport you to a bygone era of refined luxury, with every modern comfort included."

The 36 bedrooms and suites each carry the character of the building they inhabit. Original Edwardian features sit alongside beautifully appointed furnishings, and many of the executive rooms face south, looking out across sunlit gardens and the wooded shores of the lake. It is the kind of view that makes a slow morning feel entirely justified.

As a wedding venue, Nunsmere Hall is in a class of its own. The combination of lakeside setting, period rooms, and exclusive-use grounds creates an atmosphere that is at once intimate and genuinely spectacular. Couples who choose Nunsmere do so knowing they are choosing somewhere that will be remembered.

Whether you are visiting for a special occasion, a restorative weekend, or simply because life occasionally demands a little grandeur, Nunsmere Hall never disappoints.

Walking Food Tours UK — The Taste of Chester Experience

Experience of the Year — Winner

To walk through Chester is to walk through 2,000 years of history. But to truly understand the soul of this city, you have to taste it. That is the idea at the heart of the Taste of Chester Experience, this year's winner of Visit Cheshire's prestigious Experience of the Year award.

Walking Food Tours UK has been operating in Chester since 2018, guiding guests beyond the famous landmarks and into the timber-framed buildings, hidden cobbled alleys, and independent eateries where the city's modern food scene is quietly thriving. The guides know every chef, every brewer, every passionate artisan worth knowing, and they share all of it with an enthusiasm that is impossible not to catch.

"When you walk with us, you're not just eating. You're connecting with the heart of the city."

Tours blend local flavours with rich storytelling, placing the food you're tasting in the context of Chester's remarkable past and its equally compelling present. For a first-time visitor or a returning one who thinks they already know Chester, this experience offers a fresh perspective, one delicious bite at a time.

1851 Restaurant, Peckforton Castle

Taste of Cheshire Award — Winner

Situated within 600 acres of Cheshire countryside, Peckforton Castle is already one of the county's most striking settings. Its award-winning 1851 Restaurant, following a spectacular refurbishment, has elevated the experience still further.

The newly redesigned interior weaves together rich walnut tones, antique gold accents, and sophisticated marble, all inspired by the ancient woodlands that surround the castle. Specially commissioned artwork from Cheshire artist David Kereszteny-Lewis adds a layer of local identity that feels entirely at home in this setting.

The dining experience itself is intimate by design. Just 30 guests at a time are welcomed into the 1851 for its nine-course tasting menu, each dish crafted by Executive Head Chef Brian Hughson using locally sourced, seasonally selected ingredients. The menu evolves with the landscape around it, reflecting Cheshire's larder at its finest.

"This isn't just a meal. It's an intimate, exclusive culinary journey through the very best of the Cheshire countryside."

Dinner here is best paired with a night in the castle itself.

The Fishpool Inn, Delamere

Pub of the Year — Winner

On the edge of Delamere Forest, where the trees thin and the Cheshire countryside opens out around you, sits one of the county's most cherished pubs. The Fishpool Inn has been welcoming guests since the 18th century, and in that time it has quietly perfected what a great British pub should feel like.

This is a place where a roaring log fire and a well-kept local real ale are reason enough to visit, but the kitchen adds a compelling case of its own. The menu is built on the finest locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, and moves fluently between hearty British classics and modern European cooking. The legendary homemade pies, their fillings sealed in golden puff pastry, have earned a devoted following, while the wood-fired oven turns out flatbreads and Italian-style pizzas that feel entirely at home alongside them.