Blenheim Palace’s new adventure playground, Adventure Play, opened just in time for the Easter holidays. in 2023. We’ve been watching from afar as it’s been constructed my kids were really excited to to try it out.
Set at the far end of the Pleasure Gardens, you pass through a small gateway in an old stone wall and then along a curving path under a tunnel of metal archways which will be wonderful when the planting has fully grown up on and over.
Once round the bend, the adventure playground suddenly opens up and it does have the wow factor.
It’s hard to know where to look first but the large, golden globe with water flowing down the outside, was a magnet for my kids. It heads up the start of the biggest outdoor water play feature I’ve seen.
Traverse the bridge, jump from stone to stone or just get stuck in. It’s very shallow and so perfect for all ages to paddle. I’d recommend bringing a towel. There are water jets and pumps along the way too.
When Blenheim Palace do something, they do it really well and the adventure playground is no exception. My 6 and 10 year old along with our 8 year old neighbour got stuck straight in with me chasing after them desperately trying to keep up to try and take some photos for this review.
There are numerous ways in from an easy step up to a sloped climbing wall, cargo nets, ropes and scramble nets.
These are then all connected with a series of multi level walkways and tunnels which include a daunting metal mesh and little hidey holes.
Getting down is just as fun with a series of different slides to appeal to all ages. “Just one more go” was said about 10 times (no exaggeration) for the big tube slide before we were able to leave.
Adventure play wouldn’t be complete without a zip wire and there are three here so no big queues. However, my kids did say they thought they were a little slow.
What about the little ones?
There’s a little area dedicated to under 5s. It’s not huge but has it’s own mini wooden climbing frame and house, little slide and boat. They also have the cutest toddler zip wire. I’ve only seen one of these at BeWILDerwood before and when my youngest was smaller he could have spent the day on it!
Next to the under 5 areas is the very appeal carrots which you can climb up inside and slide down the outside. There’s also some great big wooden flowers to climb up, the wobbliest of wobbly boards and spiders web.
The pathways are side and rubbery which works well for an adventure playground and makes the area wheelchair accessible too. However as most of the play areas are designed for climbing or low down at the water, there are only a few features that are really inclusive.
The water pumps are at a good height to be reached and there are a couple of musical stands with chimes or metal flowers that can be played. Something I spotted which I thought was a really good addition was a quiet room. If a visit gets a little overwhelming, you can just ask a member of staff and they’ll take you there.
How much is the new Adventure Playground at Blenheim Palace?
To explore Adventure Play at Blenheim Palace, you must have day entry ticket and then entry to the advenutre playground is booked on top with hildren aged 3-16 years tickets are both £7 and adults £5 (April 2024).
New for 2024 is a Palace & Play pass which provides an annual pass which includes the adventure playground. Admission is £40.00 for children, £50.00 for adults and £150 per family (2 adults and 2 children)
There are timed entry slots every hour and then I’m assuming you can just stay as long as you like. We spent 2 hours at the adventure playground and my kids could have kept going.
Tickets must be purchased in advance so if you’re an annual pass holder, you can’t just turn up on the day and then decide to buy tickets once you’re there.
Is it worth it? My kids had an absolutely great time and were racing around non stop. They loved the blend of climbing and sliding as well as the fantastic water feature. Lots of my friends have been over the last few weeks and the general feeling is that it’s great for a one off treat outing now and again but too much to make it a regular visit.
