Avon Valley Country Park – Whatever the weather there is plenty to do for all the family. It is an 80+ acres Country park in Keynsham Bristol, next to the River Avon a place to have fun, meet the animals from Rabbits to Horses. There are many activities throughout the day, every day including animal demonstrations, talks and handling, fun games and craft activities.
There’s a massive indoor soft play area with slides, rope swings, canon area and a toddler village for the under 5’s. The outdoor adventure park has animal petting area, train rides, fishing, boating on the lake, go-karting, jungle land, wall climbing, crazy golf, feed the lambs, a Maize Maze, junior sandpit, country trail, tractor rides, picnic areas, gift shop and so much more including a café serving excellent food. There are hours and hours of fun to be had.
There are many other events during the year, but my favourite is the Christmas experience. Running from the end of November until Christmas Eve. The park is transformed into a Winter wonderland and the children can enjoy Christmas activities like gingerbread man biscuit decorating, card making, touring the toy factory, help the elves make toys for Father Christmas, posting their very important Christmas list in the magical post room, visiting the Enchanted Village. This is a special event which you must purchase tickets well in advance, but you also get use of the whole park.
We visited on the 2nd December 2018 and took 2 of our nephews. We arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the whole park. The children were given a special Christmas passport for the Christmas experience and some tokens for the quad bikes. We spend a couple of hours wandering around seeing the animals, having a ride on the train. They each took turns on the quad bikes and enjoyed the adventure playground. It was a little bit drizzly, so we spend the last hour an hour in the inside play area. We got a bite to eat and a cup of coffee whilst they burnt off their energy enjoying themselves on the slides and soft play area.
Then it was time for us to check in for the Christmas experience. It’s very well organised, the children are totally memorised by the whole thing. You are led from one lovely themed room to another with the elves entertaining them the whole time. Each activity must have taken around 20 mins, all the children in the group, which was about 12, got really involved with everything they were given to do, their passports were stamped after each activity. Then there was a chance to have a relax and wait for the big event, to see Father Christmas. While we waited for our time slot the children could enjoy the merry-go-round and the tea cup ride, feed the reindeer, sit down and have a chat with the elves who were helping them complete their present list and getting them posted in the Post Room. Enjoy their free cup of hot chocolate and play and have fun around the many decorated trees and Christmas themed life-sized ornaments. You really did feel like you were at the North Pole.
Smaller groups of 6 went in to see Father Christmas and Mrs Claus, the children were sat together on a bench, with the adults sitting at the back, the room was like what you see in fairy tale books. We must have spent another 30 minutes in there. They each has their turn to tell Father Christmas what they wanted for Christmas and were given named gifts. It was a very magical experience for everyone.
All the children left believing and then you could still spend further time in the area outside / inside and enjoy more rides until you were ready to take the train to leave. We all had a really great time. Would really recommend this experience.
Other Themes during the year include, October Half Term, children can enrol in the parks Witch & Wizard School with activities like, slime in potions classes, spell classes, teachers showing off their broomstick skills, pumpkin carving, broom decorating. Sessions run throughout the day. Children can take home with them a witch or wizard hat, broomstick, broomstick flying licence.
Halloween is always a very popular time, during October the park will be running a scary theme called Fear at Avon Valley Scream Park. This event is classified as 12a. Any persons under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult. Be prepared to be scared and dare to go into the Mazes or Escape Room, Frightening Street Theatre or ride of the Fairground Rides. Or enter the Killzone an interactive experience, test your shooting skills and kill as many Zombies as you can before they get to you! Will you make it out of the Corn Field? It’s totally terrifying.
There is also Halloween themed events for children, where they can carve pumpkins and do other activities and the whole park is covered in pumpkins.
Avon Valley Country Park – Pixash Lane, Bath Road, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1TP – 0117 986 4929 – 17 minutes by car from Bury Hill Farm.
Opening times vary through out the year , for more information visit their Website
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