SUNDOWN ADVENTURELAND REVIEW

I don't know how I've not spoken about this magical place before now, it's a mere fifteen minutes form our house and we absolutely love visiting. We've decided next year we'll be investing in some annual passes, as there is so much to do here I really can't see us becoming tired of it. If you hadn't already guessed, I'm talking about Sundown Adventureland, a theme park for the under 10's based in the East Midlands. It's such a fun day out, Noah who is four in December has loved it since he was able to walk and I'm certain he'll continue to do so for the years to come.

Sundown Adventureland has a variety of zones to play in, our two favourites have to be firstly Fort Apache, which I believe is quite new. It's a huge outdoor play park, all wooden with a variety of slides, runs, zip wires, and obstacle courses, it's perfect for tiring out even the most energetic children and on a quiet day we've been known to have the whole thing to ourselves which means Mummy and Daddy have had a good play so trust me when I say it's a good tiring out play zone. (first hand experience here) The ground is that super soft squishy tarmac-esque material so every landing is a soft one and you need not worry about scrapes and bumps. There is also tonnes of seating, and I mean tonnes, the whole perimeter is covered which is ideal for those explorers that like to feel independent from their parents watchful eyes.

Next up is toy town and I know child me (even adult me) would have loved this, it's a town full of shops, and houses all small people sized. Each building has things to do inside, whether you're weighing parcels in the post office, driving the fire engine at the fire station, or pulling teeth at the dentist. We spent a good hour just in this little square, Noah was able to get busy by himself but quite often we would sneak in with him to have a nosy. The only issue I found in this area when travelling to Sundown Adventureland in the hotter months were bees - bees by the dozen, it appears they have nests in the roofs of these houses. I'm just glad it wasn't wasps or we may have had to steer clear.

Aside from all the play zones, there are rides too, seven in total at the moment but it appears they are building a Safari ride at the back of the sandy play area. Our favourite rides are the Tractor one, as Noah is completely Tractor mad it really helps that the guy who runs this ride genuinely makes the experience so much more enjoyable, he's super friendly and really speaks to little ones as though they are in control of the (monorail) tractor. You couldn't ask for more from him. My favourite area is the Lollipop Castle (pictured above), it's fantastic. A pastel castle that smells of sweets - perfect! There's a giant bubble machine in the forecourt of the castle and it spurts out the bubbles during random points of the day, that whole area smells of candyfloss too which can set the tummies rumbling. Around the rest of Lollipop Castle there are rooms you can explore, buttons to press and sweets to smell, I remember a mint room, chocolate and I think of course a lolly pop one too.

To truly gauge how much there is to do at Sundown, I'd be writing all day. We've visited in all weather conditions, and found there to be endless choices of play, the huge indoor soft play centres mean a downpour doesn't ruin your day and if you have the British weather on your side then make sure you take a picnic along as there is vast amounts of open space to sit and enjoy. We prefer to visit during the week as it is quieter and it means we get to access more of the park. We've already noted down a return date for the summer when we're hoping their new ride will be open.

Have you ever visited Sundown Adventureland?