We love to make the most of our weekends and days off, and we are always looking for things to do and new family friendly places to visit. When we were invited along to spend the day at the National Forest Adventure Farm in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, I won’t lie – we jumped at the chance.
National Forest Adventure Farm
The National Forest Adventure Farm is based in Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire and offers farm animals in abundance, and indoor and outdoor fun for all ages. Over the year the farm hosts a number of events including Easter, Summer, Halloween and Christmas events. The pirates of the Maize Maze is the Summer event running from July 15th 2017 to September 4th 2017 and includes a maize maze, a mini maze, duck race, pirate show and cannonball chaos. The doors open at 10am until 6pm, and there is ample car parking. On arrival we were greeted with a warm welcome and given a programme of the days activities.
Get up close to a range of animals
At the National Forest Adventure Farm there is a range of animals including pigs, sheep, cows, chicken, Shetland ponies, reindeer, alpaca and chipmunks. In the animal barns you will find rabbits and guinea pigs, goats and chicks. Much to the delight of our little ones, there is opportunity to stroke the rabbits and guinea pigs, and feed the ducks, goats, sheep and cows with some feed you can purchase for £1 on entering the farm.
Over the day the kids can try their hand at pony grooming or enjoy the milking demonstrations (check the programme for times of the activities). We found staff to be really friendly, knowledgable and always on hand if needed.
There is hand washing facilities dotted around the farm and hand wash points in the animal barn for hand washing after you have visited the animal barn and the paddocks.
Enjoy outdoor adventures
We have visited a number of farms over the years, but the National Forest Adventure Farm has something for everyone. The girls had a go on the mini assault course and the outdoor under 7’s play area. Our littlest man loved the sand play area, and we all enjoyed a spot of crazy golf. I think the most popular activity was bouncing on the giant jumping pillows! But wait…there is more! There is a water splash out area (bring a spare change of clothes!). Kids can test their football skills in the ‘Beat the Goalie’ area, try out their driving skills with the go karts, take a ride on the diggers or have a good old fashioned bounce on the massive JCB inflatable bouncy castle.
Indoor fun whatever the weather
We were so lucky when we visited, it was warm and dry and the sun even made an appearance during the afternoon. If the weather is not as kind -don’t be put off as there is still so much to do here. There is a massive indoor play barn which is well thought out with an under 5’s area for safe play, and a huge play area for the older ones. Top tip – remember to pack a pair of socks, as play barn users must wear socks.
The animal barn provides shelter from the rain where you can spend time handling the rabbits and the guineapigs and you can enjoy a drink and some home made food in the large restaurant. We spent quite some time in the animal barn, and our little ones loved the opportunity to stroke the rabbits and guineapigs.
The pirate duck race was also under shelter and the girls were able to cheer on their chosen ducks as they raced along in the water and headed to the finish line.
Get lost in the maize maze
Each year the theme of the maize maze changes, and this summer kids can hunt for lost treasure on a pirate adventure. The maize is 10 acres and includes a 115 long pirate galleon and a 50m compass. For the little legs there is a mini maze which we throughly enjoyed. You can purchase a pirate pack for £2 and this includes a map and a compass. So off we headed, with an eye patch, a pencil, and compass in hand, to find the right path, and collect the stamps required for a true pirate adventure. The girls loved the maze adventure, and the maze was buggy friendly for our little man. Once we had collected all of the stamps, we took a while to find our way out and the girls were given a sweet treat prize.
Be transported to the high seas
During the day you have to stop and enjoy one of the Pirate shows. They are captivating and interactive and the kids and adults thoroughly enjoyed it. What I also loved was the presence of the pirates around the farm, as they interacted with the visitors and even stopped for a photo or two 🙂
Explore your senses in the kitchen garden
Meandering around the grounds we stumbled on the kitchen garden where we wandered around and took in the range of plants, flowers and fruit and vegetables before learning about how the bees make their honey in the apiary. Once you have explored the abundance of fruit and vegetables, then you can try out the locally sourced and home produced food in the restaurant. We enjoyed a picnic on one of the many picnic benches dotted about the farm.
Family fun
We had such a lovely day. The farm and play equipment was really clean. The areas were easily accessible with a pushchair, and there were activities for all ages. We didn’t get round to all the activities – when the girls found the huge inflatable pillows, assault course and crazy golf we knew we we would need to make ourselves comfortable. As the website states, ‘the farm is not complete without a Tractor and Trailer ride’, and as we didn’t get round to this, we will just have to return for another day of family fun and smiles…..
For more information and prices please visit National Forest Adventure Farm
If you are wondering what to do with the kids over the summer holidays, then we can highly recommend the National Forest Adventure Farm. Pirates of the Maize Maze is a really fun event – you won’t be disappointed!
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**Disclosure – We were given complimentary admission to the attraction in exchange for a review. All honest opinions are of mine and my family.