Press Visit
On Easter Sunday we celebrated the occasion with a very special trip to Beaulieu National Motor Museum, deep in the heart of The New Forest national park. We had been previously on a few occasions and knew we loved it, but it was brilliant to head back over the Easter half term, as there was so much on for kids! Running until 14th April, the Easter at Beaulieu celebrations is one not to be missed! Here’s why we loved our latest visit so much, and why you need to book your visit to Beaulieu over Easter!
Daily Motoring Parades
Beaulieu has over 280 vehicle on display in the National Motor Museum but you can also catch daily motoring parades currently (weather dependant and not available on busy event days including 14th April). We really enjoyed watching a display during our visit. I think the kids’ favourite was the Outspan Orange (which I remember seeing at the museum when I was younger, it is iconic), but we loved seeing Mr Toad’s car and of course the Reliant Regal van from Only Fools and Horses. After the parade you can have a chance to look at the vehicle up close and take photos alongside them too, which is a nice touch.
Living History Characters
Walking around and interacting with guests, you can catch Living History characters such as the driver of the Monorail, the cook at Palace House and a mechanic. It definitely added an extra element to our visit and helped to bring the history of the venue to life for us and the kids. My eldest was welcomed at Palace House and advised that he would make an excellent footman as he is tall for his age – we were very impressed with the effort the staff were putting in to help make the visit for enjoyable and engaging for all age groups.
Fun Travel around the Grounds
As well as the Monorail (celebrating its 50th anniversary this year) and the Veteran Bus, which are both fantastic methods of transport around the grounds and a great way to explore from different angles, you can also opt to book a ride on the Chitty Chatty Bang Bang vehicle for an additional cost. This looked so much fun and would definitely be a lovely way to celebrate a special occasion or as a treat for fans of cars and/or the film!
We all had an amazing time on Easter Sunday at Beaulieu. There is so much for all the family to enjoy, from the Top Gun experience to exploring the Abbey and Secret Army Exhibition and enjoying a little down time at Little Beaulieu where the kids can let off steam! Make sure you check out their current exhibition Motopia? Past Future Visions, which is due to finish on 14th April.
As we visited on Easter bank holiday weekend we were also lucky enough to catch the Easter Bunny handing out packets of seeds for children to plant back at home, as well as some additional Easter crafts at Palace House, which the children absolutely loved. We can’t wait for our next visit!
We were gifted our tickets to Beaulieu, however all words and images are my own.
