Press Visit
We love family days out in the UK, so were delighted to be invited along to Blenheim Palace for the kids to trial their Adventure Play, which is now bookable alongside the Palace with their Palace and Play pass, brilliant for families who love discovering historical buildings and their grounds as well as having a run around a play area.
Adventure Play
The Palace and Play pass allows you to enjoy their adventure play area alongside access to the Palace whenever you want, 365 days a year. The pass also gives you free access to additional events in the Palace grounds including Blenheim Palace Flower Show (21st – 23rd June), free of charge, which is brilliant!
You can also purchase a single use ticket for the Adventure Play if you prefer, for a three hour session of your choice throughout the day (note that the last slot of the day may not be the full three hours, we were only able to play for two due to the closing time but found this to be enough, my mum and I were getting a little bored sitting around by this point and we were all fairly tired and ready to head home after an afternoon of exploring on our feet). Single use tickets are priced at £7 per child and £5 per adult.
We hadn’t actually been to Blenheim Palace previously, and I would definitely recommend planning to spend a whole day there, if it is your first time. We made the mistake of having a leisurely breakfast before embarking on the 1 hour and 45 minute journey from Bournemouth to Woodstock, meaning we didn’t arrive until just before midday. We had our picnic in the car to save a little time and to prevent us having to lug a bag around the palace, and then we headed straight to the palace grounds.
The Palace
Like I say, I did feel we had to slightly rush around as we hadn’t left ourselves a full day to look around and there is a lot to see. Our tickets enabled us to go into the palace itself and the gardens, which are extensive and beautiful. I was taken aback by how big the palace grounds were, it was breathtaking and reminded me a little of a visit to the Louvre a couple of years ago.
Enjoy a Bite to Eat
We were really fortunate with the weather, it was actually boiling hot on the day and so nice to enjoy an ice cream after walking around (if it is an equally nice day, I recommend heading to the ice cream stands sooner rather than later as the queues were massive and some flavours had started selling out by 3pm). There are on site cafes and an Orangery restaurant, which was serving roast dinner on the Sunday of our visit, very tempting!
Icons of British Fashion
The Icons of British Fashion exhibition was on whilst we were there, which was fascinating, and definitely added an extra element when walking around the palace. It is on until 30th June. I was also impressed by the Churchill exhibit, they definitely make an effort to include plenty for you to see and do, which is also evident by their packed schedule of events in the grounds, including Blenheim Palace Triathlon and the Battle Proms Picnic Concert. I would recommend looking on their website when planning a visit to see what is going on or plan a visit accordingly.
You can borrow a headset to guide you around the palace if you would like, with optional headphones, or just scan a QR code and follow along on your phone if you would prefer. This was a nice touch and something my youngest really enjoyed. I love the fact that all three of my children, like me and my brothers before them, have an interest in history and British buildings like Blenheim Palace.
Explore the Gardens
We didn’t manage to look around all of the gardens, but from what we did manage to see, I was really impressed, they are beautifully kept and look lovely, especially in the sunshine.
When it was time for us to head over to the Adventure Play, we took the scenic route and headed through the Secret Garden and then into the Walled Garden, where we found the Adventure Play and had our wristbands put on at the gate before being able to enjoy the area at our leisure.
I was pretty impressed with the play area, which had lots for the kids to do, including water play and a zip wire. There was even a small play area complete with giant carrots, which was a novelty. As I said, it was a hot day, so the children mainly stuck to the water play, which they really enjoyed. It was nice to have plenty of space around the play area for the accompanying adults to relax. I sat in the sunshine and enjoyed watching the children having fun for a couple of hours before it was time for us to head back home.
We all had a lot of fun at Blenheim Palace and would definitely return. You can purchase an annual pass, with or without the Adventure Play, which would make it more economical, especially for those living fairly nearby who are likely to return several times during the year. Tickets must be purchased in advance, which can be done on their website.
We were gifted tickets to the Palace & Play at Blenheim Palace, however all words and images are my own
