Sundown Adventureland has been on our hit list for a while, so a brief window in our days before the school holiday started, and we took a spontaneous drive to this amazing place.

Sundown Adventureland is a theme park designed for under 10s, so the rides are smaller and slower, and the whole place is set up with play areas and fun interactive areas for little ones, starting with the Marketplace at the entrance.

We went on an off-peak day in early July, which means you pay less but less rides are open. For us, this didn’t matter, as there was still plenty to keep her entertained for the day.

When we arrived, we were given a small slip of paper with a printout of the ride times for the days. Being under 1 metre (she was 97cm) she was only unable to go on the driving area, but all the others she was able to enjoy – and without any queues!

The whole park needs a bit of updating, but at the age of 3 she was completely oblivious to this and had a great time… plus when else can you go on a Santa’s Sleigh ride in mid-summer?!

The park is made up of various themed areas, each with its own rides, cafes, and play areas.

She particularly loved the mine train and the pirate boat ride, but her overall favourite was of course Santa’s sleigh! I know at Christmas they have fantastic activities for children to visit the park for some festive fun, so I will definitely be keeping my eye out for that!

There were also many play areas throughout the park, such as the Angry Birds area with it’s own rides, but she really loved the fairytale houses in the Story Book Village, each decorated in the theme of a children’s story, with the giant book displayed outside each one, and following the Yellow Brick Road!

There were also some indoor play areas including soft play, but being so sunny we stayed outdoors and enjoyed so many of their outdoor play areas, from the Wild West-themed Fort Apache, through to the Angry Birds, and her favourites being the Captain Sandy’s sand play areas and the Noah’s Ark Under 5s play area – right next to the cafe!

She had the opportunity to meet some of the mascots, as well as having all the giant outdoor sandpit play areas pretty much to herself – she was in her element!

I’d really recommend visiting here with children under 10, and I’d be interested to know how busy it would get in the holidays being that it is designed for younger kids, so those with older kids or siblings may head to the bigger theme parks.

Not all the rides or cafes were open, but we would rather it be quiet and have the place to ourselves, than queueing for longer if it was busier and more was open.

We were also really lucky with the weather but there seemed like plenty of indoor play areas and soft play if it had been raining.

Finally, I’d like to note that the gift shop here has some lovely affordable items for pocket money gifts or toys for all ages – unlike most theme parks – a great added bonus with little ones!

We had a great day out and will definitely come back to Sundown Adventureland with Lily.

Tips for visiting with little ones:

• If you prefer it quieter, then visit off peak – I know this goes without saying, but you can check online for days that more or less are open, depending on what you’re looking for.
• Christmas is meant to be great at Sundown Adventureland with festive entertainment and a visit to Santa.
• Check their accessibility statement if you need wheelchair access – most of the park is wheelchair friendly, but there are some areas that aren’t so accessible
• Check out opening times on their website before you plan a visit as their website is colour coded and they often have fun seasonal events on throughout the year

Visit the Sundown Adventureland website here