Easter Family Outing Review: Play @ Lower Drayton Farm*

Easter Family Outing Review: Play @ Lower Drayton Farm

[Ad-gifted] Hope you having been enjoying the Easter half-term activities/days out and walks with your family as we have in the last week despite the cooler weather. We love Easter time as we often take time off to head out on Easter themed activities such as heading out to Nottingham Castle, doing Easer Egg hunt at the National Trust properties, visiting The Mad Hatters Tea Party or having Breakfast with the Easter Bunnies.

As our children get older, I find it is important to find suitable activities for them so they still believe in the Easter magic. So today, we will be sharing about our recent visit to Staffordshire’s multi-award winning farm park attraction, Lower Drayton Farm which is set on a 750-acre working farm in Penkridge, Stafford.

Kids had the most perfect day enjoying their time doing the Easter Egg Hunt, playing in the indoor and outdoor play areas with sturdy playground equipment, interacting with farm animals, walking around the tulip farm, and being mesmerised by the reptiles in the reptile show.

Do keep on reading to find out more about Play @ Lower Drayton Farm and what we did there.

Seasonal Events

Tulip @ Lower Drayton Farm

If you are not planning to head to Netherlands this Spring to see their tulip farm, then it is worth knowing that there is a stunning tulip field with ‘Dutch’ windmills, pretty benches all available locally at Lower Drayton Farm.  A lovely place to sit for a moment to enjoy the 20 different variety of the 50,000 tulips which have been planted on the farm.  The farm poses a stunning backdrop of rows of coloured tulips for family photos hence no flower picking is allowed. There is also farm animals such as Llamas, pigs, cattle as well as lambs, ewes and other animals in the Large Animal Zone area.

Right next to the tulip farm is also the ‘meeting point’ for the Lady Drayton Tractor and Trailer Ride which runs throughout the day at different times. There might be a bit of a queue so try to get there earlier. During the fun and informative ride, you will be able to watch cows and calves graze on their river meadows and find out what’s happening both with farming and wildlife at this time of year.

Do note that Tulips @ Lower Drayton Farm is a seasonal event, and this will change during the seasons such as pumpkin picking activities during Autumn time.

Outdoor play areas and vintage tractor display

If you have little ones who love tractors, then get ready to spot Farmer Ray’s vintage Massey Fergusson tractors that has been plotted around the farm, some have also been converted into kid’s play Massey Fergusson machines.

Easter Egg Hunt

We love going for Easter Egg Hunts and this has become tradition for us during Easter.  Our party of kids ranged from age 5 to 14-years-old who were all equally excited to find out more about the Easter Egg Hunt. We handed our token (which we picked up at the reception) and then collected Easter baskets before entering the magical Easter Egg Hunt Barn which was beautifully decorated.  Kids were guided to tables filled with sand and had to dig to find the Easter eggs which was hidden by Eenie Beanie Bunny. There was also a table where they could fill in a little bag with bird seed to take home before collecting their treat.

Small Animal Zone/Live Reptile Show

As part of their Dino Egg Hatchery experience, there are Live Reptile shows taking place through out the day where both children and adults would get the chance to learn about their resident reptiles and even get the chance to stroke them and ask questions.

You do not need to pre-book for the show, just arrive at the allocated time/place when the show starts. The Live Reptile Show is held at a separate area, but not too far from the Small Animal Zone where children will get the chance to meet friendly animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs  and chicks.

Indoor Play Area

I love how big the indoor play area is, especially if you find yourself visiting the farm on a wet day. The 2000sqm indoor play barn has a four storey soft play frame featuring Astro racing slides, gravity drop slides, traverse climbing wall and much more. A baby area dedicated to littlies under 1 and a toddler play space packed with imaginative role-play opportunities and lots of climbing, sliding, spinning fun for under-5s with energy to burn ensures hours of fun for all ages.

The farm features a large indoor play area (950sqm) and a variety of outdoor activities, including zipwires, grass toboggans, and more. 

What we thought of Play @ Lower Drayton Farm?

We were a party of seven comprising of two adults and five children aged 5 to 14-years-old. Although we live in Staffordshire but we had never been to Play @ Lower Drayton Farm before hence were surprised by just the sheer size of the farm. The parking was ample and I would say, most of the activities are held outdoor hence remember to wear weather appropriate clothing such as jackets/weatherproofs/wellies. Soon as we got to the entry gate, staff were super friendly and told us all the activities which were happening on the day. so it was easier to play what we were doing accordingly.

I also loved how much effort the farm had gone through with the Easter themed decorations, bunnies, flowers and how friendly the staff were despite the place being super busy on the day we went to visit.

You can bring along a picnic with you and eat at the designated areas or enjoy a light meal of jacket potato/nuggets/burgers, cakes or hot drinks at their cafe as we did. Do look out for their farm fresh milkshakes from their ‘Taste the Milk’ vending machine for a refreshing drink.  Penkridge is also just around 20-minutes from Stone and Trentham hence you could after head out for a dinner meal as we did.

We were lucky that although the weather was cool it was dry, so kids had a blast being outdoor on the bouncy pillows, climbing frames, sand play as well as Farm-u-la One go-karts.  Their indoor play area was also impressive as it was large and split into various play section according to the age range.

Their seasonal activities were ace, kids enjoyed their visit to the tulip farm as well all the Easter themed activities.  We could tell that a lot of thought and effort had gone into the planning.

It was certainly a day-out to remember and we would definitely be heading to Lower Drayton Farm again as there is so much to do there and it is a great way for kids to spend a whole day there.

Where is Lower Drayton Farm? 

There are ample of parking and it is Free to park on the site.

Lower Drayton Farm
Lower Drayton Lane
Penkridge
Stafford
ST19 5RE
01785 907440
play@lowerdraytonfarm.co.uk

How much are the tickets?

There is only one payment which gives you access to the whole park so for a price of £17.50 per adult ticket and £8.50 per child (under 2s go in for free as well as adult carer with the right documents), you will have access to their massive indoor playbarn, undercover animal zones, Farmer Ray’s Tractor Shed and acres of outdoor adventure play plus the reptile show as well as the farm trailer ride and egg hunt!

What are their opening times?

They are open 7 days a week during the school holidays & bank holidays. Opening times may differ during term time/summer/winter so it is best to check before you head there. Do note that Quieter SEN-friendly sessions are on Sunday mornings. You can arrive at 9am for a quieter hour before capacity increases at 10am

Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm
Sun 9am to 5pm

The Tulip Farm opens until 3pm on most days except on a Thursday when it closes later, with the last entry two hours before closing time. So it is best to check on exact timing before you head to the farm.

FAQ

• By design, Play @ Lower Drayton Farm is made as accessible as possible so that everyone can join in the fun, with lift access to the first floor of the playbarn and accessible walkways and paths all around the site.
• Their quieter, low-capacity sessions take place on Sunday mornings at 9am during school holidays, and on the third Sunday of the month for Sen-friendly sessions.
• You can also organise birthday parties at Play @ Lower Drayton Farm
• Picnics are welcome and there will be designated picnic areas for visitors to eat food that has not been purchased on the premises.
• They are a cashless site and only accept card payments.
• Unfortunately, no dogs or other pets allowed on their farm. This policy helps ensure the safety and well-being of their farm animals, wildlife and visitors. Assistant dogs are welcome.
• PLAY is designed for families with children of primary school age. They do not allow adult-only entry.
• One carer is invited to join you at no additional cost (free). Please bring the necessary paperwork with you.

About Lower Drayton Farm

Lower Drayton Farm is a family attraction in Staffordshire, England, located on a 750-acre working farm. It offers a variety of indoor and outdoor play zones, animal encounters and activities, making it a popular destination for families seeking a fun day out. The farm is known for its multi-award-winning status and is easily accessible from various locations in the West Midlands.

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* We were provided with free entry to Lower Drayton Farm in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.