Review: Family Day Out at Winter Wonderland CONKERS*

We love to head out as a family to do a fun Christmas themed activity every year to get us into the Christmas spirit. We have in the past done all sorts of things such as Santa Sleepover, Breakfast with Santa, Magical Woodland Adventure as well Visit Santa on The Steam Train.   This year we did something a little bit different and decided to head to Winter Wonderland at CONKERS.

We have been to CONKERS pre-Covid during Summer so were excited to see how different the Winter Wonderland was going to be.  We arrived just before noon and started our day with a walk around the attraction park.  Luckily we were wrapped up warm as it was a cold day.

I packed sandwiches for the kids, so we sat down to have a picnic by the play area. Kids had a nice hour playing on all the equipment after while we sat and watched them.  We next boarded the Twinkle Toes Train which took us through the tunnel of discovery to the other side to meet the Balloon Modeller.  We had lots of time on our hands, so decided to visit the Paint A Pot Studio as my children love crafting. They had plenty of space and craft available to create either a paper plate design or tree decoration to bring home. This was such a fun activity to do especially if your kids love crafting.

With the weather getting cooler, we stopped off at the Cafe to enjoy a hot cup of mulled wine (as we were given vouchers for this) and cakes as well as hot chocolate for the kids. Soon as we were warm, we headed to the Amphitheatre to watch Dippy the Magic Clown.  Kids who were waiting were given the chance to have a go at the spinning plates before the show started. Dippy was funny and kept the crowd entertained. There were lots of laughs as well as audience participation.

Soon as the show ended, we decided to head to meet the Elves who guided us to Santa’s Woodland Groto. Although slots to meet Santa is open from the daytime, I would strongly recommend booking an evening slot if available (Do note that slots to visit Santa has to be pre-booked in advance). Both my children had a lovely chat with Santa (socially distanced) and we were given a token to collect their presents at the Elf Village.

Since our slot to visit the Santa was in the afternoon, we decided to head back when it turned dark to see all the lights at the Waterside Enchanted Forest as well as the Valley of Christmas Lights. It certainly was more magical when the lights were on and with the ‘fake pretend’ snow, kids stopped off longer to admire all the decorations and lights.

Soon as our magical walk was done, we headed to the Elf Village to visit Santa’s Toy Store to collect both our children’s presents. There were shops available to purchase lollies as well as Reindeer food.

There is so much more activities to do at the Winter Wonderland from taking a Family Selfie portrait to heading to the Discovery Hall for a little winter skating to watching a 4D Cinema.

What Did We Think of CONKERS?

We really enjoyed the Winter Wonderland experience at CONKERS and found that you can easily spend a whole day there starting from having a walk around the attractions, taking the Twinkle Toes Train, booking in for the Pop-up Rink Ice Skating, spending time at the Paint A Pot Studio making crafts, Watching Dippy the Magic Clown perform at the Ampthitheatre and the walk to Santa’s Groto as well as meeting the big man himself.

The lights were just joyous and magical to look at and both my children enjoyed listening to the Christmas music, story-telling Barny Owl and the Singing Reindeer trio along with the Snowman Band.  There is so much to see and do and we were lucky to experience a festive forest adventure with magical lights.  My main advice would be to make sure the whole family is dressed warm and to book a slot to see Santa when it turns dark as the walk to Santa’s Groto would be more magical then.  Such a fun event for the whole family and way a way to festive just in time for Christmas.

How much are tickets?

Conkers is open all year around but the Winter Wonderland entry ends on 23 December 2021.
Ticket prices for Winter Wonderland – Adult £13 | Under 1’s FREE | Child (1-15yrs) £15.50 | Family (2+2) £55

Prices for admission into CONKERS is as follows:

• Children under 3 years – FREE
• Child £5.95 per child (3-15yrs) with 1 adult FREE for every 5 paying children
• Student £6.50 (16yrs +) with 1 adult FREE for every 10 paying students
• Adult Admission £7.50
• 1:1 Carers / Helpers are FREE

Important Notes:

• Please arrive thirty minutes before your Winter Wonderland time slot to allow enough time for your adventure.
• Free parking for cars and coaches is provided for visitors to CONKERS at both The Discovery Centre (300 spaces) and The Waterside Centre (100 spaces)
• Sensible clothing and footwear should be worn at all times when in and about the site. Please note that for health and safety reasons shirts and covered toes shoes must be worn for the activities and on the play equipment.
• There are outdoor picnic areas and places to sit throughout the attraction with a lovely view of the lake and grass banks to run around on.
• They are only able to permit and welcome registered assistance/guide dogs to help visitors.
• Carers can enter for free with a valid carers card to be shown as identity on entrance (Receipt of DLA or Carer’s Badge must be shown). Tickets for Carers are not needed to be purchased online but if you are a part of a larger party, please inform them in advance to ensure they are able to accommodate with their capacity for the visit.
• If there are 2 carers (2:1) one carer must be paid for.
• Baby changing facilities can be found inside their main buildings.
  

Where is CONKERS?

Rawdon Road (B586), Moira
Nr. Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
Derbyshire, DE12 6GA, UK

What are their Opening Hours?

Discovery Centre opens from 10.00am till 7.30pm while the Winter Wonderland from 10.00am till 8.00pm (5.00pm Christmas Eve).

About CONKERS

Escape to CONKERS, the award-winning attraction at The Heart of the National Forest, a unique mix of indoor & outdoor to keep you and YOUR family engaged for hours.   The family-friendly centre in the National Forest has play areas, discovery zones and an amphitheatre and also offers themed activities.

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* We were provided with press tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions are our own.