Drusillas Park is a fantastic day out for the whole family. The park is located in Alfriston, East Sussex, just outside Brighton, so it’s perfect for a family day out or as part of a weekend away.
On a cold and windy day in late November, we took our 3 children aged, 11, 9 and 5 years to Drusillas Park and were thoroughly entertained by all the attractions on offer. We had booked ahead to avoided the queues and walked straight in!
With our entry pack we received a complete Guide Book and map of the park so that we could plan our visit ahead of time. The pack also included‘Animal Spotter’books which our children loved. We recorded all the animals that we ‘spotted’ on our way around the zoo-route and had great fun stamping the pages at the various stamper stations situated throughout the zoo. From flamingos to fruit bats and meerkats to monkeys, there is something for everyone! There is a walk-through aviary so you can get up close to the rainbow lorikeets and parrots, and in Lemurland we came nose to nose with ring-tailed lemurs!
If you time it right you can watch the animals being fed at the Keeper Talks which run throughout the day. Drusillas Park also offer the opportunity for you to be a Zoo Keeper for the Day. This one-to-one experience enables you to discover what it is like to feed, clean and care for all the various animals in the park. A real insight into the working lives of keepers and their day to day work. The perfect treat for anyone who is mad about animals!
We had great fun taking part in the ‘Zoolympics’ challenge measuring our longest jump, highest climb and loudest shouts to mention just a few! Each child had their own booklet to record their scores - nothing beats a bit of healthy competition!
After many happy hours viewing all the wildlife we entered the first play area,‘Go Wild’ and our children did exactly that! We took the opportunity of warming up with a steamy cup of Starbucks coffee and freshly made doughnuts while we let them burn off some energy. They could climb, swing, slide and jump to their hearts content! Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to experience the indoor Amazon Adventure soft play area as we were intent on getting to the next big attraction - Hello Kitty’s Secret Garden!
Throughout the year there are various themed attractions and we were lucky enough to be there when the Hello Kitty theme was in full swing. Our 5 year old daughter was in heaven! At this point we split into two groups. The boys went for a ride in the Thomas train followed by a climb up the Vertical limit. Meanwhile the girls went for the ‘Hello Kitty experience’. After a circuit of the Hello Kitty car ride, a few spins in the tea cups and a hair-raising experience in the 25 foot Hopper, we went for a pampering session in Hello Kitty’s parlour.
The beautiful Hello Kitty House features Hello Kitty’s very own bedroom which is a dream for any Hello Kitty fan. At 20 events throughout the year you can even meet Hello Kitty herself in her bedroom and even though we missed this our daughter loved the Hello Kitty wallpaper, Hello Kitty duvet set and Hello Kitty luggage! For a small charge you can have your face painted, hair accessorised and decorate yourself with some temporary tattoos.
As it was getting close to Christmas, there was also the chance to meet two of Santa’s reindeers! Rudolph’s relatives, Angel and Twinkle, were ‘meeting and greeting’ visitors throughout the day in the Events Arena.
Of course, no Christmas visit would be complete without the ‘star attraction’. For an additional charge of £10 children could meet Santa in his cosy Christmas Cottage and receive an early Christmas gift.
As dusk fell, we ended the day with the Winter Wonderland Illuminations. The dazzling display starts at 4:30pm daily and incorporates an animal themed light show which is synchronised to music. A magical end to a perfect day!
For further information visit:
Drusillas Park, Alfriston East Sussex, BN26 5QS T: 01323 874112