Every Friday Moose has a day off from preschool. I work from home so I try to pack as much work into the first 4 days of the week. This leaves Friday as our day. We only have 1 Friday left before the schools are out for the summer. After that we have everyone at home and then my baby boy is <gulp> off to primary school.
I am determined to fill our Fridays with fun.
Last week we were invited to the new Adventureland located at Springfields Outlet Shopping & Leisure in Spalding, Lincolnshire.
This £1 million adventure playground is an exciting addition to what is on offer for families in the East Midlands area.
How much is it?
Entry to Adventureland is priced at £7.95 for an All inclusive wristband during peak season or £29.95 for up to 4 people. This covers children under 12 for
- Adventure Land
- Springy’s Beach
- Tree Top Village
Plus, one session to each of the following attractions: (token/wristband provided upon entry)
- JCB Young Drivers Zone. One hour in the zone includes Foreman’s briefing and pedal power driving trucks, building bricks and mechanical diggers. Timeslot booked on purchase. Recommended for children under 10 years old
- Goldie’s Gold Mine – 1 x 15 minute session per child to pan for gold and find the treasure
- Springy’s Railroad – One trip through the Tree Top village and woodland
- Dino Golf – One round of the 9 hole, dinosaur themed adventure golf course
If you don’t fancy trying out the latter, you also have the option of purchasing a standard wristband.
Standard tickets include entry to:
- Adventure Land
- Springy’s Beach
- The Tree Top Village
You are able to purchase individual tokens for the other activities which are priced as follows
- JCB Young Drivers Zone £6 per child – Sessions last an hour and includes a safety briefing, your own pedal powered JCB truck, huge JCB house and scaffolding play tower, brick laying area, mechanical diggers and bouldering wall plus more! Time slot booked on purchase. Recommended for children under 10 years old.
- Gold Panning £2 per person One 15-minute session to pan for gold and find the treasure. Includes treasure memento
- Springy’s Railroad £2 per person – One trip through the Tree Top Village and woodland
- Dino Golf £3 per person – One round of the 9 hole dinosaur themed adventure golf course
- Remote Controlled Boats £1 Token – Available from any Kiosk. This is located by the Dino Golf
What did we think?
Moose absolutely loved Adventureland. He had been feeling a little under the weather the day before so I was anxious that maybe he would find it all a bit much but I needn’t have worried.
The beach area is under a large shade so there is no danger of little ones getting sunburnt while they play and splash in the little stream running through the beach area.
We thought the JCB young drivers zone was a great idea! The platforms inside the scaffolding tower which the children have to climb in order to go down the big slide were unfortunately too high for Moose. He is a tall 3 year old (he’s around 110cm) so I think that is really for slightly older kids. Shame as he loves a slide!
It was great for the children to be able to select safety gear to wear as they scooted around on the little JCB’s and the petrol station and play shop were really well done. Grandma was pleased that there was seating provided for the grown ups.
Panning for Gold
The Gold Panning activity was one which we really enjoyed. Moose surprised me and spent a really long time sifting through to look for coloured stones and pieces of (fools) gold. I really like that the children get to keep what they find. That’s a really nice touch.
After we had collected our treasure we headed to have a ride on Springy’s railroad. It was a nice little trip around the woodland area and as you can see, Moose enjoyed himself immensely!
Something I thought might be a little old for Moose was the
Dino Golf.
We thought we would have a go but I really underestimated how much he would love this! We liked spotting the Dinosaurs hiding around the 9 hole course and Moose managed to name quite a few!
Then we decided to head to the tree top village. Moose was a little unsure at first but he soon got the hang of climbing across the bridges and even ventured onto the tree walk, a massive 12m2 suspended net. This activity needed adult supervision for anyone aged 3-6 so I had a go too. I was a little worried that my weight might be an issue here but it was absolutely fine – and good fun!
What about food?
Springfields has a good choice of places to eat. We decided to stay in Adventureland and grab a quick bite at Springy’s diner. The outdoor seating area is right next to Springys beach so it’s handy for watching the kids play. It also has bottomless coffee which from a parental point of view is a massive bonus!
Grandma and I decided to try the small bites trio deal. You can select 3 dishes for £12. We chose the chicken strips, ranch salad and potato skins. Moose settled on the children’s cheeseburger and fries which was priced at £5.95.
The food was nice but I do think that the kids meal was slightly too pricey and maybe should include a drink at least? I think on our next trip we would probably go and try The Kitchen which looked to be really good for families. It’s great that Springfields has a choice of places for families to eat.
Would we go back?
Absolutely yes. I am planning on visiting during the summer holidays. I really like the choice of activities on offer and a really nice aspect of Adventureland is it’s setting. Springfields outlet village offers a nice shopping experience which my older daughter will want to explore with her friends. And if shopping is not your thing, the festival gardens are a lovely place for a peaceful walk.
We are also hoping to have a ride on the Spalding water taxi so we can explore the town centre too! All in all I think Adventureland offers a really valuable resource for parents and we can’t wait to visit again!
Disclaimer:We received wristband entry to Adventureland and a gift card to try Springys diner but all opinions are honest and my own.
