Eden Project

Eden Project – a must visit attraction for families

disclosure:  we were given a free family pass for the day in exchange for an honest review.

I can remember watching on TV as the Eden Project in Cornwall was being constructed and knew I would have to visit one day.  I visited Cornwall last, just after it opened in 2003, but decided at the time that I’d visit once the plants had had time to become really established.  Then life took over and my planned return to Cornwall has taken considerably longer than first envisaged! Now with a 5-year-old son in tow, it was time to enjoy Cornwall again and for us all to visit the Eden Project for the first time.  It really is a must-visit attraction for all the family to enjoy and we were really looking forward to exploring all it has to offer.

Eden Project

Eden Project We arrived bright and early a few weeks ago so we could make the most of our day.  The site is well signposted and there is ample parking, and as we walked down to the entrance we could see the whole site before us.  The Biome’s are world-famous in their own right and Monkey was really intrigued by them. I loved the idea that at one of the lookout points, there were child level peep holes.

Eden Project

]We picked up a guide-book and map for Monkey and tried to decide where to explore first.

Eden Project

Mummy, we are here!  Although the site looks vast, it’s actually quite walkable and my son managed a whole day with no moaning at all.  We agreed that the Biome’s were likely to be very popular and that it would be a good idea to visit whilst it was still reasonably quiet. Which one shall we visit first? The Rainforest Mummy!! Ok, lets head in that direction then.  It was a bit chilly so the warmth of the rainforest would be much appreciated. We found an information point showing us the transformation of the site and my son was really taking it all in and asking lots of questions.

Eden Project

It was great to see him taking an interest and wanting to learn, of cause the talk of excavations and diggers certainly helped! It’s worth mentioning that there were a whole host of Easter activities running whilst we on site, we’d have happily participated but my son wanted to explore.  So that was that! For me, it was lovely to see some colour, Spring was appearing before our eyes.

Eden Project

As we walked towards the Biome there was a lot to keep our interest, especially some rather wonderful art installations.  I really want this one for my garden, oh ok, maybe a slightly smaller version!

Eden Project

You know we’re a family of bug hunters so this Bee went down particularly well and led to discussions about the valuable job the bee does in the garden pollinating.  Don’t forget the honey Mummy!  Yes, well-remembered.  There are lots of information points around the site which are useful and great for kids too.

Eden Project

You access the Biome area through the ‘Link’ which houses indoor and outside eating areas, toilets, changing room and juice bars.

Eden Project

When you enter the Rainforest Biome it is definitely advisable to remove any coats/warm weather gear, or you and the kids will melt.  Also as I soon discovered, the humidity doesn’t go with having a DSLR camera, I soon reverted back to my iPhone, which handled the atmosphere much better.  I’d also have drinks available for younger children, my son certainly appreciated the occasional pit stop along the way.

Eden Project

I explained to my son that we would be seeing examples of plants from around the globe and some from places I’d visited myself.  It was great to see plants I recognised from my travels to Gambia and Thailand and to be able to share stories as we walked through the Biome.  Things become far more interesting for children when you can relate them to your own life experiences. Discovering a ‘ship’ went down well as we began our journey.

Eden Project

Again, lots of information points and ideas to keep the children engaged as we walked through the different areas.

Eden Project

Walking through the Rainforest what can you see?  We saw all sorts of plants, some big, some small.

 

 

Rainforest Biome Blooms

We saw rubber trees where latex could be harvested and cocoa plants to make chocolate. My son couldn’t believe it when we showed him the rice fields.  I’m still not sure he’s entirely convinced that he saw rice plants!  Mangoes and sugar cane, Baobab and Bamboo, Coffee and Cashews (sadly no nuts at this time of year) but again, I could tell my son about seeing them growing in Thailand.  Lots of things brought back forgotten memories of plants I’d seen abroad over the years.  It was a great experience for all of us.

Eden Project Rainforest Biome

We walked through the Rain Forest Canopy Walkway and then realised we could walk right up about the canopy on a suspended platform.

Eden Project

Whilst the rest of the Biome is Buggy friendly, this platform is not and children must be able to walk up the suspended staircase, they can’t be carried.  My son decided to try climbing the staircase, but it didn’t surprise me at all that after a few steps he wanted to come down.  So Daddy P and I took it in turns.  There’s a waiting area at the bottom with a bench and storage buckets for your rucksack etc. The stairs wobble very slightly but the view from the platform is wonderful.

Eden Project Rainforest Biome

Once we’d finished we listened to a really interesting demonstration on how chocolate is made from cocoa and the children could have a go grinding coffee beans.  Then we got to see bananas being harvested. Greengrocer Daddy P was in his element and a banana loving son was so excited to see where bananas actually came from.

Bananas

Once we’d finished in the Rainforest Biome we decided to grab an early lunch before exploring the Mediterranean Biome.  We bumped into a friend and her family and enjoyed some Cornish pasties and drinks.  They’ve been before and we were comparing notes.  Once we’d eaten it was time for some more adventures.  This Biome is warm but nowhere near as humid so much more DSLR friendly.

Mediterranean Biome

The Biome felt vaguely familiar as we could easily have been walking around a village in Southern Spain with Granny and Gramps.  It certainly felt that way when we saw the citrus trees in fruit.

Mediterranean Blooms

The children loved the wide walkways which gave them some space to let off steam as we followed the yellow brick road.

Mediterranean Biome

There was a lot more colour in this Biome with less vegetation and a lot of blooms.

Mediterranean Blooms

We were enjoying just walking through the different area looking at the plants and art installations, but there is another cafe area inside the Mediterranean Biome too.  Monkey got his camera out and was busy snapping away.  When I get a moment I’ll have a look through his photos and maybe they’ll be another ‘Through the lens of a 5-year-old’ post coming soon!

Mediterranean Biome

We’d seen so much already, it was hard to believe we still had so much more of the Eden Project to explore.  The weather was being kind to us and the kids were desperate to try out the pirate ship play area.

Eden Project Pirate Ship play area

Iona and I left the Dad’s in charge whilst we wandered up the hill to see the Metal Giant and Hemp fence.

Eden Project Hemp Fence

Eden Project Metal Giant

Eden Project Metal Giant 1

We looked down over the site and watched as the brave travelled the Sky Wire – the longest zip wire in England.  Not for me at all, but it costs £18.00 and you can actually take part without visiting Eden Project itself, should you so wish.

Eden Project

Time was getting on and we wanted to head towards the Core with its various interactive displays. We met WEEEMan on the way and the kids were fascinated – what electrical appliances can you spot?  Hard to believe that this lot represents what one person will throw away in a lifetime.

WEEEman Eden Project

Then the kids spotted tractors to play on and there was more fun to be had.

Tractor Riding at Eden Project

We spotted some creepy crawlies along the way.

Eden Project

Before finally tearing the kids away from the tractors with the promise of a cake in the Core Cafe area!  After we’d tried out a few of the interactive areas with the Core, it was obvious that our little men were getting tired after a long day out.  They both wanted to take the Land Train back up to the entrance and they certainly deserved it.

Eden Project

The complimentary Land Train runs every 15-20 minutes and goes from the Stage Area up to the Visitor Centre below the car parks. We’d had a full, action-packed day, my son walked all over the place, listened, learned and explored.  It’s certainly somewhere we would revisit as he gets older and I can thoroughly recommend Eden Project as a great place for all the family to enjoy.  Looking at the guide-book I’d bought, after we got back to our cottage at Coombe Mill, I soon realised we’d still missed sections of the site, a great excuse for a revisit the next time we’re back in Cornwall.

 

27 thoughts on “Eden Project – a must visit attraction for families

  1. Great review of a fabulous place Mary. We’ve been lucky enough to visit many times and will never tire of it, so much to enjoy there. It was lovely to be able to share some of our favourite spots with you all. I love the last picture too x

  2. It really is a special place, isn’t it? We visited when we were at Coombe Mill last year, about the same time as your visit, so I’d suspect many of the same plants were in flower- I loved all of the tulips, gorgeous. We went on a day of torrential rain, though, so barely saw any of the outside, which means I’m keen to go back and explore again one day x

  3. Looks like a wonderful place and one I’d enjoy. I love how there’s plenty of space for children to explore as well.

  4. It looks like you had a great day out exploring some of what the Eden Project has to offer. It really is a great place to explore and perfect for little ones with plenty to keep them occupied as they wander around, they never realise how far they’ve travelled until the end of the day when they fall asleep on the way home! Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.

  5. I’ve heard so many good reports about the Eden project and it is is definitely on my visit list for when we are down that way. You have a great set of photos there. Mich x

  6. Looks like a cracking trip out, I’ve always wanted to go but i always assumed there’d be little for the kids to enjoy, clearly I’m wrong 🙂

  7. What an incredible place! It’s certainly somewhere I’d like to visit if we ever make it that far down our country!
    Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested this week x

  8. Loved reading this. It’s an attarction I’ve always wanted to visit. Glad yo umanaged ot return to Cornwall, even if it took five years! #CountryKids

  9. I actually didn’t realise that the Eden project was so well kitted out for children as well, I’ve never been but do want to visit Cornwall soon with the kids, so hopefully will visit then. #travelwithkids

  10. Wow, it looks like there is so much there. We thought about going last time we visited, but thought it may be boring for the girls, how wrong was we? Amazing photo of the bee. #travelwithkids

  11. I would love to visit the Eden Project! This is a fab review of it, there really is so much to see. Love all the sculptures 🙂

  12. Looks like you had a brilliant day 🙂 We live in Devon, so visit The Eden Project once or twice a year. I love it! I think the Med biome is my favourite; the smells transport me back to happy holidays. Your post has made me want to go back when we’re in Cornwall this summer! #countrykids

  13. Amazing! I have had this place on my list of places to visit for such a long time, but sadly it’s a bit far at the moment. The world could do with more environmental awareness places such as this couldn’t it? #timetraveller

  14. We found the Eden Project not to be pushchair or wheelchair friendly and on our visit when it first opened in 2003, we were unable to explore it fully esp with the eldest in her wheelchair and the youngest in the pushchair. I’d be intrigued to know if you thought access had improved

  15. I really want to go back and visit the Eden Project again. I went years ago, the twins were tiny and the weather was foul but we got round the entire site having to miss much of the outside. Now reading your post and looking at the fab photos makes me want to go visit again.
    Thanks so much for linking up with #TimeTraveller I’ve really enjoyed your post

  16. What a great place I am not sure about the big bee though! So many fantastic photos! Thank you for linking up to #travelwithkids

  17. This looks great, I hadn’t realised how much was there! I remember hearing about it when it was being built but was still at school at the time and it hasn’t occurred to me to take the children since they came along. We’ve never been to Cornwall as a family and really must rectify this and take in the Eden project whilst we’re there. Thanks for linking up to #travelwithkids

  18. I’ve heard lots of good reviews about the Eden Project. Wasn’t just been able to visit due to the distace it takes to travel to the lovely Cornwall. Need to check if it will open in winter, which I doubt.

    Fatima | http://www.blogsbyfa.com

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