Adventure Valley in Durham is only ten minutes drive from our house and so is somewhere we frequently visit. This is a relatively new attraction and since we started visiting there last year, the number of attractions available has grown considerably.

Prices for Adventure Valley are currently £7.45 (peak) and £5.95 (off peak) for a day ticket for Adults and Children (under 2′s are free!). You can buy an annual ticket for £39.95 which gives unlimited use which is what we have done as we go there so frequently. There are additional costs for some rides such as £2 for a pony ride, £1 for coin operated cars and £1 for a barrel ride but everything else is included in the price.

Adventure Valley is split into various zones with different activities in each area. There is plenty to do when it is raining so bad weather doesn’t necessarily mean a ruined visit :)

Indoor Activities include a large soft play area and a toddler play area. This is situated in a large building with a cafe and plenty of seating for parents to have a coffee. Now Zara is only little so the big soft play area is a little too much for her (she doesn’t think so!) so we try and confine her to the toddler area. This isn’t the hugest area but with a slide and various things to do, it will keep her occupied for a while. Of course mummy has to go play with her and you’ll frequently see me zooming down the slide with her (and sometimes Oscar).

Got my hands full!

Fun in the soft play

Now I have to admit, the food from the cafe is a bit disappointing for vegetarians. We were pretty limited when it came to sandwich choice but to be honest most of the time we just get a coffee and a muffin which are perfectly fine :)

Also indoors is the cute animal barn with lots of cute (and some not so cute) animals to feed, cuddle and sometimes handle. Zara loves looking in here and she especially loves the giant rabbit :)

ooh oink oinks!

Whats in here then?

yikes Daddy, that llama doesn't look very friendly!

There is also the Busy Bees Barn which has a giant sand pit to play in which we love.

When the weather is nicer we love being outdoors as much as possible, there is absolutely loads to do for toddlers and older children.

looking at the animal paddocks

panning for gold (change of clothes recommended!)

riding in the cars with Daddy (£1 coin operated!)

Bouncing on the jumping pillows!

Riding a cow!

and even Oscar gets to play with us some times :)

Everytime we visit Adventure Valley we find more things that Zara is interested in, from bouncy castles to birds of prey displays. Throughout the day there are various events taking place from hamster racing to pig washing so there is always something to watch. We tend to only visit in afternoons as we are so close and as we have annual tickets there is no pressure to stay all day (and usually with 2 tiny tots a long visit is too tiring for them) but if you were to go for a whole day there would be plenty to keep you occupied. Adventure Valley is definitely recommended by the Brown family and I think it’s pretty much guaranteed that we will be renewing our annual passes next year :)