No trip to England would be complete without a trip to a farm park. Being from Los Angeles, this concept of farm parks is a bit foreign to me, owing more to being a city girl than an American. However, they are absolutely everywhere in England and I love them! Sometimes you just need to go pet a goat, you know?
My sister-in-law, Ali, had a new farm park for us to check-out, Millets Farm Centre in Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire. We went with Ali, her daughter (Charis), Zoe and Felix on a very cool day in late August. The weather was so unpredictable, that we kept taking our jackets on and off, occasionally experiencing sunshine, but always a moment away from rain.
Millets Farm Centre has a ton to offer and although there are free exhibits, like checking out the farm animals, most of the attractions that kids will want to do, have individual fees. They catch the kids right away with a carousel located in the parking lot. Who can resist a carousel?
The biggest (it's enormous) attraction at Millets is the Maize Maze. It's so big that each group is given a flag to carry, in case you get lost and need to be retrieved.
Upon entering the maze, each person is given a game card. There are several games that can be played inside of the maze, each with a different level of difficulty. The games involve finding stations hidden in the maize and spinning a wheel. Whatever you land on during your wheel spin, will give you a silly task to perform (like pretending to be an elephant or jumping on one leg while singing) and on completion, you win the points assigned to that task. It was a little confusing to be honest, but the kids just had fun spinning the wheel and doing silly things.
Near the maze, there are lots of free games for the kids to play, like a giant Connect-Four game and a ball toss. The is a walk through a wooded area with optical illusions that is a must-do. Really, there are plenty of free things to do at Millets. My favorite free activity, was seeing the animals. The animals are located on Pettigoat Lane, walking under the troll bridge.
We never made it over to the Falconry Show (extra fee) or the center's store, which Ali said was fabulous. There is just so much to do that it is easy to fill the better part of a day exploring Millets. The cafe has a great selection of both snacks and entrees. We found it to be a perfect place for a refresher after getting our work-out in the maze. The outdoor seating for the cafe is adjacent to a big playground, which kept the kids happy. We will definitely return to Millets Farm Centre on future trips to England.