Sundown Adventureland with children | Nottinghamshire theme park review
Sundown Adventureland is a charming Nottinghamshire theme park aimed at younger children, better suited to imaginative play than rides.
Why visit Sundown Adventureland?
Sundown Adventureland in Rampton, Nottinghamshire, is a theme park that ditches thrill rides and rollercoasters and focuses on younger children. Located between Retford and Lincoln, Sundown Adventureland’s rides are gentle and scenic rather than high speed and exciting. The rapids-esque Jolly Pirates Barrel Ride is about as fearsome as it gets.
Others, such as the Rocky Mountain Railroad and the horse-pulled Robin Hood’s Merry Adventure, are charming tootles through well-devised sets.
And this is where the appeal of Sundown Adventureland really lies. Its strength is in the worlds it creates. None of them are high budget, but they’re pulled off with impressive paint jobs and panache.
Sundown Adventureland with kids
Sundown Adventureland is an unexpected joy to amble through, with lots of different sections to make stops at.
Monkey Mischief has troops of interactive animals reacting to eagerly-pushed buttons, Shotgun City’s shooting gallery hams up the cowboy theme, Lollipoppet Castle has lots of hidey-holes and a not entirely fearsome dragon, while Storybook Village is full of fairytale characters.
This Nottinghamshire theme park, therefore, lends itself to imaginative play. Children tend to immerse themselves in the worlds, inventing their own characters and playing games that frankly mystify parents.
Sundown Adventureland review: The best bit
The underrated strength of Sundown Adventureland is the playgrounds. The Pirate Adventure playground has kids exploring a big wooden ship, Captain Sandy’s Play Cove keeps them absorbed making castles and other creations in the sand and Fort Apache gets thing a bit more boisterous.
These Sundown Adventureland playgrounds are where children are likely to spend most time.
Infants, juniors or secondary?
Sundown Adventureland very much skews towards infants and toddlers. Seven and eight-year-olds might get something out of it, but older children are likely to struggle with the lack of excitement
Sundown Adventureland entry prices
Most of the time, entry tickets to Sundown Adventureland cost £24 for both adults and children over 90cm tall. For those under 90cm tall, entry is free. Family tickets – £60 for three, £80 for four and £100 for five – are also available.
Sundown Adventureland ticket prices are a little lower on low season days when significant chunks of the park are closed. Get the exact prices for your preferred date on the park website.
Prices were last checked and updated on 7 October 2024.
Full day, half day or a couple of hours?
Young children can easily turn a visit to Sundown Adventureland into a full day out. As long as you go in with the attitude that it’s about letting them play, rather than cramming in as many rides as possible, it can be a fairly stress-free day for parents, too.
Attractions near Sundown Adventureland
Sundown Adventureland can fill a day, but if you want to combine it with a visit to somewhere else, nearby attractions include:
- Newark Castle in Newark-on-Trent.
- Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln.
- Clumber Park near Worksop.
Nearby cities
The closest city to Sundown Adventureland is Lincoln.
Other cities within a 90 minute drive of Sundown Adventureland include Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham, Doncaster, Wakefield, York, Leeds, Bradford, Hull and Peterborough.
Is it open on Mondays?
Sundown Adventureland is open most days between February and Christmas. However, not everything is open every day in the low season, so check the opening times calendar before booking.
It is open on most Mondays, though – and that’s when teacher training days usually fall if you want to go when the crowds are low.
More information
For more information, visit the Sundown Adventureland website.
