For those looking for a family day out, they need look no further than what is on offer in East Devon.
At Bicton Park Botanical Gardens, you can enjoy more than 60 acres of beautiful gardens with their soft sweeping lawns, elegant water features, fragrant English borders and formal Gardens.
Take a tranquil walk and meander through the arboretum among some of the most majestic trees in the country many designated champions of their kind in the British Isles.
Steeped in history, the magnificent Palm House is one of the world’s most beautiful garden buildings. Dating from c.1825, the Bicton building is about 20 years older than the Palm House at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and has a fantastic collection of palms. You can also discover the temperate and tropical houses, the little house of shells, the romantic Hermitage, the secret garden, the lake, streams and woodlands.
The Bicton Woodland Railway* is a great way to see the park, the 25-minute tour taking you through the majestic trees in the Pinetum and up to the 19th century Hermitage summerhouse at the end of the Gardens before returning alongside the lake.
The Countryside Museum is well worth seeing, featuring a huge collection of exhibits that mirror the changes to village life, farming, horticulture, social history and rural crafts during the first half of the 20th century.
The park has plenty for children too. There’s a miniature village, children’s undercover farmyard, a large climbing camp, mini golf, a children’s football pitch and *heated indoor play centre.
Visitors can also relax and enjoy a meal or snack at the Orangery Restaurant with its breathtaking views across the gardens.
Visit Bicton Park Botanical Gardens for a day and you can upgrade to an annual membership for only £6 per person, including free entry to Morwellham Quay. Membership provides unlimited access to Bicton and Morwellham, 363 days per year. Members also receive a five per cent discount in both gift shops and restaurants.
(*extra charges apply)
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