Drusillas Winter Wonderland

This weekend we visited a much loved local attraction. Drusillas Park is set in the heart of the Sussex countryside and is a wonderful place to visit with the kids. We’ve written about this “No Ordinary Zoo” before but this article is about their Winter Wonderland Opening.

Drusillas Winter Wonderland Illuminations is live every day of the week. The display is switched on every day at 10am but if you linger in the park at 4.30pm the official Light Show starts with the magical scene coming alive as it synchronises to music!

Drusillas have the traditional meet Santa in his cottage but they also have added in a couple of free extras. Hug a Husky & Meet Santa’s Reindeer.

We loved visiting Santa (an extra £11 on the entrance) and the kids had a nice long chat with him about Christmas and school. He was great with them both – especially as they are tinies and the eldest is now 9! He was in a excellently decorated grotto and the kids picked up the small touches like the reindeer reins hanging up! They were each given a gift which turned out to be a cuddly husky which you can buy in the shops for £14 so a pretty good saving to go with a great experience!

Their highlight of the day was the chance to get to hug a Husky. We waited behind the line to not over whelm the huskies and when it was our turn the dogs and owners were superb! We didn’t feel rushed at any point and the boys were allowed to ask numerous questions and spent ages cuddling and stroking the huskies! Superb. In the Hello Kitty Parlour you can pop in and get your face painted too.

We headed straight to Santa when we arrived rather than go round the animals and in turn it meant that we only had to queue to see him for a couple of minutes. You can pop back to the start very easily afterwards but it was great not to need to queue. You can’t book your time slot either with Santa so keep an eye on the line while you hug a husky or two or meet the Reindeer!

The Zoo

Make sure you pick up your Zoo Olympics book and your stamper passport first! Then head round the zoo, keep an eye out to stamp your passport and also have a go at the amazing Olympics around the zoo. The boys love trying to see how loud they scream – not very compared to some animals – and whether they can hang on as long as a monkey!

The Playground

Outdoors there is a huge play ground where you can run round, climb, slide and explore to your hearts contentment! There is also an inside soft play in case it’s raining or you need to defrost!

Food

Scattered around the park are various places to grab a meal, a hot coffee or in the case of our kids – Ice cream! There isn’t a huge range though if you’re gluten free but there plenty of places to stop and open your own picnic up along the way!

All in all a superb place to spend a day! And if you’re local why not get a annual membership?!

Park Details

Drusillas Park is located in Alfriston, East Sussex and is open every day of the year except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Meet Santa's Reindeer - Sat 19th November - Friday 23rd Dec
Hug a Husky in the Ice Cave - Sat 19th Nov onwards (weekends only) 10:30am - 5pm. 
15th, 16th, 19th and 20th Dec 1pm - 5pm. 
21st, 22nd, 23rd Dec 10:30am - 5pm
The Hello Kitty Parlour - Sat 19th Nov onwards (weekends only)
Thursday 15th - Fri 23rd Dec (daily)
Seasonal Fair - Sat 19th Nov onwards (weekends only)
Thursday 15th - Fri 23rd Dec (daily)

Summer Opening (BST) is 10am – 6pm with last admission at 5pm. Car Park closes at 6:15pm.
Winter Opening (GMT) is 10am – 5pm with last admission at 4pm. Car Park closes at 5:15pm.