insideKENT Magazine Issue 40 - July 2015 | Page 106

DAYSOUT take your little monkeys to drusillas this summer Make tracks to Drusillas Park this summer and enjoy all the exciting animals, attractions and events on offer at the award-winning zoo in East Sussex. With over 100 different animal species in naturalistic environments, there is plenty to enthral everyone from the youngest to the oldest visitor. Animals include the popular meerkats where children can climb inside a dome to get really close, as well as penguins, red pandas, otters, beavers, gibbons, a range of monkeys and a walk-through bat enclosure to name but a few. Lemurland allows visitors to get nose to nose with a friendly group of ring-tailed lemurs and you can watch many of the animals being fed at the Keeper Talks that run throughout the day, such as the penguins at 11.30am and 4pm daily. Don’t miss Lory Landing. The walk-through aviary offers visitors the opportunity to get up close and personal with a friendly flock of rainbows lorikeets; a brightly coloured parrot native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Animal lovers can also see some new faces along the zoo route following the introduction of spectacled owls, scarlet ibis and Bactrian camels. Plus Drusillas is also celebrating lots of baby bundles of fur and feathers at the moment including a rare black lemur and a Sulawesi crested black macaque. However, animals are only half the experience. The brilliant play areas, including Go Wild! and Go Bananas! have masses of climbing, sliding, jumping and swinging fun, thoughtfully separated for different age groups. The interactive maze, Eden’s Eye, takes visitors on an adventure style quest through a host of different worlds. Indoors there is Amazon Adventure, a state-of-the-art soft play complex plus the Thomas & FriendsTM train offers unlimited rides all year round. Drusillas Park is also home to the first Hello Kitty attraction in Europe. Hello Kitty Secret Garden includes three specially designed children’s rides. Excitement will hit new heights as you ‘reach for the sky’ on the 25ft hopper, before taking a turn on the tea cups. You can then jump aboard the Hello Kitty car ride and enjoy a magical tour of sights and sounds. There’s also a Hello Kitty house and parlour — where fabulous face painting, temporary tattoos and a range of hair accessories are all available to purchase — as well as regular meet and greet opportunities with Hello Kitty herself (28 July & 5, 11, 13, 19, 23 & 25 August). There is also a fun-filled diary of other events throughout the school holidays including appearances from Ben & Holly (29 July) and The Fat Controller (30 July). Plus Leo and Raph from 106 the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will also make an appearance on 18th August for the first time at the zoo. For full listings visit www.drusillas.co.uk Plus this year the award-winning attraction celebrates its 90 year anniversary and a great deal is planned to mark this auspicious occasion. In May, Drusillas hosted a 90 year olds’ tea party, where ninety 90 year olds enjoyed a free zoo trip and cream tea in Explorers café; just part of the celebrations running at the Park during 2015. There’s also the Zoolympics Challenge, the Animal Spotter Book and Stamping Trail, Panning for Gold, Penguin Plunge, Vertical Limit, the Discovery Centre, Explorers Restaurant, Oasis Café and five shops. Located just off the A27 at Alfriston, Drusillas Park is open all year round (except 24, 25 and 26 Dec) from 10am until 5pm (last admission 4pm) in winter and from 10am until 6pm (last admission at 5pm) in summer. For further details please telephone [phone], email [email protected] or visit www.drusillas.co.uk