🚂 PANTO EXPRESS

🎭 START YOUR JOURNEY WITH A PANTO
(25 minutes)
Start your journey with our family-friendly pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, in our festive Visitor Centre. Enjoy your performance and then make your way to the Booking Hall to board the steam train.

🎅 NEXT TRAIN RIDE & MEET FATHER CHRISTMAS - KEEP YOUR GOLDEN TICKET!
(25 minutes)
You will be shown to your compartment where you will be visited by Father Christmas, who makes his way along the train to present a special golden ticket to all the children.  

🤶 AFTER THE TRAIN RIDE MEET MRS CLAUS & THE ELVES AT THE MUSEUM
After the train ride, your adventure continues in the museum with our brand-new experience! You will be magically transported to Santa’s workshop, where you can meet Mrs Claus and the elves, and your child can exchange their golden ticket for a gift of their choice.

🚻 TOILETS
Please note there are no toilets on the trains, but plenty around the site for you to use before your train ride.

👶BABY INFORMATION
NB Babies under 12 months are £8 and do NOT need a seat but will still receive a present. Seats are not allocated for babies. Pushchairs are not permitted on the train but can be left undercover on the platform.

DATES:
▪️Saturday 30th November
▪️Sunday 1st December
▪️Saturday 7th December
▪️Sunday 8th December
▪️Saturday 14th December
▪️Sunday 15th December
▪️Saturday 21st December
▪️Sunday 22nd December

SESSION TIMES:
Arrive by         Panto              Train
10:00               10:25               11:15
10:55               11:15               12:05
11:50               12:10               13:00
12:45               13:05               13:55
14:00               14:20               15:05
14:55               15:15               16:00

🎟 TICKET PRICE'S
▪️Bronze tickets: £22.50pp
(shared standard compartment)
▪️Silver tickets: £24.50pp
(private standard compartment for 6-8 people)
▪️Gold tickets: £26.50pp
(private First-Class compartment for 6 people)
▪️Babies: £8.00 
(under 12 months)

*Pre-booking are essential. All bookings are subject to a £3 fee per booking.

DATES & TIMES:
▪️Tuesday 3rd December 2024 - 5th January 2025
▪️Closed Mondays & other festive dates.
▪️10.00-17.00 (last entry 16.00)

🎅 WHAT TO EXPECT
Help Father Christmas round up his reindeer from their holidays.

🔎Search the galleries and help Father Christmas track them down by using clues from the postcards the reindeer sent from their travels.
Suitable for all ages.

🎫 COST - NO BOOKING REQUIRED:
▪️Entry into the museum: FREE
▪️Trail sheet: £1

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☕️ MUSEUM CAFE
Open: Tuesday - Sunday 10:00-mid afternoon.

🍰 Take a break from exploring the Museum and enjoy a fantastic selection of hot and cold drinks, lunches, cakes, children’s lunches and daily specials.

⭐️Take away is available
⭐️High Chairs are available
⭐️The Museum café is also open to non-Museum visitors.

📍WHERE I CAN FIND THE CAFE
The Museum cafe is on the lower ground level. Enter the cafe from our Akeman Street Car Park, by using the lift or by going round the outside of the building. To get to the cafe from the car park you have to go down two steps or a short slope. The cafe doors are 138cm wide. There are male and female toilets outside the cafe within 10 metres. To get to these toilets you have to go up one step. Both male and female toilets have baby changing facilities.

🎅 Christmas at Mead Open Farm is on sale now for 2024!

EVENT DATES:
▪️Saturday 30th Decmber
▪️Sunday 1st December
▪️Saturday 7th December
▪️Sunday 8th December
▪️Saturday 14th December
▪️Sunday 15th December
▪️Friday 20th December
▪️Saturday 21st December
▪️Sunday 22nd December
▪️Monday 23rd December
▪️Tuesday 24th December
 
🎟 INCLUDED IN YOUR CHRISTMAS OPEN FARM TICKET:
⭐️ Detector: Make it through the Naughty or Nice Detector.
⭐️ Meet Santa & story: Meet Father Christmas and enjoy an enchanted festive group story with him.
⭐️ Pick your gift: Visit Father Christmas’ Toy Store and pick your own gift.
⭐️ Make a bear: Choose your very own bear in our Make a Bear Workshop.
⭐️ Decorate gingerbread: Decorate gingerbread with Mother Christmas.
⭐️ Make reindeer food: Make a bag of reindeer food at the Reindeer food factory.
⭐️ Immersive: Visit Christmas HQ - an immersive walkthrough attraction.

💥 NEW FOR 2024! 💥
❄️ Show: The Pudding Club show.
❄️ Tree walk: Visit the Christmas Tree walk-through with 3D sparkle glasses.
❄️ Alpine Village: Visit the Alpine village to purchase indulgent festive treats.

🐷 FARM & INDOOR PLAY AREA:
Plus, have full access to all the usual fun of the farm including meeting our animals and our giant indoor play area.

🤩 MEMBERS:
Members, don’t forget you can save 25%!

🎟 TICKET PRICES:
Ticket prices can be seen in the photos or on the website via the event link where you can also book your tickets.

🐽 EVENT DETAILS
Christmas with Santa & the Pigs. Come to see our rescued animals, visit Santa in his piggy themed grotto, lovely cafe serving hot drinks and snacks, lots of piggy souvenirs and Christmas goodies. 

2024 DATES:
▪️Saturday 7th December
▪️Sunday 8th December
▪️Saturday 14th December
▪️Sunday 15th December
▪️Saturday 21st December 

😌 RELAXED SETTING

🐷 ABOUT CURLY TAILS
Curly Tails is a wellbeing centre for humankind that works alongside our animal welfare and rescue programme.

A harmonious, interactive and reciprocal approach to human and animal that improves mental health, wellbeing, education, learning, confidence, self-worth and happiness through inner contentment, empathy and kindness.

We live in a world that is fast paced, busy and sometimes overwhelming and often lose touch with ourselves and others around us including the fact that we all share this planet, human and animal and those bonds, connections and interactions are key to our mental health. 

🌏 We all need others and need to feel a part of the world around us. 

We help thousands of people every year in one way or another and are fully inclusive regardless of background, ability or age.

🎟 TICKETS (Book via the event link)
▪️CHILD: £16
▪️ADULT: £16

OPENING TIMES:
▪️Monday - Closed
▪️Tuesday -  Sunday: 10:00am - 4:30pm

🦁 WHAT ANIMALS WILL I SEE?
The zoo proudly house's over 100 fascinating animals, from majestic African Lions to  delightful sloth bears, a racoon dog, skunk, otters, a bob cat, wallabies, rabbits, meerkats and many more.

🌴 TROPICAL HOUSE
Inside the warm Tropical house you will find crocodiles, turtles, fish & snakes surrounded by palm trees.
(The Whatsup Bedfordshire family loved this!)

🛝 FUN FOR THE KIDS
You will find an outdoor play area with a climing frame, swings, slide and bouncers. You will also find a tranquil circular woodland walk. Keep a look out for Peacocks roaming around near the Steak House! 

 🐶 DOGS
Don’t forget, dogs are welcome too!

😋 FOOD & DRINK
Onsite your can visit:
▪️The Steakhouse
(Open Wednesday- Sunday)
▪️The Tea Room
▪️Farm Shop
🚫 Please be aware pinics are not allowed.
❗️Please check either the website via the event link or photos for opening times.

♿️ IS THE ZOO ACCESSIABLE?
(Whatsup Bedfordshire advice)
The parking is on gravel stones so this maybe hard to navigate a wheelchair. Although it does mention on the website that you can park infront of the Farm Shop which is tarmac ideal for wheelchair users. The farm shop, Steak House & Tea room are accessible. On a winter day you may find the zoo area paths are muddy, with some gravel paths and grass, so it maybe hard to push a wheelchair in places. There is a wooden slat ramp to the Tropical house.
🚻 Accessible toilets - Accessible toilets are available in both the Steakhouse and Tea room.

🎟 NO BOOKING REQUIRED, JUST PAY ON THE GATE BY CASH OR CARD!
▪️ Adult: £5
▪️ Child:  £4
▪️ Ages 3 & under: Free