Blenheim Palace Summer of Fun

Blenheim Palace is a place I used to visit often as a child. I grew up around five miles away, and have incredibly fond memories of the train and the adventure playground. On Sunday the 6th of August, my children, my dad and I visited Blenheim Palace. I was most excited about looking around the Palace, because although we were regular visitors, I hadn’t ever been inside before! We hadn’t realised that Countryfile Live was on at the same time, so that was a huge added bonus! 

Blenheim Palace

You can buy two different types of ticket, one which gives you access to the Palace, Park and Gardens, and one which is simply access to the Park and Gardens (including the Formal Gardens, Pleasure Gardens, Churchills' Destiny Exhibition and Indoor Cinema). There is a giant hedge maze to explore, a Butterfly House and an Adventure Playground. There is also a bouncy castle (at an additional cost), giant board games and the Lavender Garden to enjoy.

The Butterfly House remains one of my favourite places to spend time. It’s small, but there are so many different types of butterfly there and you can even see them in the pupa stage, and just after they have emerged too. 

Blenheim Palace Butterfly
Blenheim Palace bird in butterfly house

There are a whole host of fun activities taking place at Blenheim Palace over the summer holidays,  guaranteed to inspire and entertain visitors young and old. You can take part in regular tours and also gain a glimpse into the history of the palace with a special Servants' Tour, with people who have lived and worked there.

There are all kinds of daily activities, and you can also enjoy wood fired pizza in the Pleasure Gardens Cafe throughout the summer.

Blenheim Palace Eyes

The Palace itself is stunningly beautiful inside. My absolute favourite part was right by the entrance, when you looked up and saw all of the eyes above the door. The Palace is grand, ornate and simply breath-taking. The staff were on hand to answer any questions my children had, including all the obscure ones they threw at them. I was also incredibly impressed with the pianist, who changed from playing classical music, to Meatloaf’s ‘I would do anything for love’ to show the children what she could do! All of the staff were engaging and very helpful and eager to tell the children fun facts, or encourage them to look harder at things around them.

Winston Churchill quote

The Churchill Exhibition was brilliant and it was amazing to see so much history in one place. I shall definitely have to go back and take more time around the exhibition as my children wouldn't let me linger long!

Blenheim Palace Maze

Thankfully the maze was kind to us, and we found our way out in around ten minutes. Although the children did rush ahead with their grandad, leaving me to find my own way out! I have flashbacks of losing my son in a maze when he was two and ran off, so they’re not my favourite place!

You could easily spend an entire day at Blenheim. The grounds cover over 2000 acres of landscaped parkland and formal gardens and there is plenty to see and do.  We were there for five hours and could easily have spent more time exploring.

Blenheim Palace Summer of Fun

In addition to the daily activities, there are also a host of amazing one-off events taking place. The remaining ones are listed below:

Summer Jousting Tournament - August 18th-20th 

Experience an epic Jousting Tournament on the South Lawn with the 'Knights of Arkley' and their mighty steeds.

Gallant knights and their noble steeds will battle for glory charging in the traditional tilt, and battling on foot with the mighty mace and quarter staff.

Alice and the White Rabbit – August 19th-20th

Join Historical Promotions in a game of hide and seek with Alice and the White Rabbit. Help Alice find the White Rabbit hiding somewhere in the Pleasure Gardens.

Pony Pursuits - August 26th-27th
Pony rides for children in the Palace grounds 11am-3pm. £2 per ride.

'Wind in the Willows' with The Immersion Theatre – August 27th

Pack your picnics and join the boat-loving Ratty, the sensible yet curious Mole, wise old Badger and the fantastically irrepressible Toad as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime to save Toad Hall!

Eye-catching costumes, toe-tapping music and larger than life characters promise to capture the imagination of the youngest of audience members whilst the sheer nostalgic charm of this beloved story is guaranteed to take older generations on a glorious trip down the riverbank onto memory lane.

Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport – August 27th-28th

On Sunday the festival will feature the Classic Car Show and on Monday they will be joined by motorcycles, Minis and VW's, Customs, Hot Rods and Americans, Kit and Sports Cars.

The two-day event has the added bonus of vehicle judging and an experienced motor commentator to talk us through the day's events.

Countryfile Live Blenheim Palace

Countryfile Live was a wonderful addition to our day out. It was filled with more stalls than we could ever have visited. There was a wonderful funfair and also a selection of vintage games and maypole dancing!

During the summer holidays, there are plenty of activities to keep the children entertained. You can check out Blenheim Palace’s website for further details.

Below is a video that I filmed of our day out. I hope you enjoy it. My Dad lives in Oxford and I am sure that we shall be back to visit again in the future.


Disclosure: We were provided with tickets to access Blenheim Palace, Gardens and Grounds for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own and are honest and fair.

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