Ten things to do and discover this May Half Term at Blenheim Palace

By Harrison Burridge

This May half term discover a fantastic week of fun at Blenheim Palace; from food festivals to film trails, afternoon tea to an adventure playground! There is plenty for all the family to enjoy.

1. Lamb Buggy Tours

As well as taking in iconic sights such as the Grand Bridge and the 'finest view in England', your driver will take you into the lambing fields on the Blenheim Palace Estate to see our new arrivals. We're delighted to be expecting approximately 3000 lambs this season! Until 31 May, Adult £3.50 Concession £2.50 + Park & Gardens ticket, blenheimpalace.com 2.Food Festival This year’s festival will feature more demonstrations, more local producers and more tastings than ever before, with a range of food, drink and activities for the whole family to enjoy. The festival promises regional food and drink from 120 stallholders, including artisan bakers, craft brewers, gourmet burgers, international cuisine, traditional ice creams and handmade sweets. 26 - 28 May, Adult £16.00 Child £7.40 Family £43.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com 3. Afternoon Tea in the Orangery Enjoy the Orangery Celebration Tea with Bubbles overlooking His Grace’s private Italian Garden this May Half Term. Indulge in a selection of homemade cakes, scones and delicacies with traditional sandwiches with seasonal fillings, all of which are made by Head Chef Billy Bush and his team. With many ingredients produced on Blenheim Palace’s estate, including lavender and fresh seasonal produce, the taste is unique to the Palace. Unlimited tea and coffee also accompany the tiered display. Visitors can also enjoy the Blenheim Palace Traditional Afternoon Tea and the Marlborough Champagne Afternoon Tea too. Adult £16.00 Child £7.40 Family £43.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com 4. Butterfly House Head to the Pleasure Gardens to discover more than 5,000 butterflies from around the world in the tropical Butterfly House. From exotic species from South America, Africa, Australia and South Asia to a selection of native butterflies get up close to these insects this half term. Adult £16.00 Child £7.40 Family £43.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com 5. Giant Marlborough Hedge Maze Explore the world’s 2nd largest symbolic hedge maze in the Pleasure Gardens. Created using 3,000 individual yew trees the 1.8 acres maze will offer much fun for all the family as well as views which portray pyramids of cannonballs, a cannon firing, and the air filled with banners, flags and the sound of trumpets. Grown to celebrate the First Duke of Marlborough’s military victories the maze has an entrance to the right, with a central exit as well as two wooden bridges creating a three-dimensional puzzle. Adult £16.00 Child £7.40 Family £43.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com 6. Adventure playground Enjoy outdoor fun on the Adventure Playground. Swing high on the swing set and be imaginative on the maze mats. Climb up the climbing frame, whoosh down the slides and tackle the monkey bars this half term. Adult £16.00 Child £7.40 Family £43.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com 7. Discover the Formal Gardens

Adult £16.00 Child £7.40 Family £43.00 (Park & Gardens ticket), blenheimpalace.com 8. Follow the Film Trail Inside Blenheim Palace explore the rooms which have been the scenes within exciting feature films and television series; from Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, A little Chaos, The Libertine, Half a Sixpence and The Royals. On location within The Formal Gardens and Parkland, follow the trail to see the where James Bond’s Spectre, The Young Victoria. Gulliver’s Travels, Fan and the BFG were filmed. Plus find the iconic spots where scenes from Cinderella, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Entrapment and Inspector Morse took place. The Lights, Camera, Action! film trail can be downloaded at blenheimpalace.com 9. Tour the State Rooms Explore the State Rooms where the detail of stunning portraits, tapestries and furniture is set against the scale and ambition of the interior architecture. Led by knowledgeable guides, these tours are included with admission to the Palace, Park and Gardens and give a fascinating insight into over 300 years of our history. The tours start at the Palace entrance and are available at regular intervals from Monday-Saturday Adult £26.00 Child £14.50 Palace, Park & Gardens ticket required, blenheimpalace.com 10. Tour the Private Apartments Take three different tours around the Private Apartments and discover how the other half live (and have lived) over 300 years of exciting history and heritage. Go below stairs for the ‘Downstairs Tour’, explore the rooms in the ‘Upstairs Tour’ and go behind the scenes in the ‘Duke’s Floor Tour’. Available until 30 October, £5 + Adult £26.00 Child £14.50 Palace, Park & Gardens ticket required, blenheimpalace.com