This morning I’ve had to explain to the kids what the difference is between corn and sweetcorn (which is of course also known as corn). And the fact that Maize and Maze are synonyms. Why was I having these random conversations? Because we had been invited by Millets Farm in Oxfordshire to do a review of their Maize Maze of course.
I’ll be honest, I assumed that we’d be doing the Maize Maze for about an hour. Because we’d been invited, and I’d been to something similar elsewhere so I thought I knew what to expect, I didn’t actually do any research before we visited. I’m such a muppet. During our visit we looked around the rest of the Millets Farm Centre, and went to their Sprouts Playbarn, so we were actually here for SIX hours. We missed swimming, dinner was really late and Smallest Child fell asleep in the car so didn’t go to sleep again until gone 10. But it was all worth it.
The activity packs
This was probably the point where I realised that we weren’t going to just be at Millets for just an hour. Millets had a theme of Bee-A-Mazed this year in their quest to save the humble bumble bee. The pack contained an activity booklet, sticker sheets, pencils, crazy golf score sheet and a packet of seeds. There are a eight different activities included in the booklet. I was genuinely impressed with the quality of these activity packs, especially in comparison to ones we’ve had from other places.
The Mega and Mini Maze
Looking at the poster outside they create the most amazing patterns in their maize and this year it’s a massive bee. Helpfully there’s a map on the activity booklet. Which we completely ignored and just wandered around the maize really. Hidden within the maze are things like swings, platforms etc. If you’ve been to the Maize Maze at Millets Farm Centre then you probably know roughly where these already as as they’re a permanent feature.
Normally the point of a maze is to get into the middle and get out again. Because of the activity packs the point of this maze is to find the 11 signs dotted around and get the directions for a wiggle dance. Turns out, we found three of the signs. THREE!!! That’s just rubbish. Even looking at the map I cannot figure out how we managed to zip around it so quickly.
In the mini maze you had to find eight bees and match them to their homes. Even though this maze is only about 1/4 the size of the big one, it’s supposed to take you about half the time to get around it.
Before you even get into the mazes there’s one of the activities to do in the Queen’s castle. Even though this is “just” colouring in the Queen bee, actually all three kids really enjoyed doing this. And it meant a moment of calm for Hubby and I, just sitting up on the platform with the Queen Bee, waiting for the kids to finish.
The Courtyard
We spent soooo much time in here! Trampolines for the boys – check. Sandpit for Smallest Child – check. Skittle alley, ride-on tractors, giant games and more. There’s also plenty of seating for the adults. The Maize Maze at Millets Farm Centre is very much an outdoor attraction, so be prepared to dress for the weather. That said, there are areas that are covered in case of a classic British summer! There’s also covered seating for the same reason.
It’s quite random but on the back walls there are loads of photos of optical illusions. The boys love stuff like this so they thought it was great. I just have no idea why they are here.
The other activities
Along the side of the Maize Maze Millets Farm have got several other areas with activities and places to explore. There’s a couple of little woodland areas; one with a shaded sand pit (which is much quieter than the courtyard sand pit) and one with a massive buggy (which I think gets decorated differently each year depending on the theme). There’s also crazy golf, go-karts and a fort maze. For some reason the fort maze was actually one of my favourite bits. It was simple enough to get around and complete, but I really liked it.
The go-karts at the Millets Maize Maze are pedal go-karts with single and double versions available. The boys wanted to go on the single ones, so they could pretend to be Nigel Mansell (showing my age now), which left me on the double one with Smallest Child. OMG those things are hard to get around. And not exactly comfy on the butt. They also have the handling of, well, a go-kart. I consider myself to be a fairly good driver but we ended up off the road quite a lot!
Of all the different areas at the Millets Maize Maze, I was most disappointed with the crazy golf. I know that literally no-one is any good at crazy golf, but these seemed particularly hard. Also it was quite run-down and had definitely seen better days.
What else is there to do at Millets Farm Centre?
OMG there is loads to do here. I’ve actually been here before when we visited the centre itself (including the animal walkway) and the Falconry Centre. Depending on when you visit there are also events such as the pumpkin patch, dahlia beach and Santa’s grotto. There’s also a play area, cafe, garden centre and woodland walks. Sprouts playbarn is probably one of the best soft plays I’ve ever been to!
Our Millets Maize Maze review
I was really impressed with how much there was to do here. I had no idea how long we would be there. I’ll be honest, when I looked at the price of admission I was a bit worried how much value it could possibly offer. Having experienced it for ourselves, and knowing that you can bulk out the day with the free stuff over in the main centre, I do think it’s worth it. Those packs in particular are pretty decent.
Although we were gifted admission to the Maize Maze, Millets Farm Centre didn’t see this review prior to publication and had no input into its contents.
Admission cost
£8 per person over 3, £4 per 2 year old, free for under 2’s. Tickets can be booked via their website. Pre-booking is recommended.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Plenty of free parking on site
Address – Millets Farm Centre, Kingston Road, Abingdon OX13 5HB
Toilets
Port-a-loos within the Maize Maze, proper toilets in the main centre
Food
Picnics are allowed
For lots of other summer holidays activities and events in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire have a look at the what’s on guide,.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
One thought on “Millets Maize Maze Review”