If you’re searching for a day out that genuinely keeps the whole family busy from arrival to home time, Hobbledown in Epsom, Surrey is one of the best options near London. The hobbledown play areas here are truly unique, set across 50 acres of woodland and meadow, blending award-winning adventure play areas with a proper zoo and farm animal experience, all wrapped up in a magical storybook world that kids absolutely love!
TL;DR: Hobbledown Epsom offers outdoor adventure villages, a 14,000 sq ft indoor playbarn, the Imaginarium sensory play space, and over 70 species of zoo and farm animals. Tickets start from £22.50 when booked online via Day Out With The Kids. Best for ages 2 to 13.
Whether your little ones are mad about animals, love to climb and explore, or need somewhere that works rain or shine, Hobbledown ticks every box. We’ve put together this 2026 guide to everything you need to know before you visit, from the Hobbledown play areas to the animal encounters, ticket prices, and practical tips for families.
Hobbledown Play Areas: What to Expect Outdoors
The outdoor play areas at Hobbledown are genuinely spectacular. This isn’t your average park with a couple of swings and a slide. We’re talking sprawling themed adventure villages spread across woodland and meadow, with structures that older kids will still be exploring hours later!
Hobbledown Village and the Adventure Castles
The centrepiece of the outdoor experience is the Hobbledown Village, a huge wooden adventure play area packed with towers, tunnels, slides, and rope bridges. It’s inspired by the magical storybook world that gives the park its name, and the attention to detail makes it feel like something genuinely different from a standard play park.
Fern’s Castle, which opened in 2020, is the newest addition to the outdoor playground. It features metal wire tunnels, towers, a castle with slides, and a dragon perched on top! Older children will love the challenge of navigating its climbing structures, while younger ones can explore at their own pace.
Mining Village and Crystallite Hunting
The Mining Village is a brilliant area for younger children. Kids can excavate Crystallite, the park’s own magical material, and play with water sensors. Nearly 1.5 million pieces of Crystallite have been found by Hobbledown guests since the park opened in 2012! It’s a clever way to keep younger visitors engaged while older siblings tackle the bigger structures.
Jumping Pillows, Zip Wires and High Ropes
Beyond the castles and villages, there’s even more to keep active families busy:
- Jumping pillows for bouncing fun (included in standard admission)
- Zip wires for a proper adrenaline rush
- High Ropes course (70 metres long, 3.5m off the ground, finishing with a zip wire) for children over 1.3m tall (add-on cost applies)
- Zorbing available during summer months
Good to know: The high ropes course is not included in standard park admission and is booked separately on the day.
The outdoor play areas are spread across natural terrain, which means the park isn’t fully wheelchair accessible in all areas, though hard-standing footpaths reach most of the site.
Indoor Play at Hobbledown: The Playbarn and the Imaginarium
One of the best things about Hobbledown is that a rainy day doesn’t ruin the visit. The park has two brilliant indoor spaces that are included in standard admission, and they’re both worth a good chunk of your day.
The Great Barn: Hobbledown’s Indoor Playbarn
The indoor playbarn, known as The Great Barn, spans a whopping 14,000 sq ft. It was voted the best indoor play centre in 2025 by the Association of Indoor Play Awards, and it’s easy to see why! Inside you’ll find:
- A multi-storey themed play castle
- Soft play climbing frames with slides
- Vertical trampolines
- Themed play zones suitable for all ages
Standard day tickets include access to the Playbarn (45 minutes on timeslot tickets, one hour on anytime tickets). It’s well suited to children of all ages, from wobbly toddlers to tweens who think they’re too cool for soft play. Spoiler: they’re not.
The Imaginarium: Sensory Play Like You’ve Never Seen
The Imaginarium is genuinely one of the most unique play spaces we’ve come across. It’s part reptile house, part water play zone, part insectarium, and part interactive jungle, all rolled into one themed building with caves, tunnels, and pools!
Highlights include:
- Interactive sandboxes and quirky water tables
- A network of tunnels and caves to crawl through
- Live reptiles, insects, and frogs housed in enclosures built into the cave walls (including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, rainbow stag beetles, and green basilisks!)
- A virtual savannah with floor sensors and touch screens where kids can scan animals and watch them appear on the interactive floor
The Imaginarium is included with all standard day tickets and has unlimited access throughout your visit. It’s brilliant for toddlers and younger children especially, though older kids love the creepy-crawly elements too!
Animal Encounters at Hobbledown Epsom
Hobbledown is as much a zoo and farm as it is an adventure park, and the animal side of things is genuinely impressive. With over 70 species and more than 200 individual animals spread across themed enclosures and walk-through areas, animal lovers are very well catered for!
Zoo and Farm Animals Included With Admission
Your standard day ticket includes access to all the zoo and farm animal areas. You’ll find a brilliant variety of species across spacious enclosures with runs, tunnels, and bridges:
| Animal | Type of Encounter |
|---|---|
| Ring-tailed lemurs | Walk-through enclosure |
| Meerkats | Enclosure viewing |
| Capybaras | Enclosure viewing |
| Wallabies | Walk-through area |
| Otters | Enclosure viewing |
| Giant tortoises | Enclosure viewing |
| Parrots and birds | Enclosure viewing |
| Goats and farm animals | Walk-through area |
There are also lorikeet and lemur walk-throughs, where you can get genuinely up close to the animals. It’s the kind of animal access that feels special rather than just a quick look through a fence!
Premium Animal Experiences (Bookable Separately)
For families who want to go even deeper, Hobbledown offers a range of hands-on animal experiences at an additional cost. These are bookable separately and include full park entry in the price:
- Feed the Meerkats (aged 6+): Step inside the enclosure and hand-feed the mob
- Meet the Lemurs (aged 6+): Get up close with ring-tailed lemurs and help feed them
- Feed the Capybaras (aged 6+): Hand-feed the world’s largest rodents inside their enclosure
- Capybara and Cream Tea (aged 8+): A unique pairing of a cream tea and a behind-the-scenes capybara encounter
- Meet the Tortoises (aged 5+): A calm, close-up session with the giant tortoises
- Birds of Prey Experience (aged 8+): Handle or fly magnificent raptors with expert falconers
- Zookeeper for a Day (aged 6+): The ultimate experience, helping prepare feeds and learning what it takes to care for exotic and farm animals
Our pick: The Zookeeper for a Day is the standout experience for animal-mad children. One visitor described it as “brilliant value” and praised the depth of knowledge from the keepers.
Birds of Prey Centre
Hobbledown’s Raptor Centre is home to 17 magnificent birds of prey. Throughout the year, the park runs public flying demonstrations, meet and greets, and experience days. Check the park’s schedule when booking your visit, as flying displays are one of the most popular parts of the day for families.
The Thinkery
On weekends and school holidays, The Thinkery runs storytelling sessions, immersive character appearances, and educational animal demonstrations. Entry to The Thinkery is included with standard day tickets when the events are running.
Hobbledown Tickets and Prices 2026
Booking in advance is the smartest move at Hobbledown. Not only do you save money compared to walk-up prices, but you also guarantee your preferred entry time. Here’s what you need to know for 2026.
Ticket Types and Prices
| Ticket Type | Online Price | Walk-Up Price |
|---|---|---|
| General Admission (all day, from 10am) | from £22.50 | from £24.50 |
| Afternoon Saver (entry from 2:30pm) | from £17.50 | from £19.50 |
| Toddler Days (weekdays, 1 adult + 1 toddler) | from £12.50 | varies |
| Under 2s | Free | Free |
| Flexi Fun Open Dated | varies | N/A |
The Flexi Fun Open Dated ticket is a great option if your plans are flexible. It can be used on any single day within a month of purchase, with no need to pre-book a specific date.
What’s Included in Every Standard Day Ticket
- Unlimited access to all outdoor adventure play areas, including adventure villages and jumping pillows
- Access to the indoor Playbarn (45 minutes on timeslot tickets, 1 hour on anytime tickets)
- Unlimited access to the Imaginarium
- Entry to all zoo and farm animal enclosures and walk-throughs
- Entry to The Thinkery events when running on weekends and school holidays
- Free onsite parking
Not included: High Ropes course (add-on, payable on the day). Premium animal experiences are also separate and must be booked in advance.
You can book Hobbledown Epsom tickets here to guarantee the best price and your preferred entry time.
Planning Your Visit: Opening Times, Getting There and Tips
A little planning goes a long way at Hobbledown. Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of your day.
Opening Times
Hobbledown Epsom is open seven days a week, 10:00 to 17:30. However, the park operates on a reduced schedule with Wednesday closures throughout much of the year. The 2026 closure dates are:
January: 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th February: 4th, 11th, 25th March: 4th, 11th, 18th April: 15th, 22nd, 29th September: 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th October: 7th, 14th November: 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th December: 2nd, 25th, 26th
Always double-check before you travel, especially if you’re visiting mid-week during term time.
Getting There
Address: Hobbledown, Horton Lane, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8PT
- By car: Follow the A24 towards Epsom and look out for the brown tourist signs to Hobbledown. Free parking is available right at the entrance.
- By train: Epsom station is served by Southern and South Western Railway. From the station, take the 467 or 166 bus towards Horton Lane, or a 10-minute taxi.
- By bus: The 467 and 166 routes serve Horton Lane from Epsom, Kingston, and Sutton.
Family Tips for the Day
- Arrive early. The outdoor play areas get busy, especially the adventure castles. Getting there at opening gives you the run of the place before the crowds build.
- Save water play for later. Hobbledown’s outdoor water play is a big hit, but wet kids make the rest of the day trickier. Leave it for the afternoon!
- Pack a picnic. You’re welcome to bring your own food for outdoor eating. Just note that only food bought at Hobbledown can be eaten inside the Playbarn.
- Card only. All till points at Hobbledown are cashless, so leave the cash at home.
- Typical visit time is 3 to 4 hours, but families with younger children often stay longer. If you’re planning a full day, the Afternoon Saver ticket from 2:30pm is great value if you want a shorter visit.
Accessibility
Hobbledown has accessible toilets and hard-standing footpaths to most areas of the park. However, due to the natural terrain, the adventure play areas themselves are not wheelchair accessible. Assistance dogs are welcome on a lead, but cannot enter animal walk-throughs or some animal demonstration areas.
Free carer tickets are available for eligible visitors. Bring accepted proof on the day (DLA or PIP evidence, Access Card, National Disability Card, Carers Card, or a valid Blue Badge dated within the last 12 months) and the free carer ticket will be issued at the entrance.
Food and Drink at Hobbledown
Fuelling the family is well covered at Hobbledown. The main food outlet is the Hobnosh Bar, which serves hot and cold food throughout the day. You’ll find proper meals on the menu, including loaded fries, battered calamari, fish goujons, and chicken katsu, as well as kids’ lunch boxes with pasta, loaded fries, and deli sandwiches. Hot and cold drinks are also available.
There’s also The Cabin for additional snack and refreshment options around the park.
Families are welcome to bring their own food for outdoor picnics. There are outdoor and covered seating areas throughout the site. The one rule to remember: only food purchased at Hobbledown can be eaten inside the Playbarn.
Reviewers consistently highlight the food as “reasonably priced” for a theme park environment, which is always welcome news for families watching the budget!
Is Hobbledown Worth It? Our Verdict
Hobbledown Epsom is one of those rare family attractions that genuinely delivers for a wide age range. Toddlers get soft play, animal encounters, and the Imaginarium. School-age children get the adventure castles, zip wires, and animal walk-throughs. Tweens get the high ropes, the Birds of Prey experience, and the premium animal encounters. There’s very little dead time for anyone in the group!
The real standout is the combination. Most farm parks do animals well but have limited play. Most adventure parks do play well but have limited animals. Hobbledown does both at a genuinely high level across 50 acres. That’s what makes it different.
“Great price for a day of fun! The kids love the variety of things to do. The inside play area is huge, and the food is reasonably priced. Definitely a better value day out compared to other similar places.” – Amanda, Hobbledown visitor
The typical visit runs 3 to 4 hours, but most families find themselves staying longer. With free parking, a solid food offer, and tickets starting from £22.50 when booked online, it represents strong value for a full-day family outing near London.
View the Hobbledown Epsom attraction listing or book your Hobbledown tickets now to secure the best price and your preferred date!