The South West's Largest Outdoor Play Area
Heligan’s 200 acres of adventure are curated to let little legs and old minds run free. Explore dappled woodland trails in the Giant's Head Play Area, adventure across our iconic Jungle Rope Bridge, and discover Heligan Play Meadow (the South West's largest outdoor play area) - where children and the young-at-heart alike can stay and play all day in nature.
Summer adventures with Superworm
Superworm is wiggling his way to Heligan this summer. From 8th July - 10th September discover the superheroes of the soil, with our exclusive Family Adventure Trail and Activities.
Throughout the year, we offer seasonal events designed to inspire and captivate your children as you explore. Keep an eye on this page for more information about our summer programme.
Heligan for Families
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![Heligan Play Meadow Kids On Swing]()
Heligan Play Meadow
Climb, slide and scramble your way around Cornwall's largest outdoor playground. Over 1,400m² of adventure awaits - that's the size of two football fields.
From turrets to towers, slides to swings, all set beside Bugginghum Palace (the UK's largest bug hotel) this natural play area brings families together in the heart of nature and the Heligan Estate.
We also have coffee, ice-creams and picnic benches because this is play, designed with parents in mind!
Keep an eye out for our brand new, 3m tall Jungle Castle opening soon in summer 2023. Will you be the first one to spot the sea and ring our cowbell from the top tower?
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![Rope Bridge 1250 827 S C1]()
The Jungle
Acres of raised boardwalks, giant exotic plants, pools, wildlife and one of the longest Burmese Rope Bridges in Britain! Perfect for any budding Indiana Jones or Dora the Explorer. This sub-tropical garden is not only brimming with exotic plants from around the world, it’s also home to some of the earliest dinosaur food – Tree Ferns. Although the dinosaurs have long since gone, the plants that they used to eat are still with us today! Can you spot them?
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![Giants Head Play Child On Beam]()
Giant's Head Adventure Play
Can you spot our friendly Heligan Giant amidst the trees? Created in the heart of our Woodland Walk by Heligan's Team, our adventure play area is perfect to practice balancing skills, log-hopping and jumping in and out of bamboo tunnels. Keep an eye out for our sleeping Mud Maid at the end of the trail.
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![Gloucester spot Oxford sandy and black pigs in paddocks]()
Heligan Farm Animals
Throughout the Estate, you will discover a friendly collection of heritage and rare livestock in the form of our ‘Tamworth’, ‘Lop’ & ‘Berkshire’ Pigs, ‘Devon and Cornwall Longwool’, ‘Kerry Hill’, ‘Jacob’, ‘Hebridean’ & ‘Ryland’ sheep and our ‘Highland’, ‘Ruby Red’ & ‘White Park’ Cows, along with a variety of rare poultry.
All the Heligan animals have their own appeal but our adorable piglets usually steal the show! Check with staff on arrival for their current location.
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![Bugginghum Palace, Heligan Play Meadow Jan 2022]()
Bugginghum Palace - UK's Largest Bug Hotel
Welcome to the UK's largest bug hotel. Located beside Helican Play Meadow, with views across to the sea, this is the Ritz of Insect Hotels, providing a wide range of nesting space for a host of insect and invertebrate life. Join us on Wildlife Wednesdays for to find out more about the marvellous minibeasts who live here.
(Please note Buggingham Palace is accessible only to bugs, butterflies and mini beasts.)
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![Scarecrows In Cornwall 1250 827 S C1]()
Diggory
Our resident scarecrow stands guard over the abundance of crops in the Vegetable Garden and is always pleased when visitors stop to pose for a photo with him.
