Adventure Wonderland

Adventure Wonderland was a family theme park in Hurn, Dorset, near Bournemouth and adjacent to Bournemouth International Airport. Its attractions were designed primarily for families with children up to about ten years old, combining outdoor rides, play areas, character appearances, theatrical entertainment, seasonal events and an indoor play centre. The park’s visual and narrative identity drew heavily on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, with figures including Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit appearing around the site and in shows. The attraction grew from a local agricultural business operated by the Lucas-Rowe family. Around 1971, farmer Russell Lucas-Rowe created a children’s garden and maze beside a pick-your-own strawberry and raspberry operation so that children would have something to do while adults collected fruit. The first version of the attraction was called The Alice in Wonderland Maze. It attracted approximately 54,000 visitors in its first season, encouraging the family to expand the site and eventually discontinue the pick-your-own fruit business. The name was later changed to Adventure Wonderland to broaden its appeal beyond younger girls and to attract boys and somewhat older children. The park’s principal long-term landmark was its large beech hedge maze. Designed by maze specialist Adrian Fisher, the maze was planted in 1990 and opened to visitors in 1992. It covered roughly 240 feet by 240 feet, used approximately 5,200 bushes and contained about 1.75 miles of pathways. The maze remained central to the park’s identity and was described as one of the largest in the United Kingdom. The site as a whole covered about 20 acres and included approximately 1.5 miles of pathways. Adventure Wonderland expanded beyond the original outdoor concept in 2005 with Wild Thing!, an Aztec-themed indoor play centre costing approximately £1 million. The indoor facility allowed the attraction to operate throughout the year rather than closing during the winter. Other facilities included a café, gift shop, outdoor play spaces, family rides, live character encounters and theatre shows. The park also staged character days and Halloween and Christmas events, broadening its appeal during school holidays and seasonal periods. By July 2011, the attraction was reported as one of Dorset’s popular visitor destinations, with roughly 100 employees during the peak season and approximately 180,000 annual visitors. The site also became associated with Bournemouth’s Aviation Museum, which moved to land opposite the park’s car park in autumn 2008, although the museum was a separate attraction. In September 2023, Adventure Wonderland announced a major change to its operating model: outdoor rides would be discontinued while the indoor play centre, birthday-party business and Christmas attraction were initially retained. The park stated that it intended to return to a more traditional family-park concept in 2024, with the maze once again at the centre. The indoor play centre subsequently closed in January 2024. The attraction’s current operating status and the extent to which the planned 2024 repositioning was implemented are not established by the supplied reference material.

Adventure Wonderland developed from a farming enterprise operated by the Lucas-Rowe family in Hurn, Dorset. Around 1971, Russell Lucas-Rowe set aside part of the farm for children while their parents picked strawberries and raspberries. He created a garden and maze and based the concept on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The choice had a local connection: Alice Pleasance Liddell, widely associated with the inspiration for Carroll’s Alice, had lived in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, within the broader local region. The original attraction opened as The Alice in Wonderland Maze. Its first season drew approximately 54,000 visitors, demonstrating demand for a dedicated children’s attraction. The family progressively added activities and attractions, and the success of the visitor business ultimately led to the closure of the pick-your-own fruit operation. The name was later changed to Adventure Wonderland so that the attraction would appeal to a broader group of children, including boys and somewhat older visitors, while retaining its Alice-inspired identity. The site’s most distinctive physical feature was a large beech hedge maze. Designed by Adrian Fisher, it was planted in 1990 and opened to the public in 1992. The maze measured approximately 240 feet by 240 feet, contained around 5,200 bushes and offered about 1.75 miles of paths. It used a left-turn route to guide visitors through the maze. By 2011, it was described as four times the size of the maze at Hampton Court Palace and among the largest mazes in the United Kingdom, although rankings can change as attractions open or close. Adventure Wonderland subsequently expanded into rides, outdoor play areas, live entertainment and hospitality facilities. Alice, the Mad Hatter and other characters appeared during the day, while theatre shows provided additional entertainment. A café and gift shop supported the visitor experience. The park also hosted visiting characters, special character days and Halloween and Christmas events, making the attraction relevant beyond the core summer season. In 2005, the park added Wild Thing!, an Aztec-themed indoor play centre reported to have cost £1 million. This was intended to enable year-round operation, since the attraction had previously closed during the winter. The wider site covered approximately 20 acres and included about 1.5 miles of pathways. In autumn 2008, Bournemouth’s Aviation Museum moved to land opposite Adventure Wonderland’s car park, creating a nearby complementary visitor destination while remaining a separate institution. By July 2011, Adventure Wonderland had become a significant Dorset family attraction. Reports from that period described approximately 100 employees during peak season and around 180,000 visitors annually. Its core audience remained families with young children, and the Alice in Wonderland theme continued to provide a recognizable framework for the rides, maze, characters and shows. The park announced a substantial change in September 2023, stating that all outdoor rides would close. The indoor play centre, birthday-party activities and Christmas attraction were initially retained, and the park described its intended 2024 direction as a return to a traditional family park centred on the maze. The indoor play centre closed in January 2024. The supplied sources do not establish whether the outdoor site continued operating in the planned form after that change, so the brand’s present status is recorded as unknown rather than definitively active or defunct.

1. 2024Indoor play centre closes

   The indoor play centre closed in January 2024.

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2. 2023Outdoor rides scheduled for closure

   The park announced that outdoor rides would close and that it planned to refocus on a traditional family-park model centred on the maze in 2024.

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3. 2011Park reaches reported peak-season scale

   Contemporary reporting described approximately 100 peak-season employees and around 180,000 annual visitors.

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4. 2008Bournemouth’s Aviation Museum moves nearby

   Bournemouth’s Aviation Museum moved to land opposite the Adventure Wonderland car park in autumn 2008.

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5. 2005Wild Thing! indoor play centre opens

   The park opened a reported £1 million Aztec-themed indoor play area, allowing it to extend operations through the winter.

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6. 1992Hedge maze opens to visitors

   The approximately 5,200-bush maze opened to the public, with about 1.75 miles of paths.

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7. 1990Beech hedge maze planted

   Adrian Fisher’s large beech hedge maze was planted as a major permanent feature of the attraction.

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8. 1971Children’s attraction created on the Lucas-Rowe farm

   Russell Lucas-Rowe created a children’s garden and maze beside the family’s pick-your-own strawberry and raspberry operation in Hurn.

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9. The Alice in Wonderland Maze opens

   The original attraction opened under the name The Alice in Wonderland Maze and attracted approximately 54,000 visitors during its first season.

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A local, family-oriented attraction focused on young children, imaginative play and Alice in Wonderland theming, with a later emphasis on seasonal events and indoor activities.

• Hedge mazeFamily attraction1992

  The park’s signature attraction was an octagonal beech hedge maze designed by Adrian Fisher. Planted in 1990 and opened in 1992, it measured approximately 240 feet by 240 feet, contained around 5,200 bushes and provided about 1.75 miles of pathways. The maze used a left-turn route and became the central symbol of the park’s original Alice in Wonderland concept.

• Wild Thing!Indoor play centre2005

  Wild Thing! was an Aztec-themed indoor play centre opened in 2005. The facility represented a major expansion beyond the outdoor maze and rides, helping the attraction operate during the winter and providing an all-weather activity for families with young children. The centre closed in January 2024.

• Outdoor rides and play areasTheme-park attractions

  Adventure Wonderland offered a collection of rides and outdoor play features aimed mainly at families with children up to approximately ten years old. The outdoor offer was supported by character appearances, theatrical entertainment, a café and a gift shop. In September 2023, the park announced that all outdoor rides would close as part of a shift back toward a traditional family-park format.

• Seasonal and character eventsLive entertainment and events

  The park hosted Alice in Wonderland character appearances, theatre shows, special character days and seasonal Halloween and Christmas programming. These events extended the brand beyond mechanical rides and reinforced its positioning as an imaginative, child-focused family destination.

• 2023Refocusing on a traditional family parkStrategy

  The park announced a restructuring of its attraction mix and a move away from its outdoor ride-based offer.

  What changed. Adventure Wonderland announced the closure of all outdoor rides while retaining the indoor play centre, birthday parties and Christmas attraction at that stage. It said the maze would be central to a planned 2024 return to its roots.

  Aftermath. The indoor play centre closed in January 2024. The supplied sources do not confirm the final operating model or the broader status of the attraction after the announced changes.

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• 2005Expansion into indoor, year-round entertainmentStrategy

  The attraction had traditionally operated as an outdoor park and closed during the winter.

  What changed. Adventure Wonderland opened the Wild Thing! indoor play centre, an Aztec-themed facility reported to have cost £1 million.

  Aftermath. The indoor facility enabled the park to extend its operating season and serve families in poor weather, although it later closed in January 2024.

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• 2024Adventure Wonderland indoor play centre closes

  The indoor play centre referenced in the park’s 2023 restructuring announcement closed in January 2024.

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• 2023Adventure Wonderland announces closure of outdoor rides and a return to a traditional family-park model

  The park announced that its outdoor rides would close while the indoor play centre, birthday parties and Christmas attraction were retained at that stage. Management said the attraction would return to its roots in 2024, with the maze as its central feature.

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1. Adventure Wonderland