Hunter Valley Gardens Mega Creatures 2016

As you have come to expect from the Hunter Valley Gardens, they get bigger and better every year. This year is no exception. The Christmas Lights Spectacular and Mega Creatures 2016 edition are an event not to be missed!!

Like I have mentioned previously on the blog, we attend the Christmas Lights Spectacular every year. It has become a family tradition and the kids love it. If your kids are anything like mine; they will absolutely love the Mega Creatures as well. You can take a journey through the gardens and see some amazing works of art (botanical art obviously), different themes/gardens and the Story Book area. This is one of my kids favourite parts of the whole Hunter Valley Gardens.

The Mega Creatures 2016 include all of the incredible giant bugs from last year. These include beetles, tarantula, bee, snail and so many more – see here for last years Mega Bugs review.

Much to the excitement of my kids; this year the Hunter Valley Gardens have added Dinosaurs to their Mega Creatures display. See favourites including: T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and many more! The giant animatronic creatures will have you and your children in awe and provide hours of discussions.

It was great watching the dinosaurs move and make noises. It really gave the kids a sense of what they were like before they became extinct. Each one had a different call and it was amazing seeing the kids get excited over learning. This experience is not only heaps of fun, it is also educational.

You can find out more here or enter below to win yourself 1 of 2 family passes!

2x WINNERS!! 

Each prize includes: 1x Hunter Valley Gardens Mega Creatures family pass. RRP $134.00. Total prize pool: $268.00.

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

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Terms & Conditions: 
1. Australian residents only.
2. Judges decisions is final.
3. Winners must make contact within 72 hours.
4. This is a game of skill. Chance plays no part!
Therefore no extra points are given for sharing however it is good karma!!
5. All Mum Said is not responsible for delivery of prize.
NOT endorsed by or have anything to do with facebook.

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received a family pass to review this experience. All opinions are my own.

The post Hunter Valley Gardens Mega Creatures 2016 Giveaway appeared first on All Mum Said.

To keep with tradition, we attended the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular 2015 again this year. For the past three years the rain has also joined us!

Christmas Lights Spectacular 2015

Regardless of what is happening in our life or how busy we are, we never miss a year. Each year the lights spectacular gets bigger and better. The kids absolutely love seeing the different displays, including the story book garden, Cinderella, 12 days of Christmas, waterfall and so many other great themes.

Unfortunately the Ferris wheel didn’t return this year which was very disappointing to both me and my children. There was a games zone that offered jumping castles and arcade games.

This year saw the addition of the fairy garden, the music room and the new and improved candy land. As we walked through the entry gates we were greeted by a gorgeous Christmas caroller in a ‘princess dress’, well according my Miss 2 it ‘was’ a princess with a big beautiful dress. Her voice was magical and made the perfect start to the evening.

Christmas Lights Display: Open from 7:30pm – 10:00pm. To find out more information or to purchase prepaid tickets, visit the website now.

Prize includes: 1x family pass to Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular 2015. Valued at $85!

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions: 
1. Australian residents only.
2. Judges decisions is final.
3. Winners must make contact within 72 hours.
4. This is a game of skill. Chance plays no part!
Therefore no extra points are given for sharing however it is good karma!!
5. All Mum Said is not responsible for delivery of prize.
NOT endorsed by or have anything to do with facebook.

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received the above family pass for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

The post Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular 2015 appeared first on All Mum Said.

Mega Bugs have invaded the Hunter Valley Gardens! You may have seen last week that we visited the Hunter Valley Gardens to view the Christmas Lights Spectacular and as usual we were not disappointed. If not you can read about it here. It hadn’t occurred to me until yesterday that we have never actually been there during the day to admire the wonderful gardens themselves. They are incredible. The reason we returned on Friday was to experience the Mega Bugs and as per usual the kids loved it!

The beauty of the Mega Bugs is that you can enjoy the elegance and hard work of the amazing gardens, features and fresh air while the kids look in awe and interact with the animatronic Mega Bugs located throughout the gardens. When visiting the Christmas lights you don’t realise how much beauty you are missing out on; this is of course replaced by incredible displays of lights though.

Throughout the gardens you will find a wide range of Mega Bugs that move and replicate their real life movements and sounds. Included are:

Ladybug – The ladybugs wings move up and down.

Spider – This Mega Spider has adopted the name Spider-saurus because it is so huge!

Blue Poison Arrow Frog – Just between you and me, I am petrified of frogs.

Praying mantis – This is absolutely huge! So large in fact it was difficult getting it all in the picture.

Wasp – I cannot explain how much detail is involved in this Mega Bug. Absolutely amazing!

Snail – This was one of my favourites!

Cricket – I got B1 & B2 to stand next to the cricket so everyone could see how big these bugs are. The cricket was one of the smallest there.

Bee on Flower – This bee buzzes about its business on a flower.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get photos of them all but there are heaps more to see. Including: Cicada on tree, Scorpion (this shoots water out of its stinger), Bee, Blue Winged Butterfly, Red Winged, Caterpillar, Dragon Fly Male, Dragon Fly Female, Bean Worm, Green Frog, Centipede, Ant Family, Spider.

The gardens and Mega Bugs were definitely worth seeing! It was such a fun day for the whole family and one the kids will remember for a long time to come.

If this is of interest to you and your family, you can purchase tickets on the Hunter Valley Gardens website OR WIN yourself 1 of 2 family passes over by clicking over here and entering the giveaway. You can experience both the Christmas Lights and Mega Bugs at once!! These family friendly events close on the 26th January.

Is there a bug lover in your house?

Disclosure: I received a family pass to the Mega Bugs for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. 

The post Hunter Valley Gardens Mega Bugs appeared first on All Mum Said.

In our family there are a few traditions that we never miss. Since moving from central Queensland to the Hunter Valley just shy of 5 years ago, we have without fail been to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular every year. We look forward to seeing how they have expanded and increased their displays and every Christmas we are far from disappointed.

This year was the best yet, besides the fact it started pouring rain while we were halfway through. A little rain wasn’t going to stop us enjoying the night though. If you haven’t been before you need to add it to your To-Do list or try and win yourself a family pass below.

There was really something for everyone this year at the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular. The fairytale section showcasing the castle, princess and noble steed was one of my absolute favourites. It was magical and simply stunning.

I love Ferris wheels and had it not been pouring rain I would have taken my kids on it to get an aerial view of the gardens. They were so excited when they saw it as they have never been on one before. Can only imagine how beautiful it would look from that high up.

My sister and brother-in-law  also joined us this year to view the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular and their favourite part was the 12 days of Christmas segment. It is fun, colourful and everything merry.

We enjoyed some quality family time and of course some hot sugary churros (like we do every year) and as usual we were not disappointed. They were so delicious!

There was beauty to be found in every corner of the gardens. Everywhere you looked there was something else that you had to see. From the Storybook Garden to Candyland and everything in between you will be delighted and amazed.

Seeing the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular is a wonderful tradition that can be continued regardless how big or small your family is. You can go alone or with a friend. Just make sure you see them at least once.

Tickets can be purchased and more information can be found on the Hunter Valley Gardens website.

We have also experienced the Mega Bugs which are also on show right now and these family passes can be used to enjoy both of these amazing events at once!! Read more about our Mega Bugs experience.

2 PRIZES UP FOR GRABS!

Each prize contains: 1x Family Pass (2 Adults & 2 Children) to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular/Mega Bugs. Valid until 26 Jan 2015.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!! Winners are: Kara N & Angela F.

 **As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received 1x family pass for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

The post Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular + Giveaway appeared first on All Mum Said.