Mrs Rhodes on the 50th anniversary bench complete with tiara
This year Sundown Adventureland will be celebrating 50 years of being open to the public. Mrs Rhodes the owner was surprised with a memorial bench on her 89th birthday from her daughter and other family members and it was placed outside the gift shop where she still works every day!
50th celebration bench for Mrs Rhodes
To celebrate the 50th anniversary Sundown Adventureland near Retford will be having a year of fun and celebrations from discounted tickets and annual passes to free cakes and Easter treats. There will even be special guests coming to visit in the summer!
The bungalow in 1970 where it all began.
Sundown has changed so much over the years from having exotic animals and tea and cakes being served from the bungalow to big play areas and rides. Before the park opened for admissions Mr and Mrs Rhodes kept chickens, bread dogs and sold local produce to their neighbours and to this day still use local neighbours and businesses within the park.
Early years with parrots
Sundown has always employed local people to work on site and even to this day Margaret (who turned 90 in November 2017) still works here and was one of the first members of staff employed 50 years ago!
Digging for animal enclosures
Sundown has grown so much over the years and now sees nearly quarter of a million guests every year, the site keeps growing with new attractions and themed areas and they have great plans in the pipeline to keep loyal guests coming back year after year. Everyone at Sundown is looking forward to the next 50 years and hope to see you all very soon to celebrate with us our 50th anniversary and our year of fun and celebrations!
New for 2018 and due to open on May the 26th the Monkey Mayhem Driving School what not come down and be one of the first to pass your driving test with Mrs Bell and enjoy a free cake! If you would like to see the progress of the new attraction please click here or if you would like to see the finished ride page please click here.