Puy du fou with an 8yr old, 3 yr old and almost 2 yr old advisable?

[Maybee]

I've booked 10 days at La Pignade, Vendee on 25 June. My 8yr old is keen to go to Puy du fou as am I. However I'm a single parent and wonder would it be a difficult /stressful day out with the two little ones in tow? My youngest is v active and not one for sitting much.

there are things for younger children to do, but its the shows i remember most - think there were 4 or 5 of them. in these they will have to queue for quite a while, then sit and wait for performance to start and then performance itself. bit like the shows at disney paris.

but it was a great day out. mine all moaned and said they didn't want to go - but in the end it was the highlight of the holiday.

we went in august - and most of the people were french. if they still have all the shows you could do mid-week and i would guess that it would be pretty quiet

I'm not sure about the younger ones tbh. We went last year. Mine all enjoyed the shows but as they were in French, weren't really sure about what was going on a lot of the time.

It is very different to a British theme park, no rides. Haven't been to Disneyland but it did remind me of the show bit at Legoland.

The big problem we had last year was that it rained a lot on the day. There is nowhere to shelter really, we were pretty much soaked through. Couldn't even get into one of the restaurants as they were full.

Mid week in June should be fine. Quite a bit waiting around but definitely worth it.

Yes. They will love the shows - it doesn't matter that they can't understand a word - there is loads to watch.

Also there were loads of little shows - puppet-type, etc which would be great for the 2 yo. - YOu might have to take him/her to some of those rather than the big ones, if nec. Or be prepared to dash out!

The day we went it was extremely hot with not much shade, so take plenty of suncream!

It sounds fab. Would it be possible to leave my 8yr old at a show if the tots got fractious? Are there places to wait/run around nearby the show areas. I dread one of them getting lost. i've been on the website and although it looks great I can't picture the layout of the place at all.

I wouldnt leave the oldest as the show locations are locared a reasonable walk from each other. Also you get quite large crowds etc around some of them and wouldn't feel happy leaving an unaccompanied child there. To be honest my ds was about 5 before he really appreciated the shows, and I think if you are on your own with 2 toddlers you might want to wait until they are a little older.

Hmm. I'm not going to be helpful, because I took DS1 & 2 who were 6 & 5 at the time, and left DD (then 4) back at camp with DH. It's a big park, lots of walking between the shows, and the show schedule is odd, so you have to plan what to see and when to fit it all in. There are no 'rides' as such.

I agree with welshdeb, I would leave it until the youngest is at least 4/5.

And no, you wouldn't leave an 8yo by himself at a show. And for most shows the seating is 'banked' with lots of steps, so buggies have to be left outside the arena.

OK Thanks for the honest advice, it is always really helpful to know in advance about buggies and things. I will probably give it a miss this time as it is expensive if we are not all going to enjoy it.
Thanks
Has anyone tried the Indian Adventure tree park in the area?

Please do it, I remember the look on my little one's face when he woke from a nap to be confronted with a flaming seige tower and a full scale battle in front of him - but he did love it.

It's very buggy friendly and at some of the big shows you can take them in. Although we went Mid Aug we still bought the tickets the day before we went from the campsite we were at. Best to do that if poss as then you can pick the best day weather wise (ie not too hot and no rain). There is nothing else like it around and to sit in the Roman Amphitheatre is just fantastic.

We have done Indian Adventure elsewhere and they are great too, most of them have courses for all ages.