Kew’s Mayan chocolate adventure

31 March 2012 – 15 April 2012

Kew up for Easter 2012 and take a journey through ancient Mayan culture and the creation of chocolate, with fun filled family days, adventurous trails and, of course, delicious chocolate on offer.

Join in the Easter Egg Hunt (Sunday 8 April 2012), and seek out Buzzie Bee, Snap, Trap and Venus. These friendly characters from Climbers and Creepers, Kew’s indoor play area, will be hidden around the Gardens waiting for youngsters to pick up the tokens needed to collect a delicious Easter chocolate treat from the Easter Bunny.

If you want to learn more about where chocolate comes from, why not join our Mayan themed self guided, interactive family trail around the Gardens or take part in a variety of exciting Mayan-themed activities during the Easter holiday (30 March – 15 April 2012). The Mayans were some of world’s first true chocolate-lovers, with cocoa playing an integral part in their society, used in ceremonies and incorporated into their religion.

Tina Houlton, Head of Marketing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew says, “Easter at Kew is all about fun, family, learning and chocolate. Our hands-on sessions give youngsters the opportunity to explore the world of chocolate – from cocoa pods to delicious Easter eggs. Our traditional Easter Egg hunt is a fantastic way to start your Easter Sunday.”

The biggest display of colour in the country…

Spring at Kew offers something for the whole family. Come and enjoy the stunning beauty of over five million bulbs blooming, flooding the open spaces of Kew Gardens with three months of flowering splendour. The swathes of crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, rhododendrons and azaleas are set to be a riot of colour.

On entering the Gardens at Victoria Gate (from mid-February), visitors will be greeted with a sea of over two million blue, white, and mauve crocuses (Crocus vernus) stretching beyond the Temple of Bellona and towards King William's Temple. Take a stroll down the length of the Broad Walk bathed in the glorious sunny glow of daffodils, the perfect setting for a gentle amble on a spring day (from March onwards). Visitors will also be able to enjoy the sight of Kew’s trees as they awaken and burst with new life.

Later in the season thousands of deep blue, starry flowered Chionodoxa siehei carpet the lawns surrounding White Peaks. These delicate alpine plants are known as Glory of the Snow in western Turkey as they emerge from the melting snow of the mountains. To really get the most from the Gardens at this wonderful time of year, join one of Kew’s spring walks, hosted by our volunteer guides, and marvel at the beauty blooming in every corner.

Plan your visit using the Bulb Watch map, which goes live in January 2012: http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/BulbWatch/

Images are available to download from www.kew.org/press/images . Please contact the press office for the username and password.

For more information about Kew’s spring flowers please see our species page:

Narcissus pseudonarcissus (daffodil) :http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Narcissus-pseudonarcissus.htm
Crocus sieberi (Sieber’s crocus): http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Crocus-sieberi.htm
Galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop): http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Galanthus-nivalis.htm

Opening hours: 9.30am – 4.15pm (until 5 February 2012), 9.30am – 5.30pm (until 24 March 2012), 9.30am – 6.30pm (until 25 August 2012). Weekends and bank holidays close an hour later
Last entry to the Gardens, the glasshouses, galleries and the Xstrata Treetop Walkway is 30 minutes before closing
Admission: Adults £13.90, concessions £11.90 and free for children under 17 (with an adult)
Visitor information: 020 8332 5655 or see our Visit Kew pages on www.kew.org

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class Herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction. Its landscaped 132 hectares and Kew's country estate, Wakehurst Place, attract nearly two million visitors every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2009. Wakehurst Place is home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. Kew and its partners have collected and conserved seed from 10% of the world's wild flowering plant species (c.30, 000 species) and aim to conserve 25% by 2020.