Alpentuin 'Bloemendal' of Huizingen

A unique rock garden, an animal park with castle animals and utility animals, fun playgrounds, and the hilly play forest in an old hollow way

A piece of Zenne Valley with 68 waterfalls, 11 lakes, and a 330m long mountain river.

A walk to enjoy a bit of nice weather for the smaller walkers! Located a stone's throw from Brussels, Huizingen is situated in the Flemish Brabant Zenne Valley. A region known for its Lambiek and Geuze, but also a hilly area with many hiking advantages.

Today we choose the Provincial Domain of Huizingen, which is free to access between October 1 and March 31. No side activities in winter like mini-golf, pedal boating, or mini-cars, but an adventurous walk with a small animal park along the way, a large rock garden with paths of rocks over a babbling mountain stream, towards the play forest with steeper slopes along an old hollow road and the Devil’s Bridge. A climb to the Devil’s Bridge leads us through this forest with spring bloomers to the playground for children aged 10 to 14 years.

This tall tower with slides and a climbing wall 'over the wall' at the edge of this forest is an extra asset for this fun and sunny afternoon trip. There is also a large sunbathing area, with at the foot of this grassy hill - playground 'the enchanted tree folk' - for children up to 10 years old.

Sights along the way:

- From April 1 to September 30 access upon payment. You can then play mini-golf, pedal boat, row, drive mini-cars, or ride on a tourist train. From October 1 to March 31 free

- Historical water castle from the 19th century to restaurant and party hall or the Castle of Huizingen

- Animal park with Brabant draft horses; castle animals such as waterfowl, pheasants, peacocks, parakeets, and fallow deer; a heritage collection of pigeons and poultry; petting animals such as rabbits, goats, and sheep

- Rock garden The Bloemendal, a botanically unique rock garden in Belgium and far beyond that was renovated in 2019

- Play forest along an old Hollow Way towards the Devil’s Bridge

- 2 playgrounds with at the top of the forest the +10 playground and down near the castle pond the -10 playground

- Hiker cabins for multi-day hikes through this beautiful region or when following GR Green Belt or GR12 Amsterdam - Paris

- There is a 3 km long Quiet Path, an Arboretum and sports infrastructure available

- The outdoor swimming pool is permanently closed and will be repurposed as a water playground