5 Things You Might Not Know About The Eden Project
Situated just under an hour’s drive from our collection of holiday cottages, The Eden Project is one of Cornwall’s most famous landmarks. The iconic domes house an incredible array of plants, transporting you to both the Mediterranean and the tropical rainforest, all within an old china clay pit near St Austell.
You could easily explore for a whole day here, or combine your outing with a trip to Truro which you drive right through on the way. Here is a post of our recommendations for a visit to Cornwall’s ‘capital city’.
The Eden Project family has now grown into an international collection of venues, based on the success of the original site here in Cornwall. Eden Project Morecambe, in Lancashire, is a £100 million regeneration and climate education project in progress and planning to open in Winter 2028! Further north, Eden Project Scotland will totally transform the former gasworks on East Dock Street in Dundee, creating a tourist and local hub for exhibits, performance, learning, play, immersive experiences, world class horticulture, live music, art, food, beverage and retail. Watch this space…
Further afield, Oriental Eden opened in 2025 in Qingdao, China, and focuses on the water story linked to the local surroundings. “At the heart of the site is the Storm Forest, a giant tropical biome where extraordinary living landscapes, immersive experience, performance and play take engagement approaches first realised in Cornwall, to new levels.” Sounds fascinating!
Across the planet in Eden Project Costa Rica is a project, rather than a site or destination to visit, where the team aim to restore a “biological corridor” of forest, along with training and education programmes which take the natural environment into account.
The site also has a huge indoor space (other than the biomes themselves) so there is plenty to do even on a rainy day. ‘The Core’ houses a permanent exhibition called Invisible Worlds, which “reveals the world beyond our senses: too big, too small, too fast, too slow, too far away in space and time. The exhibition explores how life is shaped by, and shapes, invisible systems.” The star attraction is perhaps the Infinity Blue ‘breathing’ sculpture designed by Studio Swine – you can’t miss it!
Slightly more hidden, the huge seed-shaped sculpture created by Peter Randall-Page is made of solid Cornish granite and sits in a chamber designed for the sunlight to filter down through the roof and hit the artwork differently according to current weather.
For an extra treat, you can book a Premium Experience in either of the biomes, receiving a personal guided tour, including either olive oil tasting in the Mediterranean, or an interactive spice experience in the Rainforest!
A ‘Horticulture Experience’ will get you behind the scenes and under the soil, doing some gardening, lunch and refreshments, as well as a tote bag, sustainable water bottle, gardening gloves, Eden-grown plant and guide book.
For something more hair-raising, did you know that Eden has England’s fastest zip wire?! The 660 metre line travels over the biomes, where you can reach speeds of up to 60mph in a lying-down ‘superman position’! They also have a high ropes adventure with intricate crossings, wobbly bridges and a giant swing which you can do alone or with up to 2 others. All of these adventures have to be pre-booked separately (perhaps to stop nerves getting the better of us at the last minute!?)
Eden hosts a range of festivals and events throughout the year, including their famous live music sessions (detail in our live music in Cornwall post), Mediterranean Biome Suppers (on selected Tuesdays until September), an inclusive walking group, yoga in the biomes, baby sensory classes and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition ‘framed by nature’ (until 6th September). You really can experience something new every time you go, so if you come to use year on year, we can always recommend a repeat visit.
Guests staying with Creekside Cottages receive a 10% discount code to use for the Eden Project when booking your tickets.
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