Eden

IMAGINE if the Eden Project had a Disney makeover – well, one theme park in Europe achieves this and will be getting a new ride for 2026.

Terra Botanica theme park in Angers, France is often compared to the Eden Project in Cornwall due to its focus on plants.

But it also has rides…

And now the theme park has announced two new experiences for this year – Cleamolette’s tractor cabins and a new Terra Nocta show.

Cleamolette’s tractor cabins will be an immersive experience where visitors climb onboard the tractors and set off to meet Cleamolette, who is a ‘passionate inventor’.

There will be 10 tractor cabins in total, which will be able to host up to 500 people an hour.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

GO ON

All the little-known websites for cheap or FREE tickets to gigs, theatre & festivals

During the experience, visitors will get to discover Cleamolette’s botanical experiments.

The park will also have a redesigned discovery trail that sprawls across 1,200sqm.

The trail is entirely dedicated to vegetable plants and over the course of the season, visitors will be able to see more than 10,000 vegetable plants, 4,000 flowering plants, 500 perennials, 200 shrubs and 40 trees.

You might even get a glimpse at some rare species including pistachio trees, Brazilian guava trees, Japanese pickling eggplants and snake gourds.

Then, Terra Nocta – an evening event at the park with light and sound – will return from April 11 but with a new 150metre area that is an immersive water display with mist, waterfalls, sounds and lights to create the ultimate sensory experience.

This new area will allow visitors to discover aquatic biodiversity and learn about the role of water in ecosystems.

The show will also include eight performers from the National Institute of Music Hall Arts in Le Mans.

The theme park will be hosting Terra Spring Festival between March 28 and 29 as well, where attendees can see the theme park’s large plant market and meet lots of local sellers and makers.

The theme park is set to fully reopen for the 2026 season on April 4.

Connexion France previously described the park as “Cornwall’s Eden Project on steroids”, adding that it has “environmental ideas with a Disney twinkle”.

Other rides at the park include giant walnut shells, and a Canopy of Birds experience where you fly virtually through the air and a miniature land train.

You might also want to check out the Garden of Legends, where you will be greeted by a vegetable ogre as he takes you into a mysterious universe.

Other ‘lands’ at the park include a dinosaur reserve, where you can watch a 4D film where you can get behind the wheel of a Jeep and drive among dinosaurs – just like in Jurassic Park.

There are even boat trips, a greenhouse with over 100 butterflies from across the planet and a high ropes course with over 3,000sqm of netting to explore as well.

One person commented on TripAdvisor: “Great place, a bit like England’s Eden Project, only better.”

It is also cheaper than the Eden Project with tickets costing from €21 (£18.38) per adult and €17.50 (£15.32) per child.

In other theme park news, the world’s first Bluey rollercoaster is set to open in the UK next month.

Plus, a top US attraction is set to open its first indoor adventure park in the UK – with 16 slides and a ‘flying’ coaster.

ATHENS, Greece — Israeli producer Dana Eden, best known for co-creating the International Emmy-winning espionage thriller “Tehran,” has died suddenly in Greece, Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Monday.

Eden, 52, was found dead in a hotel in the Greek capital, Athens, a Greek police official said, adding that initial indications suggested she had taken her own life and there was no suspicion of foul play. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as Greek police do not comment publicly in such cases.

KAN said Eden was in Greece for the filming of the hit series’ fourth season.

“Dana was among the leading figures in Israel’s television industry and played a central role in the creation and leadership of some of the most prominent and influential productions within the corporation,” KAN said in a statement. It did not give a cause of death.

“Her professional work, uncompromising dedication, and love for creation left a deep mark on the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. KAN shares in the deep sorrow of her family, friends and colleagues,” the broadcaster said.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, Eden’s production company, Donna and Shula productions, sought to dispel rumors that the producer had been killed.

“The production company wishes to clarify that the rumors of a criminal or nationally motivated death are false and unfounded,” it said.

“This is a moment of great pain for the family, friends and colleagues. We ask that Dana’s dignity and the privacy of her loved ones be respected,” the production company said.

Israel Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, in a social media post on X, said it was “with great sadness” that he had received the news of Eden’s death, describing her as “one of the most prominent and influential producers in the Israeli television industry.”

“Dana left a deep mark on Israeli creation and brought our story to international stages with pride, talent and courage,” Zohar said.

“Tehran,” which premiered in Israel and on Apple TV in 2020, tells the story of Tamar Rabinyan, a young Mossad operative tasked with hacking into and disabling the Iranian nuclear reactor so the Israeli military can carry out an airstrike. The show was named best drama series at the 49th International Emmy Awards in November 2021.

Eden started working in TV production in Israel in the 1990s, working on shows including comedy “Yom Haem” and crime drama “Magpie,” before finding international success with “Tehran.”

In 2018, her show “Saving the Wildlife” won best TV magazine for children and youth at the Awards of the Israeli Television Academy.

Kantouris and Becatoros write for the Associated Press. Kantouris contributed from Thessaloniki. Matt Kemp in London contributed.

A NEW Eden Project attraction is opening in a seaside town – although the latest plans show a much smaller one that previously announced.

Eden Project Morecambe in Lancaster is set to cost £100million and include two shell-shaped domes with gardens inspired by the coast.

In the most recent plans, the proposal for Eden Project Morecambe has been updated and submitted to Lancaster City Council.

The changes to the new attraction came after both residents and councilors raised concerns over the impact it would have on some of the nearby landmarks such as the Midland Hotel and Winter Gardens venue, as well as the rising costs.

Plans originally approved in 2022 included four domes, but now the plan includes only two domes which will be called Realm of the Sun and Realm of the Moon.

The Eden Project previously said that the Realm of the Sun will be “a bright, tropical landscape of the near future where humans have discovered how to heal and re-engage with the broken rhythms of the natural world around them”.

Read more on travel inspo

ALL IN

I found the best value all inclusive London hotel… just £55pp with free food & booze

HOL YES

I’m a travel editor & mum-of-3… my favourite family holidays from just £3pp a night

The Realm of the Sun is planned to adapt to both the hot and cold seasons too.

Plans also revealed that in the Realm of the Sun, there will be vertical plants, hanging mini gardens, a multi-sensory area, a cascading waterfall, a 20-metre Elder Tree sculpture and a ‘Town Square’, but it is unclear how much of this will now go ahead.

As for the Realm of the Moon – it will be a darker space, with a “hyper-real rock pool” that has sped-up cycles of tides.

The two domes will then be connected by an area called Metronome, where visitors will be able to purchase tickets from.

Changes to the plans also mean there will be more outside areas with coastal plants and links to animals and human life.

According to the BBC, the report states: “The proposal continues to be a major new mixed-use attraction in Morecambe.

“It will combine a range of indoor and outdoor experiences, all based on connecting people with Morecambe Bay.

“The applicant has also engaged with other organisations particularly in relation to ecology, cultural heritage and transport.”

The first phase that will be built is a community space spanning 1.5 acres and called Bring Me Sunshine.

The space will be inspired by the landscape and seaside.

In addition, there will be a 750-capacity Tidal Theatre, 300-capacity restaurant and a shop.

To prevent flood damage, the revised plans include a new landscaped garden and sea defence area, that will wrap around the attraction by the beach and feature raised walkways.

The full attraction is expected to open to the public in 2028, after being pushed back from 2026.

Once the attraction does open, visitors will be able to interact with different exhibits including living structures, participate in storytelling sessions and try out workshops.

In total, eight concerts or events are planned for Eden Project Morecambe each summer, set to each attract 6,000 people.

The new attraction will be sat right by the beach on the former site of the Bubbles Leisure complex.

Original plans included three outdoor gardens, named All Seasons Garden, the Bring Me Sunshine Garden and the Rhythm Gardens.

And it isn’t the only new Eden Project site set to open in the UK – there are also plans to open an Eden Project in Dundee.

In the meantime, Morecambe itself is a pretty seaside town to explore and it is often overlooked.

It is known for having a five-mile bay with pretty sunsets over the Lakeland Fells.

If you visit on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, make sure to check out Festival Market – it features over 70 stalls selling local goods, food and gifts.

In other attraction news, inside the new UK Pixar experience that’s the world’s biggest – it felt like being a kid stepping into Toy Story & Monsters Inc.

Plus, there’s a new one-of-kind attraction at UK’s Warner Bros Studio, which is perfect for Harry Potter nerds.