If you live in Cornwall or Devon, make the most of visits to Eden throughout the year with a one-year Locals’ Annual Pass for just £5, or two years for £10.

We’re running this special offer for locals until Friday 10 February 2012. Don’t worry, if you can’t visit straight away but are keen to benefit from the Annual Pass deal, you can buy online now and then activate the one- or two-year pass here at Eden at any time until 31 October 2012.

In case you need any more persuading, we’ve put together 52 things to do at Eden throughout the seasons. That’s one for every week of the year.

1. Trek through the largest rainforest in captivity, complete with steamy jungle and waterfall.
2. Watch chefs baking fresh bread in the Bakery.
3. Enjoy beautiful birdsong from the robins that visit the Mediterranean Biome.
4. Take a spin our glacial ice rink, perfect for everyone from toddlers to pros.
5. Find your way to the heart of our ancient Labyrinth in the Myth and Folklore garden.
6. Enjoy al fresco style eating in our Mediterranean Biome.
7. Check out our cola tree, whose seeds traditionally went into cola drinks.
8. See what happens in a world without plants, in the hilarious mechanical puppet show ‘Plant Takeaway’.
9. Explore the willow tunnels, one of our shortcuts for little ones.
10. Feel what Eden looks like, by exploring our tactile map.
11. Hear a tale or two from one of Eden’s mesmerising storytellers.
12. See the ‘chewing gum tree‘.
13. Try freshly made food – from savoury twirls to pizza to warming stew.
14. Enjoy a traditional Cornish cream tea in one of our cafes.
15. Marvel at the smelly Corpse Flower, which blooms for just a couple of days.
16. Get new ideas for your veg plot from our Global Gardeners international allotment.
17. Play on the wooden tractor, perfect for toddlers.
18. Lose yourself in the bamboo maze, a favourite with kids.
19. Look for the hidden Eve sculpture, deep in our Wild Cornwall garden.
20. Marvel at our magnificent dahlia displays, out in June.
21. Keep your eyes peeled for tree frogs in the Rainforest Biome.
22. See bananas growing in real life.
23. Spot as many things as you can in the towering robot made of waste.
24. Hop on our very own Land Train, pulled by a tractor.
25. Create a tune on the sound sculpture, our outdoor instrument that’s a favourite with kids.
26. Challenge yourself on Eden’s outdoor bouldering wall.
27. Enjoy the largest slice of cake you’ll have ever seen, our chef’s Victoria sponge.
28. Catch a glimpse of cashew nuts, used for everything from cooking to brake pads.
29. Get a unique view of the sky from inside the cloud chamber.
30. Clamber on our huge wooden pirate ship, set amidst the gardens.
31. Feel the refreshing spray from our crashing tropical waterfall.
32. Master the nets, bars and poles of our Nest climbing frame.
33. Spot the full-size horse made of driftwood.
34. See a real Malaysian jungle hut, complete with veg plot and paddy field.
35. Check out the kapok tree that’s so tall it’s nearly touching the top of the Biome
36. Catch a glimpse of our shiney solar panels on the roof of the Core.
37. Refresh yourself with a glass of homemade lemonade in our Bakery.
38. Watch our gardeners prune huge trees from a helium balloon.
39. Test your sense of smell in our perfume exhibit.
40. Seek out the Seed, the giant granite sculpture set inside a tranquil chamber.
41. Spot the brightly coloured South American sugar truck.
42. Get a bird’s eye view of the treetops from the Rainforest Lookout.
43. See if you can spot the roul roul partridges in the Rainforest Biome.
44. Try out our award-winning, rain-harvesting toilets.
45. Touch a cork tree, used in wine bottles the world over.
46. Have a taste of our fairly traded baobab smoothies as you explore the rainforest.
47. Try your hand at cracking nuts using our huge Heath Robinson-esque machine in the Core.
48. Come and see how pineapples actually grow on the ground!
49. Dig in to our spice drawers, an enormous fragrant chest of drawers in the middle of the rainforest.
50. Warm yourself with a glass of mulled wine in the run-up to Christmas.
51. Take part in our magical lantern parade during our late-night winter festival.
52. Find beautiful, ethical and educational gifts in our lovely shop.

Get full details on how to buy your Locals’ Annual Pass.

It’s almost Christmas, so in our final competition of the Advent calendar, we’re giving away an Eden Project annual pass, allowing one lucky person to free entry to visit us for a whole year.

They’ll get to come back and see our plants change throughout the seasons, visit for special events like our February chocolate festival, our summer play sessions and our winter evenings.

To be in with a chance of winning the annual pass, please fill in our online form by 31 December 2011.

Prize draw terms and conditions

• The prize offered is: an annual pass to the Eden Project, allowing one person free entry for one year. The annual pass excludes ticketed events.
• Entry is free. One entry per household. Automated entries will not be accepted.
• The first name drawn at random after the closing date will receive the prize as detailed above.
• The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable and subject to availability. No alternative prize will be offered and there is no cash alternative.
• The draw is not open to employees of The Eden Project, their families, its agents or anyone professionally connected with the prize draw.
• All entries must be received by midnight on 31 December 2011. The winner will be notified by email after the closing date.
• By entering this competition you are giving the Eden Project permission to contact you at a future date. You can subscribe from this service at any time.
• Prize draw open to all UK residents. Entrants must be over 16 years of age.

Our Eden Breaks now offer lots of extra special treats and benefits for every guest, as well as a two-for-one deal when you book before the New Year.

So, what do you get when you book an Eden Break?
As well as some great accommodation close to the Eden Project, you get two-for-one on your entry to Eden and a second day for free. This means you, your friends and family get lots more time to explore and enjoy everything Eden has to offer.

As an Eden Break guest you’ll also receive a free guide book, worth £6, when you arrive at Eden, which will ensure you don’t miss a single thing during you visit and have a great souvenir to read at your leisure.

Save 20% at the Eden Bakery

No visit to Eden would be complete without a visit to the new Eden Project Bakery, which serves up amazing, freshly baked food throughout the day. As an Eden Break guest you can enjoy a lovely 20% discount on all food and drink served here so they’ll be no holding back when it comes to a long leisurely lunch or an afternoon Cornish cream tea.

Shop for 15% less

Our well-stocked, ethical shop is a treat for everyone with its high-quality range of plants, kitchenware, gardening equipment, original toys and great books. Eden Break visitors receive a 15% discount when they spend over £25 in the shop, which means you’ll be able to take a little bit of Eden away with you.

High-quality hotels to suit everyone

We’ve got a great range of accommodation, so you can book a hotel close to the Eden Project to suit you, whether you’re a family with small children, a group travelling on a budget or a couple looking for a smart boutique hotel for the weekend.

Prices start from just £63.80 for two people, staying in an eco-friendly camping pod at Meadow Lakes campsite.

What’s stopping you? Find out more or book a break.

Winners were voted for by the public after companies had been nominated by travel industry professionals. The Natural History Museum and the London Eye were also put forward for the same category.

Our Operations Director Ian Williams said: ‘This is Eden’s tenth anniversary and it has been a momentous 12 months for the project. A year ago we suffered a massive flood which caused millions of pounds worth of damage, but we bounced back quickly to enjoy a memorable year, including the anniversary celebrations, a great Eden Sessions season and our first summer residency with the brilliant NoFit State circus.’

‘Next year, 2012, will be a challenging one for the UK travel industry. This award marks Eden and Cornwall as must-see destinations for UK tourists next year.’

British Travel Awards’ Chief Executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: ‘The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK, created to reward travel companies, with the winning accolade being the benchmark for excellence when it comes to finding out who really is the best in the business of travel for the UK consumer. This year the competition was fierce and Eden is to be congratulated on their achievement.’

Since Eden opened officially in March 2001, we’ve welcomed more than 13 million visitors here, and generated £1.1
billion for the local economy. See a slideshow of how we’ve grown over the last decade.

Complete with Biomes and planting schemes, the map is the handiwork of Lauren Milton, who created it on her model-making course at The Arts University College of Bournemouth.

Lauren was looking for a final year project that would allow her to experiment with environmentally friendly materials, rather than the usual chemical-based resin used for models. She decided to make the map, more than one metre long, entirely out of wood offcuts, including beech, mahogany, ash, cedar and oak, whose textured bark forms a chunky surround.

Lauren (below, far right) also opted for Eden because she relished the challenge of creating the site’s huge variety of shapes and textures. ‘The Biomes were really difficult,’ she admits. ‘I’ve certainly learnt all about geodesic structures!’

These were created using a digitally automated mill, which gouged out the shapes accurately following the dimensions provided by a computer-based model. Many of the other elements, however, were shaped by hand and assembled onto the base. Finally, the model was covered in beeswax, for a smooth finish.

Tactile maps are widely used as a way-finding mechanism for people with visual impairments, explains the Sensory Trust’s Stuart Spurring (below, left), who came to today’s unveiling.

But this one goes beyond a simple map with raised sections, to offer ‘a whole experience and context of the place’, he says. ‘With its different textures and beautiful appearance it also offers sighted visitors a perspective of Eden that they wouldn’t normally get.’

Thanks to Lauren’s work on the Eden tactile map, she has now been commissioned to create something similar for the National Trust’s Stourhead house and garden, in Wiltshire.

Come and have a good feel of the new Eden model in the Visitor Centre, where it has been installed for easy viewing from wheelchair height.

In line with recommendations from the Changing Places campaign, led by disability charity Mencap, the 13-square metre amenity includes a height-adjustable changing bench, a hoist system, shower and space for a disabled person and up to two carers.

Eden’s Director Tony Kendle says: ‘It has always been our ambition to make Eden as accessible as we can to anyone who wants to come.

‘Thanks to the work of our very dedicated staff who really believe in this issue and partnerships with Cornwall Council through the Aiming High programme, the Sensory Trust and the Changing Places campaign, we’re really pleased that we’ve been able to make this important step forward.’

Rachel George, who attended the official opening with her four-year-old son Adam, said: ‘A facility like this makes the difference between visiting somewhere for a couple of hours and being able to stay for a day. It’s fabulous.’

Changing Places toilets are different to standard disabled toilets with extra features and more space to meet the needs of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their carers. In addition to this the toilets also cater for people with serious impairments such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis or an acquired brain injury.

Last year, Eden won the Readers’ Choice award at the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain Awards. Check out Eden’s Accessibility Guide to make your visit as enjoyable as possible.

The overnight train up to Scotland is just about the best example of what going green is all about. Board the Caledonian Sleeper at Euston station just after 9pm and the following morning you’ll wake up in the heart of the Scottish Highlands – a slow, subconscious teleport out of the urban grit and grind into the mountainous fresh and wild.

I’d recommend getting off at Carrour for the 10-minute stroll to the wonderfully isolated wind- and solar-powered Loch Ossian hostel on Rannoch Moor. Or take the train up to Mallaig and catch the ferry over to the Knoydart peninsula, home to the most remote pub in mainland Britain, where you can feast on freshly caught scallops, Loch Nevis langoustine, Loch Nan Uamh rope mussels, Isle of Rhum lobsters and Skye oysters.

Why is this trip so green? Because going by train emits so much less carbon dioxide than taking the plane – and it’s no longer credible to talk about going on an eco holiday when it involves flying. The latest figures from the Department for Environment and Climate Change spell it out: short-haul flying emits nearly seven times as much carbon per passenger kilometre as taking the Eurostar train (or travelling as a foot passenger on a ferry). Domestic flying is even worse, show their figures, creating 12 times as much carbon as taking the Eurostar.

Check out this brilliant visualisation of the energy used to power different modes of transport and you’ll see that electric trains and coaches are top performers, while the worst are jet skis and helicopters – and even the Earth Race ‘eco boat’.

Although train travel might seem expensive or difficult to book, don’t despair; there are plenty of incentives to help you go green. The Eden Project has been offering discounts to visitors who arrive on foot, by bus or train for years, and now lots of other places and accommodations are doing the same, such as Strattons Hotel and Restaurant in Norfolk (below) and Millbrook Cottages in north Devon. And when it comes to the nitty-gritty of arranging your journey, Transport Direct is a fantastic overland door-to-door journey planner for the UK.  

As for travel overseas, thanks to Eurostar we’re now plugged into the continent’s high speed network. Many of the ferry companies now provide a really excellent service with high quality food and fantastic onboard facilities, as well. A great way to travel is by rail and sail, where you can buy a combined train and ferry ticket to Ireland or Holland.

On these kinds of trips, the travelling is all part of the holiday. One of my favourite overland journeys in Europe is the intercity train hotel from Paris to either Madrid or Barcelona. Board the train early evening and you’ll catch the sun setting over the French countryside as you sit down to a three-course meal and a glass of Rioja in the dining carriage.

When you return to your cabin, the curtains will be drawn and the bed made; the following morning you’re woken up in time to take a hot shower in your cabin, followed by breakfast before the train pulls into Madrid at 9.10am.

Welcome to the renaissance of rail.

p.s. When I went to Eden…
It was a gloriously sunny day and after taking the train to St Austell station and the bus for the final half hour journey, I was delighted to get a discount for arriving by public transport. I often get asked by hoteliers how they can be greener and I give them the example of Eden: offer a discount for guests arriving by public transport and the greener travellers will love you forever.

Richard Hammond is ‘not the bloke on Top Gear’, he says, but travel journalist and Founder of green holidays website greentraveller.co.uk, which features hundreds of eco-friendly places to stay and over 1,000 holidays reachable overland by train or ferry in Europe.

Travel to Eden by public transport, bike or on foot and get a discount. Find out more about the offer and the fantastic cycle routes surrounding the site on our directions page.

We got the news at the awards last night that the public had chosen from among 14 nominated tourist attractions, including London Zoo, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Cadbury World. Alton Towers won gold while the National Trust scooped the bronze award.

“We’re honoured to be given such a prestigious award,” says Eden’s Martin Williams, “especially when the decision was made by the public and we were competing with such a good group of attractions.

“This year has been full of exciting developments for Eden. We have opened our Rainforest Lookout, which lets our visitors walk out over the top of the jungle canopy for the first time, and launched our Rainforest Balloon, which enables people to fly through our treetops.

“In March next year we celebrate our 10th birthday and we’ll be reflecting on Eden’s beginnings, how we’ve developed over the decade, and looking forward to the next 10 years.”