What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4:30pm Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm Thursday 10am - 4:30pm Friday 10am - 4:30pm Saturday 10am - 4:30pm Sunday 10am - 4:30pm

Founders Heritage Park

Name: Founders Heritage Park
Address: 87 Atawhai Drive, Nelson, 7010, NZ
Telephone: +6435482649
Price range: $
Rating: 4.8

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Celebrating years of history, charm, and family fun in Nelson. Explore our rich heritage with us! Enjoy the charms of days gone by. in 1977.
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Stroll through the character streets, tranquil established gardens and charming village greens. During the summer months take a ride on the train, meet resident artists working in ceramics, wrought iron, stone jewellery and the ancient art of cooperage. Relax and dine alfresco at the Founders Café Brewery – b**r tastings are available. The Park also stages large public events including, March Fest, Evolve, Nelson Growables Garden Fair, and our Queen's Birthday Book Fair. This historic village is the result of community spirit, the brain-child of a number of Nelson citizens who set up Founders (Inc.) It was made possible with initial support from Nelson's business community. A number of major firms assisted in the construction of historic replica buildings and the donation of original buildings. An extensive historic collection of up to 20,000 items was also donated by Nelson residents, leading to the opening of Founders Heritage Park to the public in 1986. Nelson City Council took over ownership and management of the park on 1 April 1995.

25/10/2026

🎃💀 **THE SKELETONS HAVE TAKEN OVER FOUNDERS!** 💀🎃

Something spooky (but not too spooky!) is happening at Founders Heritage Park… and the adventure starts TOMORROW!

Our friendly skeletons have been busy recreating scenes from famous fairy tales, nursery rhymes and children's stories. But can you work out which stories they're telling? 🔍

**The Great Founders Skeleton Hunt** is a fun, family-friendly Halloween scavenger hunt with 12 skeleton scenes to discover around our historic village!

🗺️ Collect your hunt map from the Windmill
💀 Find all 12 skeleton scenes
🔍 Guess the stories and write down your answers
🎃 Enjoy a magical Halloween adventure!

📅 **Monday 26 – Saturday 31 October**
⏰ **10am–4.30pm daily**
📍 **Founders Heritage Park, Nelson**
👧 Perfect for children aged 12 and under
💛 Koha appreciated for hunt maps. Normal Park admission applies.

No scary surprises, no competitions and no prizes — just a whole lot of Halloween fun for the kids!

Costumes welcome!

**Watch the video for a sneak peek, then come and explore!**

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25/10/2026

22/10/2026

🚂 CHOO CHOO! ALL ABOARD FOR LABOUR WEEKEND! 🚂

Looking for something fun to do with the kids this long weekend? We've got just the ticket! 🎟️

The wonderful volunteers from the Nelson Railway Society will be keeping the wheels turning at Founders Heritage Park, with train and railcar rides across all three days!

🚃 Saturday 24 October – RAILCAR
🚂 Sunday 25 October – TRAIN
🚃 Monday 26 October – RAILCAR

🕚 When can you hop aboard?
🚃 Railcar: 11am–3pm, running on demand (weather permitting).
🚂 Train: Departing on the hour from 11am–3pm.

Whether you're a little train enthusiast, a big kid at heart, or just looking for a fun family outing, there's nothing quite like a ride on the rails at Founders! ❤️

So round up the family, grab your camera and come make some memories with us this Labour Weekend!

📍 Founders Heritage Park, 87 Atawhai Drive, Nelson

Who's coming along for a ride? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

11/10/2026

🎃 MEET NELSON HALLOWEEN QUIZ – AT FOUNDERS! 👻

Looking for an excuse to dust off that Halloween costume? This is it! 🧛‍♂️🧙‍♀️

Meet Nelson is taking over Founders Heritage Park for a big Halloween night of trivia, drinks, costumes, prizes, laughs and meeting new people!

🧠 You don’t need to be a quiz master
👻 Costumes are encouraged — go all-out, keep it simple or get creative
🏆 Prizes will be up for grabs throughout the night
🙋 Come solo or bring your friends
🤝 Everyone will be mixed into tables to keep things social

It’s all about getting involved, having a laugh and meeting some new people — with a suitably spooky twist! 🎃

📅 Friday 30 October
🕖 From 7pm
📍 Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
🎟️ Tickets $10
👥 Ages 21–39

Tickets are limited and recent Meet Nelson events have been selling out fast, so don’t leave this one lurking in the shadows… 🦇

🎟️ Grab your tickets via Humanitix - https://events.humanitix.com/meet-nelson-halloween-quiz

Now the important question… what are you dressing up as? 👇🎃

09/10/2026

🌺 NELSON TASMAN PASEFIKA FESTIVAL 2026 🌺

Talofa ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Kia orāna, Tālofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Ni sa bula Vinaka and warm Pacific greetings! 🌊🌺

Founders Heritage Park is excited to welcome the inaugural Nelson Tasman Pasefika Festival to Whakatū this October!

Presented by the Pasefika Arts & Culture Collective, this will be a vibrant day celebrating Pasefika culture, community and connection — honouring our past, celebrating our present and inspiring our future.

🎶 Live entertainment throughout the day
💃 Incredible cultural and dance performances
🌺 Activities and activations
🍽️ Delicious island food
🛍️ Community stalls
❤️ A celebration for the whole whānau

📅 Saturday 17 October 2026
⏰ 9am–4pm
📍 Founders Heritage Park, 87 Atawhai Drive, Nelson
🪙 Gold coin koha entry

💵 Bring some cash! EFTPOS options will be limited, so bringing cash will make it easier to support the wonderful community stallholders on the day.

🚗 Parking at Founders will be limited. Please consider parking along North Road or in surrounding areas, or even better — walk, bike or bus to the festival where possible.
Save the date, gather your friends and whānau, and come celebrate the sights, sounds, flavours and cultures of the Pacific right here in Whakatū. 🌺🌊

We can’t wait to welcome you!

07/10/2026

📚✂️ ZINE FEST NELSON IS COMING TO FOUNDERS! ✏️🎨

Calling all artists, writers, illustrators, makers, readers and lovers of wonderfully creative things — Zine Fest Nelson is taking over Founders Heritage Park!

Come along and discover a world of independent zines and creativity, meet the people making them, have a browse and take home something you probably won’t find anywhere else.

Even better — entry is FREE! 🙌
📅 Saturday 10 October 2026
⏰ 10am–4pm
📍 Founders Heritage Park, 87 Atawhai Drive

Come curious, have a rummage, discover something new and support independent creatives. ❤️

And with Bouncy Land also happening at Founders on Saturday, there’s plenty going on around the Park for the whole family!

05/10/2026

🎉 BOUNCY LAND IS COMING TO FOUNDERS! 🎉

Get ready to BOUNCE, CLIMB, SLIDE and PLAY! 🤸‍♀️🛝

For three action-packed days these school holidays, the Energy Centre at Founders Heritage Park is transforming into Bouncy Land — Nelson’s biggest indoor inflatable adventure!

🏰 Bouncy castles
🛝 Giant slides
💥 Mega obstacle courses
😄 Loads of non-stop fun!

📅 Thursday 8, Friday 9 & Saturday 10 October
⏰ 10am–4pm daily
📍 Energy Centre, Founders Heritage Park
🎟️ Just $10 for an unlimited all-day pass

And the best bit? It’s all indoors! ☀️🌧️ So whatever the Nelson weather decides to do, Bouncy Land is ready to go.

We’ll also have food trucks onsite, so grab something tasty, let the kids burn off some energy and make a day of it at Founders.

Kids bounce. Parents relax. Everyone wins! 😄

Tag a parent who needs to know about this one! 👇

02/10/2026

🧱 LEGO CLUB HOLIDAY FUN IS BACK AT FOUNDERS! 🧱

Looking for something fun to keep the kids busy these school holidays? LEGO Club Holiday Fun returns to Founders Heritage Park for two more days!

Let their imaginations run wild as they engineer, build and explore with plenty of LEGO fun. 🚀🏰🤖

📅 Monday 5 & Tuesday 6 October
⏰ 9am–3pm
👧🧒 For ages 6–11 years
📍 Founders Heritage Park, Nelson
⚠️ Bookings are essential and numbers are limited, so make sure you secure a spot.

And while the kids are building, it’s a great excuse to enjoy the school holidays at Founders! 🌞

01/10/2026

🛍️ BOUTIQUE CRAFT MARKET – THIS SUNDAY AT FOUNDERS! 🛍️

Looking for something a little different this weekend? Come along to the Boutique Craft Market in the Granary at Founders Heritage Park.

Spend your Sunday browsing a wonderful selection of locally made crafts, handmade treasures and unique finds — and support some talented local makers while you’re at it! 💛

📅 Sunday 4 October
⏰ 10am–2pm
📍 The Granary, Founders Heritage Park

Make a day of it — have a browse around the market, explore the Park, grab something from the café and pop into The Book Vault while you’re here. 📚☕

The Boutique Craft Market is brought to you by Create Events Limited.
See you Sunday! 👋

Address

87 Atawhai Drive
Nelson
7010

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 4:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4:30pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm
Saturday	10am - 4:30pm
Sunday	10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+6435482649

Website

http://www.founderspark.co.nz/

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