The UK’s Top Theme Parks for Family Days Out

For Your Younger Children

LEGOLAND, Berkshire, provides a fun time for your younger children. If the lines are long, there are Duplo blocks for your children to play with. The Hero Factory allows your children to build their own LEGO people. Make sure you take a change of clothes for a quick change after the fun of the Duplo Valley Splash and Play. Your children will love the rides while parents will be impressed with the LEGOLAND Windsor diorama. Additionally, the whole family will enjoy the Legends of Chima 4D movies. Look for discounted tickets or specials on-line to decrease the expense of your day out.

Paulton’s Park, Hampshire, offers a ride around the park on the Rio Grande train. Afterwards, let your kids get wet in the Water Kingdom splash park. Your little ones can enjoy more than 60 rides and attractions. Peppa Pig World has an indoor play zone and seven of its own attractions and rides. Get involved with your children in the 4D cinema where you move with the action while experiencing bubbles, water sprinkles, and get your legs tickled. Check for seasonal hours and attractions before going.

For the Whole Family

Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey, is a destination sure to please the whole family with its forty rides and attractions. The emphasis here is animals; an off-road ride provides encounters with rhinos, antelope, giraffes, and flamingos. The Zoo and Sea Life Centre has a walk-through tunnel that allows you to get up close and personal with aquatic life. Check on-line for special offers and exhibits before your visit.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Lancashire, features Nickelodeon Land, which has rides and adventures based upon your children’s cartoon character favorites. The park also has “Family Rides” and “Thrill Rides,” including: Wallace and Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic; and The Big One – Pleasure Beach’s roller coaster, 235ft. high, with a 65 degree incline angle that goes 87 mph for over a mile. Pleasure Beach also schedules special events. Check on-line prior to your trip for special shows, events, and seasonal park hours.

Drayton Manor, Staffordshire, has a guided monorail tour around their 280-acre theme park. Some of the feature rides are Apocalypse, the world’s first stand up tower drop; Shockwave, Europe’s only stand up rollercoaster; Stormforce 10, called ‘the best water ride in the country’ by the Daily Express; Maelstrom and Pandemonium; and G-Force, a rollercoaster where you hang by your hip. The whole family will enjoy The Pirate Adventure, and live theatre shows. The little ones will love the Thomas and Friends theme park. When you add the Drayton Manor Zoo, this park has everything required for a truly memorable family day out.

For Families with Older Children

Alton Towers, Staffordshire, provides your family thrills with over fifty rides from which to choose, including Smiler, the world’s first 14 looping roller coaster and THI3TEEN, the world’s first freefall drop rollercoaster. CBeebies Land is an interactive land with characters and live shows that inspire learning through play. Your younger children will also love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and rides especially designed for them. Alton Towers Waterpark is relaxing and thrilling; the Lazy River floats you and the Master Blaster Water Coaster satisfies your need for speed. Check for special offers on-line.

Thorpe Park, Surrey, is a 500-acre theme park catering primarily to thrill seeking teens with a number of record holders:

• Loggers Leap – the tallest log flume in the UK
• Nemesis Inferno – the first inverted coaster featuring corkscrews (interlocking wingovers)
• The Swarm – the only backward winged coaster in the world and the only winged coaster in the UK
• SAW – the only rollercoaster themed around a horror movie; called the world's scariest ride
• Colossus – holds a joint world record for the highest number of inversions on a roller coaster
• Stealth – holds the record for the fastest acceleration of any rollercoaster in Europe

Thorpe Park is split into various themed areas, one of which, Angry Birds Land, features Angry Birds 4D, Detonator: Bombs Away, and King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems.

For family fun, there are plenty of water rides at Thorpe Park including the tallest log flume in the UK and one of the tallest water rides in Europe. There are also some attractions for younger visitors; Ranger Country has Mr. Monkey’s Banana Ride and Chief Rangers Carousel.

No matter what your interests or those of your children, you are sure to find a family park to provide a fun outing. Make sure you check the parks’ websites before going for seasonal dates and special discounts. Many parks have guest entertainers you may wish to catch as well. Have fun!