Top 3 popular theme parks to visit in the UK

The time of summer has come. Like most people, you may be looking for places to travel to and experience. We hope that this article can help you a little in finding a destination.

You may not have considered theme parks as a destination yet, but depending on the type of person you are you could be missing out on a lot of fun. Of course, you could travel to Europe to visit some great theme parks this summer, but you could also choose from plenty of theme parks located in the UK.

Alton Towers Resort

The first theme park on our list is Alton Towers Resort. Alton Towers Resort is the biggest theme park in the United Kingdom, it contains 11 themed sections with shops, cafés, roller coasters, and plenty of other exciting attractions about which we will talk in more detail shortly.

It’s located near the village of Alton in Staffordshire and It’s usually open from March up until November.

Let’s take a look at it’s attractions:

1. Tower Street is the first thing you see right after entering. It is filled with shops and cafés. You can also board the Sky Ride from there.
2. Adventure Land is where you can find the pinball-themed roller coaster Spinball Whizzer.
3. Cbeebies land is aimed at children containing a plethora of attractions.
4. In the Dark Forest lies the long-abandoned raceway that is home to Rita, a launching roller coaster, and the ancient crypt of TH13TEEN dubbed the world’s first ‘psycho-aster’.
5. Forbidden Valley. The Forbidden Valley contains three rides: Galactica which features VR, the upside-down roller coaster, Nemesis, and The Blade which is a swinging ship.
6. Gloomy Wood is home to The Curse at Alton Manor and the Haunted Hollow, two ghastly rides.
7. Katanga Canyon is an African-themed section exploring the dramatic lake and rocky landscape.
8. Mutiny Bay is a family area, with 5 pirate-themed rides.
9. The Towers in a magical area presenting the frightening tale of a local family
10. The World of David Walliams contains Gangsta Granny: The Ride, a heist-themed 4D ride experience.
11. X-Sector contains two rides, extreme and futuristic rides Oblivion and The Smiler featuring long vertical drops and inversions.

Alton Towers Resort regularly hosts events, such as the Scarefest in the time of Halloween, a Christmas event, or the Fireworks show at the end of every theme park season.

Another important aspect to mention is accommodation. Alton Towers has multiple hotels such as Alton Towers Hotel, CBeebies Land Hotel, and Splash Landing Hotel. Besides hotels, you can find other attractions, like stargazing pods, a golf course, a spa, and a waterpark.

Thorpe Park

Second on our list is Thorpe Park, open from March to November also. It contains 8 themed areas:

1. Port & Basecamp. You’ll start out in this area. Here you can eat, drink, and shop, and have access to the Thorpe Shark Cabins where you can stay the night.
2. Amity is a water-themed area containing rides like Tidal Wave, Storm Surge, and Flying Fish.
3. Big Easy Boulevard is a more lighthearted area. It contains the Detonator, featuring a 100 ft drop with a firework finale, and Big Easy Bumpers which is a classic bumper car ride.
4. The Dock Yard contains two rides: Ghost Train and the famous TV show-inspired The Walking Dead: The Ride.
5. The Jungle is home to three rides: Rumba Rapids, Mr Monkey’s Banana Ride and Nemesis Inferno
6. Old Town has some pretty amazing rides, most notable being the Black Mirror Labyrinth and the horror-themed SAW – The Ride
7. Lost City is also an exciting section, it contains the Colossus featuring 10 inversions and four other rides, namely Zodiac, Rush, Vortex, and Quantum.
8. Swarm Island features only a single ride: The Swarm. It has a 127 ft inverted drop, extreme near misses, and other gut-wrenching tosses and turns.

Accommodation is a non-issue since the park features the aforementioned Thorpe Shark Cabins, in addition, there are several other hotels close by. The park usually hosts events such as Thorpe Park Oktoberfest and Thorpe Park Fright Nights in the time of Halloween.

Drayton Manor

Finally, Chessington World of Adventures is a theme park located in Staffordshire with many exciting rides and a zoo that is home to more than 100 animals ranging from Tigers to Penguins. It’s made up of 6 themed lands:

1. Adventure Cove is a nautical-themed zone, containing Air Race, Maelstrom, River Rapids, The Wave, and Stormforce 10.
2. Drayton Manor Zoo spans 15 acres and features animals from all over the world, including endangered species.
3. Fisherman’s Wharf revolves around the theme of the sea with rides like the Bounty Jolly Buccaneer, Dodgems Ahoy, and simple rides like Carousel, and Polperro Express.
4. Frontier Falls’s most notable feature is a 4D cinema where you can experience the action almost as if they are about to jump out of the screen. It features 5 other rides.
5. Thomas Land was inspired by Thomas & Friends, and featured a whopping 20 rides, in addition to cafés and shops.
6. Vikings featured 4 rides: Jormungandr, Sleipnir, Loki, and Thor.

As well as having numerous other hotels close by, the theme park has its own 4-star hotel Drayton Manor Hotel.

In this article, we have presented 3 popular theme parks in the UK. There are many more, and we encourage you to research and explore.

As you saw some feature zoos, some feature waterparks, and it’s safe to say that all host a range of creatively themed attractions. You don’t have to worry about food and accommodation. They are all taken care of since theme parks usually have hotels and restaurants.

Choosing a theme park ultimately comes down to personal preference. This raises the question: What do you look for in a theme park?