If you're looking to visit a UK theme park for a birthday celebration or if, like us, you're a home educator - consider organising a group trip as this can be a fantastic way of saving money on the entry price.
Most theme parks will offer discounted group rate tickets for parties of 10 or more, or you could even organise Coach hire trips through a company like SMC Coach Hire who specialise in providing private hire mini buses and coaches to theme parks - not only will they provide a fantastic rate for your travel needs, but they can even arrange discounted entry to all Merlin attractions for you too!
Today I thought I'd share our Top 5 UK Theme Parks in order of preference along with the reasons why we think they're the best!
So without further ado, here they are!
1. Paultons Park
Where is it?: Near Southampton
Entry Price: £31.75 each (over 1 metre, children under 1 meter are free_
What's There For Kids?: Paultons Park is the home of Peppa Pig World - a whole section dedicated to the kids favourite, with themed rides, play areas, a soft play center and appearances from Peppa & George themselves - if your little one is a fan of Peppa then it's worth a visit here for this section alone!
But there is so much more to Paultons Park too, including the Lost Kingdom dinosaur area which my 4 year old just loved!
Selling Points: The park is incredibly well run and child friendly, the toilets are always clean with thoughtful details such as childrens toilet seats in every one - the baby change facilities have always been immaculate when we've visited too, and there's plenty of options available for food so it doesn't feel as though there are only unhealthy choices available.
You even get a free piece of fresh fruit with every childrens lunch!
Best Bits: Our favorite things are the Hot Air Balloon Ride in Peppa Pig World and the Flight of The Pterosaur rollercoaster in Lost Kingdom
2. Legoland
Where is it?: Windsor
Entry Price: From £45 per person on the day (Prices vary depending on season)
What's There For Kids?: There is no dedicated themed section as such but who needs it?! All of Legoland is kid-heaven! My three all absolutely adore Legoland, infact if they had been in charge of this list it would certainly be in the number 1 position!
There are tons of rides and play areas for them, meet & greets with Lego characters and live shows too.
Selling Points: There is a great variety of rides at Legoland from the family-friendly Fairy Tale Brook boat rides to the more adventurous Dragon rollercoaster and everything in between. It one to appeal to all ages, and if you can afford to stretch to a stay in the Legoland Hotel it is certainly worth doing - the theming is fantastic and its practically inside the park.
Best Bits: The submarine ride is brilliant fun, and the Pirate Bay show should not be missed - it was incredible!
3. Drayton Manor
Where is it?: Staffordshire
Entry Price: £39 for over 12s, £29 for children aged 4-11, £7 for 2-3 year olds, and free for under 2s.
What's There For Kids?: Drayton Manor is home to Thomas Land - a section dedicated to the famous little blue engine and his pals! Thomas Land is a fantastic place to visit for any child but if you have a little Thomas fanatic at home they will absolutely love it, the theming is fantastic, there are so many rides to choose from and during special occasions they go all out too - Christmas in Thomasland is something really special!
Selling Points: Drayton Manor offer a rainy day guarantee which means that if it rains for 2 or more hours on the day of your visit, you will be given the chance to return within a specified time period for another visit free of charge! (Please note this does not apply to tickets purchased on the day of the visit)
Best Bits: A ride on Thomas is a must do, and we are also big fans of the Cranky ride too. If you have the chance to visit during the Christmas season, do! The snow fall and Christmas songs are really magical and well worth seeing.
4. Alton Towers
Where is it?: Staffordshire
Entry Price: £52.80 per adult, £46.80 per child (under 3s go free)
What's There For Kids?: Alton Towers is home to CBeebies land - an area themed around all of their TV favourites from the CBeebies channel, such as Mr Tumble, Charlie & Lola, Postman Pat, The Octonauts and many more! There are some great rides in this section, as well as a lovely live show area where various characters hang out for meet and greets too!
Selling Points: There is tons to do for both adults and children at Alton Towers, and the monorail system for ferrying you to and from the parks is really handy too - especially with little ones in tow!
Best Bits: We loved the Octonauts coaster, and the In The Night Garden boat ride.
5. Chessington World Of Adventures
Where is it?: Chessington!
Entry Price: £49 for over 12s, £45 for children aged 3-12 (Children under 3 go free)
What's There For Kids?: There is no themed childrens area in Chessington but it is home to the new Gruffalo ride - the ride itself is brilliant, almost worth visiting for that alone if your little ones are Gruffalo fans. There is also the Gruffalo arena where they can meet the creature himself!
Selling Points: Chessington is a really well laid out theme park, and there are lots of healthy food options around as well as lots of deliciously indulgent treats - we found the snacks on offer here to be by far the best of any other theme park we've visited in the UK.
Best Bits: Meeting the Gruffalo and the Gruffalo ride were definite highlights for us, but we did find it very busy here.
What has been your favorite theme park to visit in the UK? I'd love to hear your thoughts!!
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