A theme park holiday can mean the adventure of a lifetime for most kids.
With scary rides to brave, water slides to get soaked on, and hours of exploring and playing to cram in - a visit to a theme park is something the whole family can get something out of.
The UK has plenty of amazing attractions for the entire family to enjoy. Here are 10 of the best.
1. Paultons Park, Hampsire
This popular park has more than 60 rides and attractions, as well as being home to Peppa Pig World. A new feature is a state-of-the-art 4D cinema with specially-designed moving chairs that coincide with the action on the big screen, complete with water sprays, leg ticklers and bubbles. Prices start at £23.50.
2. Drayton Manor, Staffordshire
Winston's Whistle-Stop Tour launched in 2013, with Winston taking passengers on a guided monorail tour around a themed track. There are plenty of rides too, including Apocalypse, which has been voted UK's scariest ride. Tickets start at £15 per child and £20 for adults.
3. Alton Towers, Staffordshire
The signature rollercoaster at Alton Towers, Nemesis, has been voted one of the best coasters in the world on numerous occasions, and is also home to Oblivion, Rita, Air and Th13rteen. Alton Towers has its own hotel or alternatively you can rent one of the local villas for your stay. The park operates from 10am - 5pm. For less than £20, you can gain entrance to one of the premiere parks in the world.
4. Twinlakes, Leicestershire
Twinlakes Theme Park features a zoo, a rooster farm, the Excalibur adventure zone with slides, castles for children to climb on and a small assault course. If your kids like getting soaking wet, they should head to the Susanoo splash zone, a small waterpark with slides, pools and a black hole drop into the water. The park opening hours are 10am - 6pm, and prices start at £15 per ticket.
5. Thorpe Park, Surrey
Thorpe Park’s best ride is the Nemesis Inferno; made by Bolliger & Mabillard who also make the Nemesis ride at Alton Towers. The Colossus, The Tidal Wave, The Stealth, and Loggers Leap are some of the other popular rides at Thorpe Park. Hours of operation are from 10am until 5/6pm. Children under twelve can get in for about £31, whilst adult tickets are around £38.
6. Chessington World of Adventures Park, London
This park has different themed areas; each with their own different rides and attractions. The most popular mini-parks are The Forbidden Kingdom, The Pirates Cove, The Land of the Dragons and Transylvania. Also at Chessington is a zoo which is home to over 1000 animals including a sea lion enclosure where there are performances throughout the day. Tickets are around £28 for children under 12 and £38 for children over 12 and adults. Operating hours are usually 10am - 5pm.
7. Legoland
Legoland Windsor is a kid’s theme park based on the Legoland parks around the world. There are over 55 rides and attractions for kids aged 3-12, including the wavessurfer, dino safari, rocket races, and water based rides such as extreme team challenge, and Atlantis submarine voyage where passengers ride a yellow submarine underwater to lookout for over 50 species of fish. The usual opening hours are 10am until 5pm in the evening. The prices for admission range from £31 for children and £41 for adults.
8. Adventure Island, Essex
Adventure Island is free to enter, however you’ll have to pay for different coloured wristbands based on your age and height so staff know if to allow you on their rides or not. There are five rollercoasters in the park. The opening time is 11am and closing times are variable at different times of the season, but the park will likely always be open until at least 5pm.
9. Oakwood, Pembrokeshire
Oakwood is the only theme park in Wales and is home to Megafobia, voted the best ride in the UK and third best ride in the world by the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain. A recent feature is Neverland - a £4m family-themed area with 10 attractions. Tickets start at £13 per child and £19 for adults.
10. Flamingo Land, Yorkshire
This park includes Hero, the newly launched rollercoaster that puts riders in a flying position before swooping them around. There's also a zoo and holiday resort. Tickets start from £27 for child and adult.
Image via Pinterest.
