Having a Jolly Old Time in the UK’s Jolliest Theme Parks

When people think about theme parks, they tend to picture the super-sized parks of the USA, from Six Flags to Magic Mountain and to such vintage parks as New York City’s Coney Island. Well, it’s time to change your way of thinking, because the United Kingdom has its own theme parks. While providing all the thrills, chills and spills of its counterpart across the pond, England’s theme parks also provide a distinctly British feel, as we’ll see in our five British theme parks of the day.

Drayton Manor Theme Park

For example, the theme park, resort and zoo making up the Drayton Manor Theme Park is actually set on the grounds of the former Drayton Manor. Located close to Tamworth in Staffordshire, the park draws in about a million and a half customers a year,spans 280 acres and has been in business for 61 years. Highlights include Shockwave, Europe’s only standing up coaster and Apocalypse, a five-sided drop tower with a choice of sit-down, stand-up or floorless ride positions. You may have a hard time distinguishing Pirate Adventure with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, but the medieval Excalibur boat ride and the double inverted swing known as Pandemonium will have you forgetting about Disney in no time. Drayton Manor also boasts a 15-acre zoo with over 100 species from all over the world, and the park holds many events including fundraisers for Birmingham children’s hospital. Musical projects are also held, and you won’t want to miss the annual fireworks event taking place on the lake. After a full day of rides and animals, you can retire to a nearby Tamworth hotel.

Legoland Windsor

Want to see the London Eye, Canary Wharf, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge and the Horseguards Parade with the Queen herself for only one admission price? See the Lego versions of all of these landmarks and many others at Legoland Windsor. Using nearly 40 million Lego bricks, this place also boasts a 1:20 scale version of the Docklands Light Railway and the London Underground, British landmarks from Brighton Pier to Edinburgh Castle, to the Royal Mile and to Stonehenge to the Loch Ness itself. The Lego versions of the smallest pub in Britain and a typical Welsh village street can also be seen, along with Lego landmarks from Sweden, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Located on the site of the Windsor Safari Park and close to Windsor Castle, the theme park also boasts the Imagination Centre with its Build & Test Workshops, Mindstorms Workshop and Robolab Workshop. Rides include wire climbing Space Tower and aerial powered car track Sky Rider, and the Imagination Theatre presents Lego Racers 4D,Spellbreaker 4D, Bob the Builder 4-D and more. Thirteen kilometres from your flight at Heathrow Airport, Legoland Windsor is also to many Windsor hotel rooms.

Dickens World

A theme park that it uniquely British, Dickens World invites you to travel back in time to the 19th century and the long-vanished world of Charles Dickens. Set in the vibrant Chatham Dockyard in Kent, this newcomer on the scene (opened May, 2007) cost £62 million to create and pays homage to former Chatham resident Charles Dickens. Here you’ll find recreations of many of the locations and characters in his novels, which just happen to have been inspired by locations and people in the nearby Medway Towns, like Holcombe Manor, which inspired Dingley Dell in Pickwick Papers. Europe’s longest indoors dark ride, the “Great Expectations” log flume adds a thrills, the Haunted House of Ebenezer Scrooge adds chills, and the play area called Fagin’s Den probably sees its share of spills. Then there’s the 4D high definition cinema show, a themed bar and restaurant, and a wonderful mockup of Dickensian-style London buildings around a central square, full of all sorts of characters from Dickens’ many works. There are also many live shows, from the Circus of Light to the Fidelio Opera to the Maritime Jazz Festival 2011. Returning to the 21st century, you can choose between many great Chatham hotels.

Pleasure Beach, Blackpool

If you want to experience some of the biggest and baddest rides on the island, head to the traditional resort town of Blackpool where you’ll find Pleasure Beach, Blackpool. The most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty in the world, this park tops 5.5 million visitors per year. Speaking of “tops,” the park boasts the UK’s tallest roller coaster (Pepsi Max Big One), the world’s first roller coaster built entirely over the water (Infusion), Europe’s first fully inverting roller coaster (Im Bru Revolution) and the UK’s most expensive dark ride (Valhalla). Traditionalists will thrill to the 1923 Big Dipper, the 1935 Grand National and the Wild Mouse, which is one of the only three remaining wooden Wild Mouse roller coasters. For entertainment, there’s the Hot Ice skating extravaganza, the Globe Theatre, Beyond Belief, Ken Webster , MJ Timeless & Circus of Horrors and Kyran Brackens Ice party. Like the park itself, Blackpool hotels mix the old and the new.

The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier

No discussion of theme parks in England would be complete without a mention of the granddaddy of them all. Begun in 1891 and completed in 1899, the Brighton Marine Palace and Pier, Brighton’s third pleasure pier was the one that stuck. The concert hall opened in 1901 and became a theatre in 1911. After being damaged by a barge in 1973 and “temporarily” removed in 1986, we’re still waiting for the theatre to be brought back, but there’s still plenty to do in the meantime. This Grade II-listed structure boasts a domed amusement arcade and several fairground rides, including several thrill rides, children’s rides, roller coasters and a log flume. While you’re not going to encounter quite as much G-force on the rides at the Brighton Marine Palace and Pier, the rides are certainly fun and they provide unique insight into the country’s Victorian past. You can continue this insight in one of the many nearby classic hotels in Brighton and Hove.