One of the best things about being a blogger is getting invited to family fun days out, the kind that make my kids scream and jump up and down with excitement. It just makes me so happy to see them so happy. On Sunday we were invited to visit Drayton Manor, one of their very favourite places in the whole wide world, which is very handy as it’s about fifteen minutes from us.
It was a sunny day which was just perfect, though that did mean that everyone else had got the idea to go there, it was the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Which meant we queued longer than we normally do for rides, but the kids still managed to go on plenty of them as the queues in Thomasland weren’t too bad, I’d say the queues elsewhere in the park were longer. One of the things I do like about Drayton Manor is that everything’s quite close together, so to walk from one side of the park to the other is manageable and to check on queues and jump on and off rides is nice and easy to do.
The kids wanted to head straight into Thomasland and they went on lots of old favourite rides as well as the new James and the Red Balloon ride. This was Little Man’s favourite ride of the day, and the Husband agreed that it was really good! Boo loved Toby’s Tram Express, she likes it spinning round and round. As you walk around Thomasland there’s always plenty to see and characters such as The Fat Controller roam around regularly.
We meandered around the rest of Drayton Manor, taking in some of the bigger rides. My favourite’s always been the pirate ship, I love that feeling when your tummy flips over! I do get motion sickness, but this one never makes me feel bad, I just love it. Unfortunately, Little Man is just a tad too short to go on that one – one for the four of us next summer, I think!
For lunch, I can recommend the Fish ‘n’ Chips takeaway near the lake, it was absolutely delicious. We got there at just gone 12 which meant we barely had to queue, the benefits of having kids that need to eat early!
We love walking around the zoo, and always head there after lunch to allow our food to go down before hitting the rides again. We’ve not been for a while so it was great to see some of the development plans they have there and to walk around the new Tamarin Trail. The kids always head straight to the fabulous play area and they like running around the dinosaurs. Somehow, over time, this has also become the traditional spot for them to get an ice cream, something they are unlikely to overlook!
This might not be an obvious favourite, but Little Man absolutely adores this bird, adores it. The first thing he said when I said we were going to Drayton Manor was ‘Yay, I can see the funny bird’. Suffice to say that we were at this enclosure for quite some time!
After a stroll around the zoo, we headed back to Thomasland, as there were plenty more rides that needed to be experienced!
We had a brilliant day out, all returning home exhausted and happy. If you’re thinking of visiting over the summer, I’d suggest booking in advance as they currently have a 4 for £80 offer running, so check out the website for more details along with other online offers and rainy day guarantees.
Are your little ones fans of Drayton Manor? What’s their favourite ride?
Disclosure: We received entry FOC for the purposes of this post
We’ve never been to Drayton Manor before, but with my son being an absolute Thomas obsessive we’ve got to do it really! We’ve been thinking about it for a while and I’ve come up with the ingenious idea of incorporating it into an action packed trip full of exciting things including a trip to Twycross Zoo also (handily we can use our Marwell Zoo passes to get in for free and I noticed Drayton Manor take Tesco Clubcard vouchers, so it’s a mini-break that’s not going to break the bank!). I’ve even been looking into places to stay (probably a Premier Inn to keep the costs down and I’ve noticed there’s 2 near Drayton Manor and Twycross Zoo, plus I love a Premier Inn breakfast!) and where to eat, so any recommendations welcome!? Also, my brother and sister-in-law only live about 45minutes away in Leicester, so we can schedule in a visit to them too. We just need to think about when to do it, my inner child is screaming NOW! NOW! NOW! Or my more sensible mummy head thinks it might be a nice treat around my little boys 4th birthday in March.
I didn’t realise how much more there was at Drayton Manor beyond Thomasland until I read you post! I’m excited! xx
Oh, he would LOVE it! Sounds like a brilliant plan and trip, I’d be excited to go on it now, too! It would be perfect as a birthday treat, just check the seasonal opening times to make sure it will be open again then, I can’t remember when it re-opens for the year. There is loads there, it’ll be a full day out 🙂 x