FunFamily Vacation10 Best Theme Parks for Families Thrill the kids with a trip to one of these parks that offer plenty of pint-size rides, healthy eats, family conveniences, and high-tech features. Facebook Pinterest Twitter Google Plus Text EmailAll aboard Derren Brown’s Ghost Train, which is due to open this summer, after three years in the making. This head-spinning, 10-15 minute train journey includes exhilarating live action sequences, 4D special effects and grand-scale illusions. Also new is I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! experience, and there are some of the highest and fastest rides in Europe here too.Adults from £27.99, children £23.99 (under-threes free). The new Tamarin Trail takes adventurers through beautiful gardens, allowing kids and adults to come face-to-face with a troop of mischievous Marmsosets and Tamarins. The park is also home to Europe’s only Thomas Land, which last year underwent a £2.5m expansion, including new rides. There are white-knuckle rides, including the stand-up rollercoaster, Shockwave, and 54-metre drop tower, Apocalypse.Adults from £23, children from £18, under-2s go free.
Although not officially a theme park, this medieval castle offers history, magic, myth and adventure to suit all ages. New for 2016 is the UK’s first fully-interactive multi-sensory Horrible Histories Maze, giving visitors a fiendishly fun and fascinating experience getting lost in time. The aim is not to reach the centre, but re-order the muddle that mischievous Rattus Rattus has made of time. From July, you can sleep over in the new riverside medieval-themed woodland lodges of Knight’s Village and join in with jester and knight school in the evenings.From £18, under-3s go free. Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey Pandamonium is the newbie for 2016 at this extensive theme park, which boasts over 40 rides and attractions. The exciting show features life-sized and life-like animatronic pandas. In addition, there’s a new-look Trail of the Kings, in which adventurers seek out treasures as they walk among jungle giants. Plus, there’s also all-new explorer glamping tents.
From £27.60, under-3s go free. Scotland’s biggest theme park has the all-new Giant Condor, a ride that soars up to 30m and provides awesome views over the rest of the park, Strathclyde Park and Lanarkshire. Other big draws include Tsunami, Scotland’s only inverted rollercoaster, Tornado, Big Apple and the Runaway Mine train rollercoaster. From £13.90 under 1.3m, from £18.45 for over 1.3m, under-3s go free. Alton Towers may have been in the news for all the wrong reasons last year, but it’s back up and running, with adrenalin rushes on offer including Nemesis, Rita and Oblivion and, new for this year, Galactica, a rollercoaster with integrated virtual reality. The UK’s first Rollercoaster Restaurant also opens here this month.children from £31.92, under-3s go free. Lost Kingdom, an immersive dinosaur theme park world, is the all-new attraction for this year. Costing £9m to build, it’s located within four acres of Jurassic landscape and includes two family rollercoaster rides, Jurassic-themed family rides and a dinosaur adventure play park, along with a Jurassic Jeep expedition.
Also located within Paultons Park is Peppa Pig World.From £25.75 for anyone over 1m, those under 1m go free. Lego Nexo Knights is a brand new, immersive 4D animated adventure created especially for Legoland, with wind, water and smoke bringing the battle to life around you. Also new for his year is the 500,000 Lego brick Death Star, one of the most impressive and biggest models ever created for Legoland. There are loads of rides, many without height restrictions, as well as the large “splash and play” in Duplo Valley.From £37, under-3s go free. This year marks Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s 120th anniversary and there are plenty of live acts and entertainment to celebrate. The skating show, Hot Ice, also celebrates its 80th anniversary. There are 125 rides and attractions across the 42 acres at the end of Blackpool’s promenade, including the steel mega-coaster Big One, Nickelodeon Land and the Wallace & Gromit ride, Thrill-O-Matic.Adult wristbands from £21, junior wristbands from £19, under-2s go free.
Or get a Pleasure Beach Pass for £6, which allows access to the park and includes several other attractions and a show. New Forest Water Park, Hampshire The UK’s first outdoor aqua park is doubling in size this year, with new on-water installations of monkey bars, hurdles, wiggle bridges and lifeguard tower. Based on Total Wipeout, it’s all about embracing your inner Ninja Warrior. Launched last year, the family-run park offers camping facilities and a clubhouse. From £15 for a one-hour session. Click here to view UK Tours and Holidays, with Independent Holidays.Want to make the most of your time at LEGOLAND® California? Filled with amusement rides, a separate waterpark and even a two-story aquarium, there are plenty of things to do at this Southern California theme park. Follow these tips to maximize your time at LEGOLAND®, all while building memories with your family! 1) Optimum Water Park Hours: Visit the LEGOLAND ®Waterpark early to avoid the crowds. I recommend arriving before 11am to avoid long lines, especially for the popular CHIMA Waterpark area.
Another option is to visit the waterpark after 3pm, as crowds tend to dissipate around that time. 2) Make the Most of Ride Swapping: As a family, you probably have kids of different ages which means one or more of your kids might not be able to ride certain attractions. Families can do a “child swap,” though, which allows one parent to ride with the older child and then swap with the other parent immediately after the ride. This way, families can enjoy all the park has to offer without any hassle! 3) Use Package Pick-up Service: You’re at LEGOLAND® with your kids. Let’s face it – you’re going to buy some LEGO bricks. To avoid carrying your purchases around all day, use the free package pick-up service. Simply leave your purchase with the attendant at the store and you can pick it up in the Market at the end of the day. 4) Download the Free LEGOLAND® App: The app features up-to-date ride wait times for each attraction so you can plan your day accordingly. Skip the busiest rides, like Sky Cruiser and Treasure Falls, and come back when the app shows a shorter wait.
5) Avoid Long Lines: Along with the LEGOLAND® App, which will help with avoiding those long lines, you should arrive early to avoid the long lines. Start in the back of the park then work your way forward. Rides like Safari Trek, Coastersauraus and Fairy Tale Brook can be skipped initially when crowds might be high. Come back for those rides around 3pm for hardly any wait at all. 6) Schedule Time to Build a Robot: Have a child 9 years or older? They can build a computerized robot at the Mindstorms center in the Imagination Zone. Stop by when you first arrive at the park to make a reservation for later in the day, as the activity books up fast. 7) Check Out the Baby Care Center: If you’re traveling with a little one, you know how vital a top-notch baby care center can be. At LEGOLAND® they have a premium Baby Care Center. It is equipped with bottle warmers, a microwave, refrigerator, rockers for nursing moms, high chairs and a changing station stocked with diapers. Plus, it’s one of the best quiet locations in the park for when your baby needs a break from the hustle and bustle of the theme park.
8) Bring Bathing Suits: You might not plan on visiting the LEGOLANDÊ Waterpark. Even so, it’s a good idea to bring the kids’ bathing suits for those warm summer days. There are water features located throughout the main LEGOLAND® California park. The Pirates Shores water play area can get kids pretty soaked, so it’s nice to have a change of clothes. 9) Pack Snacks: LEGOLAND® allows you to bring in snacks and a water bottle, so you can stretch your hard earned dollars. Pack a few snacks and water bottles to keep the kids from getting hungry or thirty before you have an actual meal at the park. 10) Plan Your Meal Times: If you want to dine at the park, be sure to plan your meal times. Restaurants and cafes within the park have different operating hours than the actual park. Generally, they open later and close earlier. Therefore, don’t plan on trying to eat at the park an hour before it closes. Most sit-down spots will already be shutting down. 11) Skip Preferred Parking: The parking lot at LEGOLAND® California is fairly small.