We’re four weeks into the summer holidays, the kids are fed-up, and you’ve run out of things to entertain them with.

Or have you?

Drayton Manor Theme Park, home to a variety of exciting attractions, a zoo and Thomas Land, is ready and waiting to curb those boredom blues by whisking you and the family away for a day of fun and adventure. With the theme park being only a two hour journey away in Staffordshire, we decided to treat ourselves to a family day out. We set out early Saturday morning bright eyed and bushy tailed, and arrived ready for opening at 10:30am.

My two youngest were very much impressed with Thomas Land, home to Percy, Rosie and all their other favourite steam engine friends. Starting the day off with a bang, we took to the air in James and the Red Balloon and Harold’s Helicopter Tours and soared through the sky with a view over the whole of Thomas land. We then made sure to stop off at Sodor Classic Cars, one of the original Thomas Land rides and a firm favourite with visitors. Much to the kids’ delight, they got to jump behind their own steering wheel in a beautiful old-fashioned car and enjoy captivating animated scenes as we travelled around the track in style.

 

With my eldest then being in need of an adrenaline kick, we made our way over to the thrill rides. A favourite of his was Apocalypse, closely followed by G-Force and Shockwave, where we reached heart racing speeds of up to 53mph. It was then onto the family rides, where we enjoyed a gentle journey on the Polperro Express Train past the beautiful lake, before hopping onto Accelerator for a child-friendly thriller. We also decided to give The Haunting a go, but after coming off with a few tears, we would say it’s a little too much for your youngest – but perfect for your elder ones if they’re after a good scare!

 

 

The weather held out for us all day, and we were lucky enough to enjoy a picnic in the sun at lunch time. If getting up before setting out in the morning and making a boatload of sandwiches isn’t your idea of fun though, there are plenty of places to grab some pizza, pasta, pies, a burger, or just about anything else. Whilst the kids sipped on lemonade, I even treated myself to a cheeky beer from one of the many restaurants across the park.

 

 

 

Before heading home, we rounded off the day perfectly by spending our last hour in the zoo, where we got to see flamingos, a reindeer, a spider monkey, and a kangaroo – just to name a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With so much to do and see across the whole park, we can safely say that Drayton Manor is well worth the money. If you pre-book online, it’s £29.50 for adults, £24.50 for 4-11s, £7 for 2-3s, or just £80 for four people of any age. We’ll certainly be coming back!

You can book tickets and get more information on the Drayton Manor website.