A Family Adventure (Chessington World of Adventures)

Member Name: GeordieNick

Product:	Chessington World of Adventures
Date:	10/08/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good family day out, Hocus Pocus, Good variety, Zoo

Disadvantages: Nothing really thrilling

Chessington World of Adventures is a theme park located in Chavington, Oh no I mean Chessington in South West London. Do not let the area put you off though, Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo is a big space of land and a decent sized theme park. You can get into the park on the day for £33 and if you have kids under 12 it is £22. I personally think it should be under 15 or something but that's the way they operate I suppose. Tickets are slightly cheaper online and there are deals for seniors, disabled members of the public and families. A nice little touch is anyone who is under a metre in height gets in for free, so get the flat shoes on your kids! The park first opened in 1987 and is owned by Merlin Entertainments.

The park has a car park big enough for a busy day and it does not get too busy as it is not up there with Thorpe Park and Alton Towers in popularity. The theme park is split into several different sections. One thing that makes it stand out from other theme parks is the zoo which is a really unique and nice feature of the park. The zoo features a variety of animals including reptiles, sealions, aquatic animals, lions, pigs and meerkats. Simples.

The rest of the park is more what you will see in your usual theme park. Beanoland is a very childish area but it is actually a bit of a guilty pleasure for me! The Billy Whizzer ride which spins you around is great fun and the Madhouse is great fun for the little'uns. You can not fail to love the dodgems either. A key area is the Land of the Dragons which features Chessington's flagship rollercoaster Dragon's Fury. This is a decent rollercoaster which gives you the feeling that you may fall out, but of course it is completely safe. You are put in a cart which as well as going forward, spins you around as well. There are a couple of smaller wild mouse type rollercoasters in the Mexicana area. The Mystic East is home to one of my favourite rides, the Log Flume. It is a big Log Flume and I personally prefer water parks so this is always going to be a ride I love. Transylvania is home to another one of the big rollercoasters, Vampire which has your legs dangling from the seat. Unfortunately I did not feel much of a thrill during this ride and thought it was just a bit bland with a lot of obvious twists and turns. There are a few other decent areas all with there attractions and your usual areas for kids, food and drink.

Chessington is a family orientated theme park. A visual representation of this was when the rollercoaster, 'Samurai' moved to Thorpe Park. A lot of the rides and areas are targetted at families and even the bigger rollercoasters can be boarded by young'ish kids. The park is open from 10am between the months of March and October. A major annual event for the park is the Halloween Hocus Pocus event which I have heard great things about. Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo is a great day out for a young family.

Summary: A family theme park.