As a lover of family days out, I am always on the hunt for the next place to go! This year alone we’ve been to many a theme park, zoo, farm and soft play! I love living in the Midlands as I feel that most places are at an arms reach and we really do not mind jumping in the car for a road trip! However, there are still SO MANY attractions that are on my bucket list, to visit in the UK. Before we get into what is my UK attractions bucket list, take a read of some of the places we’ve visited over the last 18 months and included on my blog:
The Children’s Village, Warwick
Be sure to check back as and when my Days out list is updated!
Even before we had the kids, Matt and I would be off on days out. We love theme parks (although I am not a thrill seeking person!) and love the whole experience that a day out to an attraction entails. The smells, tired feet, learning and experiencing new things, the food – I just love it! With that in mind, I wanted to share a list of some attractions that I wish to visit. I also want it to be some inspiration for you, who may wish to visit these places too. I love writing lists, so this also gives me an opportunity to do just that.
I am actually surprised that I haven’t visited here yet, being a big Harry Potter fan. I think that the children have been too young in recent years. However, now that Mr B and Missy have watched a few Harry Potter films, I think they’ll love this attraction. It sounds incredible and I’d love to walk through The Forbidden Forest, their newest attraction. During Halloween, they’ll holding some special events such as Hogwarts After Dark and Master The Dark Arts which looks really exciting!
The ticketing system for Warner Bro. Studio Tour is via booking online and whenever I’ve looked at availability over recent years, it’s been super busy. It is also an expensive attraction that I want to ensure the kids are REALLY in to for the price. The advantage of going is that Baby K is free until he is 4 years old as 0-4 year olds are free.
For a family of 2 adults and 2 children, the current price is £148.00
We’ve never ventured as far up north as North Yorkshire, so we have never had the opportunity to visit Flamingo Land. I feel it is also a tad too far to travel for just one day, so it would have to be a short break for us to visit, which means more of a cost. However, the accommodation on offer looks lovely, offering lodges and cottages surrounding the resort. The theme park looks like a great mix of thrill and family rides which is perfect for us. And it also has an award winning zoo included on the resort too.
*Photo provided by Yorkshire Wonders
It’s also good to know that Flamingo Land offer a caravan and camping site and the prices look really reasonable. It is worth booking your tickets online and the reductions are quite good, saving £6.50 per ticket price. If you have little ones aged 4 and under, they also can visit Flamingo Land for free.
This is a little further south, and a little bit out of reach for a day out. So if we visited, we would need to consider an overnight stay, hence why we haven’t achieved this one yet! Drusilla’s park was completely off the radar and I had never heard of it, until they’re opening of a new ride earlier in the year – The Rainforest Carousal. It is also home to a Hello Kitty Secret Garden, Go Safari and a Zoo. The play area’s look fab for kids all ages too which is a bonus (both in and outdoor) If the weather is good, there is also a splash park too.
*Photo provided by Thimble and Twig
From looking at the booking system on the website, it seems the earlier you book the bigger the discount. For a family of 5, tickets look to be around £100 for all. Under 2’s go free.
Now, technically we have already visited Chessington, but only the onsite chessington hotel and mini zoo. We did this as a package for 2 nights way back in 2015 and we loved it! Chessington resort accommodation is fully immersive, with great restaurants and themed rooms. We visited when the actual theme park was closed in an off peak month, but still got to experience the hotel facilities, such as the splash pool, explore the savannah and zoo. Next time, I would love to visit the theme park and take on some of the rides. New for 2019, they have Room on a Broom, a magical journey and of course, the popular family favourite, The Gruffalo.
It’s pretty expensive to stay onsite when the actual theme park is open – during peak times i’ve costed it up to be around £400 for 1 night! However for day tickets purchased online, tend to be around £30 for 1 person. Under 3’s are free.
Missy is a huge fan of role play and loves our local children’s role pay centre in Warwick. This would be her absolutel dream to visit Kidzania. Designed for children aged 4-14, Kidzania is really about kids taking on the role as a grown up in various worlds and roles. Think of it as an ‘indoor city run by kids’. The kids can take on the role as a doctor, policeman or even a vet and it is all under one roof in a safe environment. Located in Westfield, London, this is definitely on our to-do list and is a great way for the kids to be let loose in their own imaginative world. Everyone visiting Kidzania must purchase a ticket and children under the age of 7 must be accompanied around the centre with an adult.
Photo provided by The Knight Tribe
Ticket prices vary, depending on what day of the week you visit. But the cost for a family of 5 is averaging out around £90-100 per 4 hour session.
Now this place is not for the faint hearted! And whilst I may not be brave enough to actually do this challenge, I would love to see someone else do it (Matt haha!) Zip World is spread across three locations in Wales, and offers various thrilling activities mostly to do with….yep you guessed it…Zip Wires! Each location offers a different set of activities such as quarry karts, treetop nets, zip safari, and sky ride. All sounds scary huh!?
What looks fab is the Fforest Coaster in Zip World Fforest. To take on the challenge, it costs £29 for a single rider or £39 for a shared cart. This is up to three rides. I suppose this is quite pricey considering you can get that same price as entry into a theme park and be open to as many rides as you like. However, this coaster does look super fun with many twists and turns through the forest, and I think it would be an experience to definitely add to the bucket list!
Why have I not visited here yet!? It’s located at a doable 1 day road trip from where we live, and I hear is meant to be the best Zoo in the UK (please correct me if I am wrong if you have ever visited!) Chester zoo is spread across 125 acres of zoological gardens and homes over 27,000 animals. Some of the animals that live here include elephants, black rhinos, a cheetah, giraffes and a jaguar! The one that stands out from the rest is the Sumatran Orangutan. I think these are incredible!
Book more than 7 days in advance, and the Chester Zoo website offers up to £4 off per ticket. On average, a family ticket is priced at around £100 with under 3’s going free.
I have never visited Cornwall but I would absolutely love too! With three small children, the long drive doesn’t seem appealing yet (although we have driven to Disneyland Paris!) The Eden Project is located in Bodelva, Cornwall and is nestled in a huge crater. Massive Biomes house the largest rainforest in captivity which would just be incredible to see, as well as family friendly events each year. There is also a Rainforest canopy walk and England’s longest zip wire!
I imagine this place to be a perfect family day out in the summer, and would be lovely to sit and relax with a picnic. If you purchase tickets in advance, you can save up to 10%. An average price for a family of four is around £67 and children aged 0-4 go free!
And there you have it. Just a glimmer of some of the attractions in the UK that I have added to my bucket list! I am sure to be adding more so this list will be extended no doubt!
What’s on your family attraction bucket list!?
Hi and welcome to The Willow Tree. I’m Michelle, also known as Shel and I am a mama to three beautiful crazy kids – I have two handsome boys and a wild and wonderful girl.
I really wanted a concrete place to share my love for travel, in particular Disney and offer my readers a chance to gain some knowledge around what we love to do as a family of 5.
I share our family adventures which include days out, travel advice and tips, holiday reviews, restaurant visits and of course, our love for Disney, including Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World.
Life is about creating memories, and here we are sharing them with you
xoxo
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