Over the weekend we were invited along to Drayton Manor Theme Park, to attend the first day of their Thomas & Friends weekends. What a brilliant day we had!
Now, we’re no strangers to Thomas Land. Our eldest (now approaching nine years old) was a huge Thomas fan when he was younger, and with Drayton Manor just under an hour away from home we’ve spent many happy days there in the company of Thomas and Friends. But we haven’t been since our four-year-old was born, so it was a great opportunity to introduce her to the park, while our eldest got to rediscover some of his earliest memories of family days out.
The Thomas & Friends weekends are aimed specifically at families with young children; only the Thomas Land rides and a few other gentle rides nearby are open. Such a great idea; the park is quieter, the queues are shorter, and you can take things at a more leisurely pace.
Thomas Land is located right next to the park entrance, so little legs don’t have far to walk. Not that our two walked; once they caught a glimpse of all those rides they were off!
Since we last visited, Thomas Land has undergone a £2.5m expansion, with lots of new rides and the rather lovely Sodor Airport, which houses a cafe on the ground floor and a VIP area upstairs for private parties. Check out the view!
We started off with an engine roll-call at the roundhouse, we just had to get a new photo of our eldest to compare to his first visit….
Everything in Thomas Land has been carefully thought-out to suit parents and young children. Most rides are suitable from 90cm in height, with some requiring an adult to accompany children under 120cm. There’s a height chart at the entrance to each ride, so you don’t spend time queueing for a ride only to find out at the last minute that they’re too small. Each ride has plenty of space around it, so you can watch your children if they’re riding without you, and take those all-important action shots. The spacious cafe allows you to grab a snack or drink without going into the main park, and there are plenty of toilets with baby changing facilities too.
There’s a lovely sense of occasion, with regular shows featuring the Fat Controller, Sodor staff wandering around interacting with the children, and the Fat Controller available regularly throughout the day for photos. It all makes for a really exciting experience.
And then there are the rides – so many! All the well-loved characters are here, and there’s a good variety of ride type, not just lots of variations on the same theme.
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- Captain’s Sea Adventure – Ahoy there matey!
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- Say cheese! Harold’s Helicopter Tours
There’s a clever mix of age appeal too; thought has clearly gone into the fact that many families will be attending with at least two different ages of child. I was a little worried that our older thrill-seeker might not find much to keep him engaged, but there were more than enough rides to suit him.
Which brings me onto another lovely aspect of our day; big brother got to introduce his little sister to all his old favourites, and watching the two of them all twinkly with shared excitement was just brilliant.
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- Diesel’s Locomotive Mayhem, an old favourite
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- Driving her very own Sodor Classic Car
There’s also Emily’s indoor soft play area to explore; we were so busy enjoying the outdoor rides we didn’t make it inside at all, but this would be brilliant for rainy days.
Obviously no trip to Thomas Land would be complete without a train ride; so exciting to see Rosie pull into the station!
There’s plenty to do at the other end of the line, including a Dino Trail, zoo and Spencer’s outdoor adventure play area. We hadn’t fully explored this part of the park on previous visits, and spent a lovely hour enjoying the sunshine with a cuppa from the cafe while the kids burnt off some energy.
The staff are so fantastic here. Every time we’ve visited, we’ve been blown away by just how friendly and lovely with kids they all are. Every ride operator chats away to the children, keeping them busy while they wait, making them giggle, and drawing them into the magic just that little bit more. I can’t emphasise enough what a huge difference this makes to your day out, the Drayton Manor team have really got it spot on here.
The park becomes quieter towards the end of the day, so after chugging back on Thomas we managed to squeeze in a last few rides before heading home.
Obviously Thomas Land is the perfect day out for those with a big Thomas fan in the family, but it’s appeal goes way beyond just that. With a big variety of age-appropriate rides, family-friendly catering and facilities, and the added bonus of the zoo, dino trail and adventure playground, it’s a brilliant option for families with young kids in general. We had a fantastic time, and hopefully we’ll be back for more very soon.
Oh, and there was one other bonus from our day out; we all slept very well that night!
The next Thomas & Friends weekend takes place on 5th-6th March, with the full park opening for the 2016 season on 12th March. There are also some other lovely events coming up, including Mother’s Day and the opening of the brand new Tamarin Trail at Easter. Pop over to the events section of their website for full details.
We were given complimentary tickets for the day in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and genuine.
Desperate to take my 2 year old and 6 year old here. We live near legoland so we’ve done that a couple of times but never made it up to Thomas Land yet. It’s on the to do list and you’ve sold it to me.x
Lovely pics – looks like you had a smashing day.xx
#TwinklyTuesday
You’d all love it! As well as being brilliant, it really is an easy day out with little ones. Hope you make it soon 🙂
Oh I would love to go back here. We went with oldest 3 years ago when I was pregnant with youngest and oldest had such a good time. Looks like there are new rides too so the perfect excuse to make a trip back #whatevertheweather
There are LOTS of new rides, we hadn’t been since the expansion and it’s much bigger – it felt like a whole new day out!
I have never been there before, my son would have loved that place when he was younger! I love that the rides are suitable for little ones, so disappointing for them if they can’t get on the ride they want to.
Yes it’s awful when they’re too small for most of the rides, and it can really spoil a day out – not here though. The rest of the Drayton Manor park is great for older kids too, with the whole park open for the season from 12th March.
You have reminded me to pop Drayton Manor on my list of places to go this year as I used to go as a child and Mia is just becoming old enough to enjoy rides now. She loves trains so Thomasland would be great for her! Lovely photographs 🙂
#brillblogposts
Ah you’ll have a great time revisiting old memories and making lots of lovely new ones 🙂
Aww what lovely photos. So clear and scrisp and sounds & looks like you had the most amazing time there! Its always one of the place that I wish we can visit in the future and hopefully soon! #pocolo
We really did have a brilliant day, and the weather was kind to us too! Hope you manage a trip there soon.
My son loves Thomas and has done for two years. I would love to take him there but I don’t drive and once you take into account trains, taxis and the entry fees it adds up to alot of money especially as it’s quite far from us and so we would have to stay over. Such a shame because both my kids would absolutely love this. I’m glad you and your family got to go though and had such a great day.
#brilliantblogposts
Ah that’s a shame – I’ve done car-share with a friend and her kids for days out before, I suppose having to stay over makes that a bit complicated though. Hope you get there one day 🙂
Oh wow there is so much to do!!!!! I used to love Thomas so much when I was younger. I’d love to take Evie here when she is a bit bigger. I love your before and after picture. So amazing to see how much he is grown. It sounds like a fab day out. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with #whatevertheweather x
There really is so much there, and no long walks between rides either which gives you more time to enjoy yourselves. I haven’t done that with two pictures before, seeing them together made me realise just how quickly time has flown – the first trip feels like only a year or so ago!
It looks amazing! My boys would absolutely love it, a shame that it’s so far away from us! I love that there are rides for all ages too, a great idea when you have big brothers and sisters there too. Love the photo of your son when he was younger and now, what a great comparison. Thanks so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather 🙂 x
Yes the wide age range is brilliant, as well as pleasing everyone on the day it means there’s something new to discover if you go more than once. Definitely try and squeeze in a visit if you’re ever closer!
Ah, it looks a fab day out – and what fun to introduce your youngest to a family favourite. love the Now and Then shot too – thanks for linking up to #PoCoLo