Chessington World of Adventure
Chessington World of Adventures is a family-based theme park. Like nearby Thorpe Park, it is owned by the Tussauds Group. Due to the closeness of the two parks, it was decided to split the themes; Chessington World of Adventures has thus been designated as the family-oriented park, while Thorpe Park provides more thrilling rides for an older generation.
Chessington become the main hub for family fun days out in the United Kingdom. It is 12 miles from central London, close to the A3 and London circular motorway, the M25. It was, before being transformed by Tussauds, a zoo. This area still remains, though the park is now best known for it’s family friendly fun rides.
Chessington World of Adventures is split into ten different areas – or ‘lands’, to use the park terminology. Each is themed differently, with different attractions and rides available at each site. All of the lands are connected by walkways and modes of light transport, to make travelling across the park simple. Nevertheless, the owners of Chessington advise that a full day is needed to really appreciate the park and enjoy all of the areas individually.
The zoo area is one of the most popular areas of the park. On the west side is Trails of the Kings, home to the more spectacular wild animals such as lions, tigers, gorillas and leopards. The eastern side is saved for the smaller mammals, such as otters, as well as a fantastic bird enclosure. There is also a sea lion area, and in 2008, a Sea Life centre opened on the site.
The next area is Beanoland, which is theme around the popular children’s comic, The Beano. Beanoland is home to Roger the Dodger Dodgems, an extremely popular ride, and a wave swinger called Billy’s Whizzer which sprays fountain water at guests on the ride. There is also a small magic carpet ride, named the Bash Street Bus, and several other Beano-themed attractions.
Rameses Revenge, of the most popular rides at Chessington World of Adventure, is in the next site; the Forbidden Kingdom. The entire land is themed around Ancient Egpyt, and Rameses Revenge – a top spin ride – is used on much of Chessington’s advertisements. The other of the most known rides is located in the next land across, Land of the Dragons; a family spinning rollercoaster called Dragon’s Fury is located here. The other lands mainly host lesser known rides, tourist booths, fairground attractions and food courts.
As with most of the rides at Chessington, both Rameses Revenge and Dragon’s Fury would be considered tame by most rollercoaster enthusiasts. They are designed this way so that the height limit is low, thus making the part all the more attractive to the family market.
Chessington World of Adventure’s is open from March through to October, for a long summer season. It opens at 10am and closing time varies throughout the year, depending on season. On Halloween, the park stays open until 8pm and offers a range of spooky thrills for any visitor. All day passes for a family group of four cost L37.50.