One of the West Midlands' biggest attractions Drayton Manor contains both a theme park and zoo. Although it is not the best theme park in Britain (A title reserved for Alton Towers), and it certainly isn't the most aesthetically pleasing, Drayton Manor boasts a wide selection of family friendly rides as well as some more substantial thrills for those seeking some excitement. Unsurprisingly the park is built in the grounds of Drayton Manor which incorporates a lake and 75 pitches for tents and caravans for those wishing to stay for a bit longer than just a day! However staying overnight is not necessary as the park can be easily covered in a day. Bookings can be made for large groups and you can even hold corporate and private functions there if you wish.
Location
Drayton Manor is located near Tamworth on the A4091 near junctions 9 and 10 of the M42. As far as I'm aware there are no trains running very close, however in the summer West Midlands Travel (or Travel WM) run all inclusive bus services to and from the park including entrance fee and a wristband.
Opening Times
On a standard day the park gates open at 9am and rides start to operate at about 10:30 am until either 5 or 6 pm. It is worth checking before to go to make sure that the park is opening for a full day
Main Attractions
Apocalypse - A 54m tower drop. Apocalypse lifts and drops you whilst standing up and tilted forward at an angle of 20 degrees. Also the option to go floorless which leaves your feet dangling and your body only being held in by your harness.
Shockwave - One of Europe's largest stand up rollerscoasters it incorporates a loop and corkscrews.
Cyclone - Spinning ride which raises the carriages to a vertical position
Stormforce 10 - A Logflume type ride which incorporates a reverse drop of 9m. Associated with the RNLI
Pandemonium - Fairly nauseating swinging and inverting ride
Maelstrom - Ummm... Swinging... spinning ride.
In addition there are many smaller rides (Including a Pirate's of the Caribbean Rip-off called Pirate's Adventure) and children's corner. Also make sure you go on the Golden Nugget ride for a rootin' tootin' good time!
Zoo
It contains over 100 species including big cats, reptiles, monkeys and birds.
On a personal note I don't like seeing animals caged, so I try and avoid the zoo.
Other Facilities
Many of the big attractions come with the option of purchasing a photograph of yourself riding the ride, something which seems to have become fairly common. As with all theme parks Drayton Manor has a wide selection of overpriced food stands ranging from the very sweet to the very greasy. I suggest taking a picnic unless you want to feel bloated and uncomfortable on rides after lunch! There is also an arcade (which is reasonably well stocked) for if you get bored of the rides as well as many overpriced fair ground stalls usually involving you trying to accomplish some impossible task to win some sort of stuffed animal. There is even a crazy golf if you really don't like the rides!
Referances
www.draytonmanor.co.uk - Contains prices, opening times, online booking and video's of rides!
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