Summer holidays are the chance for your family to make life-long memories and for your kids to blow off some steam now school’s out. There’s an endless list of things to do, you might be frantically packing for your jolly’s or trying to plan some childcare (tip: check out Summer camps!), but you don’t want summer to pass by so fast! It’s time to plan some epic but affordable family days out that the kids and their friends will go crazy for. To help you out, we’ve rounded up 13 amazing UK days out that you just don’t want to miss this Summer.
People come from all over to visit the award-winning and largest theme park resort in England. The summer holidays wouldn’t be complete without a theme park day out, and just mentioning Alton Towers to the kids will get them jumping for joy. With over 50 rides and attractions across 200 acres of beautiful English countryside, Alton Towers has rides and gardens for every member of the family to enjoy. If you have little ones, there’s two brand new attractions at CBeebies Land for you to explore: The Furchester Hotel Live Show and Vroomster Zoom! Whether you're after family fun or adrenalin-pumping experiences, there's something for the whole family at Alton Towers Resort including the UK's first Rollercoaster Restaurant!
Legoland Windsor & Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester
Beloved by kids across the UK, LEGOLAND is a theme park with locations in Windsor and Manchester, dedicated to children aged 3-12 years old. With over 55 interactive rides, live shows, building workshops, driving schools and attractions, all set in 150 acres of beautiful parkland, the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort is a unique theme park that has families from the South of England always coming back for more. Legoland Discovery Centre at intu Trafford Centre in Manchester features a whole host of exciting attractions from the Kingdom Quest ride to an amazing recreation of the North West's most iconic buildings, the Centre not only provides fun for LEGO fans young and old, but fantastic educational benefits too.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Zoo
Summer just wouldn’t be summer without a family trip to Blackpool and most importantly, the iconic Blackpool Pleasure Beach. An award-winning mix of thrill rides, childhood favourites and classic seaside fare, Blackpool Pleasure Beach features 125 rides and attractions, with all ages catered for.
Whilst on a day out in Blackpool why not visit the multi award-winning Blackpool Zoo, situated in 32 acres of sprawling parkland, Blackpool Zoo will wow your kids with all their favourite animals right before their eyes.
What screams summer day out more than a theme park with a beach? With over 30 thrilling rides, attractions and live events, Thorpe Park Resort in Surrey is an island like no other and the UK's must-visit summer destination to share endless fun with family and friends. During Summer season Thorpe Park Resort has its very own beach and paddling pool, and there are even beach huts available to rent! Thorpe Park Resort is open from 10:00am-6:00pm in the summer holidays.
For those rainy days (yes, there will be plenty) there’s always soft play to keep the kids entertained whilst you sit back with your friend and enjoy a coffee. Play Factore in Manchester is the UK’s leading indoor play centre, and houses the largest play frame in Europe along with a host of other unique attractions that are second to none.
Situated next to Intu Trafford Centre and below the Chill Factore, Play Factore provides a complete day out for families shopping in the area with kids wanting to let loose.
Sometimes Dads have more fun doing ‘kid things’ than kids do! Which is why Diggerland is on our list of days you can’t miss this summer. With 4 locations in Kent, Devon, Durham and Yorkshire, Diggerland is a theme park experience like no other! Adults and kids can jump on the controls of real diggers, dumpers and other full-sized construction machinery and enjoy 20 different rides including a mini digger that digs for buried treasure and the Dig-A-Round with digger scoops rather than horses!
If that’s not enough excitement then you can get hoisted up and tossed around on the well-named Spindizzy, enjoy a bone-rattling, stomach-churning ride on the Groundshuttle or head up 50 ft. in the air in the Skyshuttle to enjoy the view and a slice of peace and quiet.
The award winning Drayton Manor Theme Park has everything your family wants in a day out: exhilarating rides, exotic animals and Thomas the Tank Engine Land!
Drayton Manor has dozens of rides and attractions, ranging from Apocalypse: the world’s first DROP down tower ride, to G-Force: the ultimate loop the loop rollercoaster. For younger, Thomas-obsessed tykes, there’s Thomas the Tank Engine Land. Next up, a 15 acre conservation zoo. It’s home to over 100 animals, such as kangaroos, tigers, porcupines and more. Animal enthusiasts aged between 8-12 can take part in Zoo Club and feed monkeys, muck out tapir enclosures or make a mealworm sandcastle for the resident meerkats. Then if you still haven’t had your fill, play a round of crazy golf or visit the Dino Trail and see how many prehistoric pals you can name.
If you live in Scotland or are visiting this summer, a day out at M&D’s Theme Park should be number one on your list! Set within 20 acres in beautiful Strathclyde Country Park, fun filled with rides and attractions for kids and adults, M&D’s has a selection of fun rides for the kids outdoors, or you can have fun indoors with the giant indoor soft play area Krazy Congo. And for animal lovers there’s Amazonia, Scotland's only indoor Tropical Rainforest, packed with loads of exotic animals!
You can even take the kids to Cosmic Bowl, 16 lanes of glow in the dark bowling fun!
Kids nowadays may be the ‘techno’ generation, glued to their smartphones. But that’s no excuse for summer to slip by without a wild day spent outdoors with their friends. Adventure park ‘Aerial Extreme’ is the perfect day out for kids during the summer hols, with loads of jumping, dropping, laughing and screaming, they’ll be going home with heaps of memories and smiles on their faces!
Aerial Extreme is ideally suited for everyone (children aged 6 years old and above), so mum and dad can blow off some steam too!
Everyone loves a good Zoo, but if you’re looking for something a little more relaxed or just a change then why not try a Safari? Situated near Liverpool, Knowsley Safari Park has an impressive 5-mile wild animal safari drive - the longest in the UK! Currently home to over 750 fascinating animals – from cheeky baboons to a magnificent lion pride, you have the choice to enjoy Knowsley Safari Park by car or by foot!
There’s also amusement rides for the kids to enjoy, or if you want a break from all the lights and noise take the family out rowing on the lake for a bit of well-earned peace, quiet and tranquillity!
If you live in the South West of England, a day to Bristol Zoo Gardens is definitely on the cards this Summer! Set within 12 acres of stunning grounds and award-winning gardens, Bristol Zoo Gardens is an incredible day out with lots to do and see. You will come face to face with over 400 species of exotic, endangered and adorable animals from all over the world and you can explore their new Gorilla Island house! A state of the art gorilla enclosure, boasting impressive features such as a new atrium style glass entrance, allowing guests a 180 degree view of the family of gorillas walking above! With silent cinemas screenings of Jurassic World, Dinosaur and comedy nights and conservation classes - Bristol Zoo Gardens has the best summer days out lined up!
Chessington World of Adventures
If your family can’t quite agree on a day out at the zoo or theme park and you want a day of action packed fun this summer then Chessington World of Adventures will give your family a day to remember. With 10 lands, over 40 rides, and over 1,000 animals all ages are catered for at Chessington.
Don’t miss their new to 2017 ride based on one of the UK’s best-loved children’s characters, The Gruffalo as an exciting ride experience, meet and greets and showings of the film. Chessington really does have everything to entertain your kids this summer.
If it’s raining down in London town this summer, or if you just want a fun and different day out, visit KidZania! A world where your kids can explore more than 60 real-world establishments including a hospital, police station, fire station and theatre and play ‘make-believe’ like never before. New this summer, kids will love testing the brand new KidZania job ‘Vet’ - in partnership with leading pet food brand Lily’s Kitchen and welfare charity PDSA.
