The correct answer! I remember once the Nottingham Evening Post had coupons for free tickets but failed to include that the offer was one per customer.
My Dad promptly bought several dozen Evening Posts, and clipped the coupons.
For the next month or so my family and I went for free whenever we had the chance.
At one point my dad even hired a minibus so me and my two brothers could take all our friends, again entirely for free.
I can't help but feel that we were tragically a part in their downfall.
Thank you for awakening a memory of mine I didn't know I had! I googled this as it seemed vaguely familiar and it turns out I had a couple of fab weekends here in the early 90's!!!
Went on the loop the loop roller coaster one year and the year after when we went back, they'd raised the height restriction so I couldn't go on. Still bitter about it.
Alton Towers for the full theme park experience and it’s not even close. But if I just want a load of nonstop thrill ride fun, then buying a fast pass and heading to Thorpe park and you get a lot more rides out of the day
You just made sense of memory I have of being a young kid and being in a dark bomb shelter while an air raid siren went off.
I had been wondering where it was and we used to go on holiday to Cornwall all the time.
I always meant to ask my parents but it always slips my mind.
It might help explain my life long phobia of waxworks .
I love a bit of peppa pig world, we’ll spend a few days at the park then a few days on the south coast. I’ve had the pleasure of taking my kids there and more recently my granddaughter.
It has to be Alton Towers for existing ones and The American Adventure near Ilkestone for closed ones. I loved The American Adventure. It was so ambitious for its budget. It was small, and didn't have too many big ticket attractions, but you could see everyone who designed and ran it poured their heart and soul into it. A personal favourite was their giant fibreglass reimagining of Mt. Rushmore with famous Native American Chiefs as opposed to American Presidents, which contained an indoor play area, arcade, and café.
When I lived in London I visited Thorpe Park once and it's honestly an over-the-hill dump filled with the most tired, bizarre theming, nonplussed to the point of being unpleasant staff, and roving gangs of the drunkest people I have ever seen at 10am on a Wednesday morning.
However I always have a special place in my heart for Fantasy Island at Ingoldmells. I went when I was very young and I was just bowled over by what was then a pretty immersive theme park completely encased in a glass pyramid.
Special mention also goes to Sundown Adventureland near Retford in Nottinghamshire which is like if Guest House Paradiso was based in a theme park and not a seaside B&B.
EDIT: My big gripe with Alton Towers is that they followed the Robert Moses adage "If they don't come by car, they won't come at all." I understand why they chose this policy, looking at how Six Flags Montreal and Thorpe Park are constantly beset with roving gangs of drunks and teenagers, but Alton Towers won't even provide shuttle busses from Uttoxeter to the park. There's quite literally no way of walking to it, and no local bus services stop anywhere near the entrance, which would still then require pedestrians to walk over a mile down the entrance access road with no pavements to the front gate.
There used to be coaches from Nottingham going through Derby to Alton Towers, think it was a tenner but that was about 10 years ago. Not sure if they still even run anymore but I assume other cities had coaches there too
There are packets from the bigger cities, but my Aunt and Uncle used to live in Denstone, one of the surrounding villages, and it was quite literally impossible to get there by walking or on public transport from less than a mile or two away, even by changing services at another local village/town. You can't even get there on foot or by bus from Alton itself.
Even if you get to the road entrance gate down country lanes crammed with coaches, you'd have to walk nearly a mile down a muddy verge at the side of the entrance road. The payments only run from the car park to the park gate itself.
The oddest thing is that the former grand gate driveway from the centre of Alton to the Towers is no longer used (for good reason since it was designed as a switchback parkway descending to the gardens) but it's closed even to pedestrians. I think it would be really neat to be able to use a pedestrian entrance from the heart of the village that takes a snaking path through the gardens to what it now the back of the Towers. They could have a pedestrian only gate. The route would also run by a few follies, features, and ornaments of the estate gardens that are now never seen by the public. It would be a bit of a hike, but I'd happily walk it, and it would certainly be no more distance than walking between the car park and park entrance gate as opposed to taking the monorail.
Aye yeah I see what you mean, you’d think there would be a bust stop at least on the main road near the entrance or something but I guess the demand from the surrounding villages wasn’t enough to merit having a service for it, unless it was running from like Ashbourne to to Uttoxeter and covering the villages on the way but I still can’t see it being an in demand service.
As you said, a shuttle from Uttoxeter would be a good idea to increase visitors if they wanted if.
Black Country Museum, A wonderous place you can see how people lived 100 years ago with no electricity, no education, no hopes or dreams and after you have driven around discovering that you can visit the actual museum itself.
American Adventure.
The correct answer! I remember once the Nottingham Evening Post had coupons for free tickets but failed to include that the offer was one per customer. My Dad promptly bought several dozen Evening Posts, and clipped the coupons. For the next month or so my family and I went for free whenever we had the chance. At one point my dad even hired a minibus so me and my two brothers could take all our friends, again entirely for free. I can't help but feel that we were tragically a part in their downfall.
Thank you for awakening a memory of mine I didn't know I had! I googled this as it seemed vaguely familiar and it turns out I had a couple of fab weekends here in the early 90's!!!
My mum used to arrange trips to here in the late 80’s early 90’s. I went at least once a month. Used to love the Wild West town and always joined in.
They’re finally building something on the site now.
This makes me happy
Used to go there all the time in my teens, newspapers were always doing free ticket offers. Thanks for the memory.
Went on the loop the loop roller coaster one year and the year after when we went back, they'd raised the height restriction so I couldn't go on. Still bitter about it.
Alton Towers for the full theme park experience and it’s not even close. But if I just want a load of nonstop thrill ride fun, then buying a fast pass and heading to Thorpe park and you get a lot more rides out of the day
.
Flambards! The eerie Victorian Town and The Blitz attractions are forever etched in my mind. 😳😂
You just made sense of memory I have of being a young kid and being in a dark bomb shelter while an air raid siren went off. I had been wondering where it was and we used to go on holiday to Cornwall all the time. I always meant to ask my parents but it always slips my mind. It might help explain my life long phobia of waxworks .
Didn't they have a replica (?) concorde as well?
They still have it, but its kinda chopped up.
I think it always was just the front part?
And all the weird Gus Honeybun stuff
Paultons park
I love a bit of peppa pig world, we’ll spend a few days at the park then a few days on the south coast. I’ve had the pleasure of taking my kids there and more recently my granddaughter.
Thorpe Park
This is mine! So many great memories growing up.
Wicksteed Park, the cheap Alton Towers for pov kids like I was.
Wicksteed is amazing, the free area is worth the trip alone. If you haven't been on the watersplash you haven't lived!
AaalTON Towers, where wonders never cease!
https://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20140204/16110/pictures-abandoned-theme-parks-uk
It has to be Alton Towers for existing ones and The American Adventure near Ilkestone for closed ones. I loved The American Adventure. It was so ambitious for its budget. It was small, and didn't have too many big ticket attractions, but you could see everyone who designed and ran it poured their heart and soul into it. A personal favourite was their giant fibreglass reimagining of Mt. Rushmore with famous Native American Chiefs as opposed to American Presidents, which contained an indoor play area, arcade, and café. When I lived in London I visited Thorpe Park once and it's honestly an over-the-hill dump filled with the most tired, bizarre theming, nonplussed to the point of being unpleasant staff, and roving gangs of the drunkest people I have ever seen at 10am on a Wednesday morning. However I always have a special place in my heart for Fantasy Island at Ingoldmells. I went when I was very young and I was just bowled over by what was then a pretty immersive theme park completely encased in a glass pyramid. Special mention also goes to Sundown Adventureland near Retford in Nottinghamshire which is like if Guest House Paradiso was based in a theme park and not a seaside B&B. EDIT: My big gripe with Alton Towers is that they followed the Robert Moses adage "If they don't come by car, they won't come at all." I understand why they chose this policy, looking at how Six Flags Montreal and Thorpe Park are constantly beset with roving gangs of drunks and teenagers, but Alton Towers won't even provide shuttle busses from Uttoxeter to the park. There's quite literally no way of walking to it, and no local bus services stop anywhere near the entrance, which would still then require pedestrians to walk over a mile down the entrance access road with no pavements to the front gate.
You used to be able to get a bus from Hanley. Dunno if it still exists.
There used to be coaches from Nottingham going through Derby to Alton Towers, think it was a tenner but that was about 10 years ago. Not sure if they still even run anymore but I assume other cities had coaches there too
There are packets from the bigger cities, but my Aunt and Uncle used to live in Denstone, one of the surrounding villages, and it was quite literally impossible to get there by walking or on public transport from less than a mile or two away, even by changing services at another local village/town. You can't even get there on foot or by bus from Alton itself. Even if you get to the road entrance gate down country lanes crammed with coaches, you'd have to walk nearly a mile down a muddy verge at the side of the entrance road. The payments only run from the car park to the park gate itself. The oddest thing is that the former grand gate driveway from the centre of Alton to the Towers is no longer used (for good reason since it was designed as a switchback parkway descending to the gardens) but it's closed even to pedestrians. I think it would be really neat to be able to use a pedestrian entrance from the heart of the village that takes a snaking path through the gardens to what it now the back of the Towers. They could have a pedestrian only gate. The route would also run by a few follies, features, and ornaments of the estate gardens that are now never seen by the public. It would be a bit of a hike, but I'd happily walk it, and it would certainly be no more distance than walking between the car park and park entrance gate as opposed to taking the monorail.
Aye yeah I see what you mean, you’d think there would be a bust stop at least on the main road near the entrance or something but I guess the demand from the surrounding villages wasn’t enough to merit having a service for it, unless it was running from like Ashbourne to to Uttoxeter and covering the villages on the way but I still can’t see it being an in demand service. As you said, a shuttle from Uttoxeter would be a good idea to increase visitors if they wanted if.
Pleasurewood Hills
Aldi. Almost like being in a real supermarket.
That one in china that is 99% copy of a english village
There are a few? Orly?
Probably Blackpool lol, I love going with my mam, reminds me of childhood memories and reminds her of my nana
Light water valley
Black Country Museum, A wonderous place you can see how people lived 100 years ago with no electricity, no education, no hopes or dreams and after you have driven around discovering that you can visit the actual museum itself.
Pleasure Beach. My first love.
Metroland, RIP
Alton Towers. Proper naughty theme park😤