Disclosure: This post is a review in collaboration with Buyagift, our visit to Drayton Manor was complimentary.  This post contains affiliate links please see our disclosure policy for more information.

Buyagift is the UK’s leading gift experience provider, they sell thousands of unique gift experiences including days out for families. As a family, we love going on new adventures and trying new experiences, recently Buyagift asked if we wanted to review one of their family-friendly experiences. There were so many days out to choose from, they offer everything from animal encounters to stadium tours. Making a decision was not easy but in the end, we went with a family ticket to Drayton Manor Park. A family ticket for two adults and two children costs £95 from Buyagift, and a family ticket on the day at the park itself costs £130.

Daisy and Jake love fairgrounds, we visit our local ones a few times a year but we’ve never gotten around to visiting a theme park. Drayton Manor Park seemed like the perfect theme park to choose from, it’s super family-friendly, has a great range of rides for all ages and is the home to Thomas Land. The kids love Thomas The Tank Engine so I knew they would be excited about visiting a real-life Sodor.

Drayton Manor Park in Staffordshire offers a huge range of rides and attractions for the whole family. Perfect for families it includes Thomas Land, a 15-acre zoo, a 4D cinema, a dino trail, a soft play area and lots more.

Redeeming A Buyagift Voucher 

When you order from the Buyagift website you can choose to receive a voucher through the post or be emailed an E-voucher. We went with an E-voucher so we could get our experience booked on the same day. Redeeming the voucher is quick and simple, you input the voucher number and pin code into the Buyagift voucher activation website. Once you have done that you are given details of how to book your experience. In this case, we could take our voucher with us to Drayton Manor Park, there was no need to book a specific date. I really appreciated the flexibility of this option, as parents we often need to change our plans at the last minute. We did have a specific date in mind but I felt reassured that we could delay our visit if the weather wasn’t looking great.

When we arrived at Drayton Manor Park we headed straight for the guest services. We presented the voucher and were given our tickets in exchange.

Family Fun At Drayton Manor Park

Thomas Land 

Thomas Land is just on the right-hand side as you enter the park which is great as it means little legs don’t have to walk too far. I was really surprised at how many rides there were to choose from, Daisy spotted a coaster straight away so we joined the queue for that first.

We slowly made our way around Thomas Land taking a turn on each ride, the park was fairly quiet on the day we visited meaning we didn’t queue for more than five minutes. I have to mention that all of the staff we encountered were so friendly and great with the kids. It was also quite impressive how safety conscious they all were about height restrictions, they used a measuring stick to make sure all the kids were tall enough for the rides. Time was taken to make sure everyone was seated and safe before any of the rides started too.

We rode so many fun rides in Thomas Land, I couldn’t believe how many of the rides I could go on with the kids too. I really liked that there was a good mix of gentle rides and ones that were a little more thrilling.

 

We spotted The Fat Controller and some of his crew walking around the park, their costumes were brilliant. Everything was themed brilliantly, it’s a must-visit if you have Thomas fans.

Exploring The Park

There are lots of places to eat within the park but we always prefer to take our own food with us. There are lots of picnic tables and benches around the park where you are welcome to sit and eat your lunch. I did have a quick look at some of the menus and spotted some good family dining deals. The whole park is nice and clean, the bathrooms are spotless too.

After lunch we took a walk around the rest of the park, we went into the arcade for a while as Daisy and Jake love to play on the two pence pushers. They both won some tickets and exchanged them for a little toy each. When we finished we walked over to the zoo stopping for an ice cream on the way. We took some time to watch the big rides in action, some of them looked super scary and I was glad the kids were too small to ride. It looks like it would be a great place for teens and thrill-seekers as well as families with little ones.

We had a nice stroll around the zoo, looking at all the animals. The kids were thrilled to see some tigers and lots of different monkeys. Although the zoo was really nice I think the kids were too excited about getting on some more rides so we didn’t explore very much.

On our way around the zoo, we spotted the Dino Trail and a really cool-looking play area. The dinosaur trail was fun to walk around.

Once we had finished with the dinosaur trail the kids played on Spencer’s Outdoor Activity Park, there were lots for them to climb on and slide down. Chris and I sat and watched them play for a while. Close to the park, we spotted a train station with a train that would take us back to Thomas Land. When the kids had finished playing we boarded the train and enjoyed a lovely ride around the park.

The kids went on some more rides before we decided to venture over to the 4D cinema, there was a fun film showing starring Scrat from the movie Ice Age. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, it’s a brilliant show and you will love the 4D element of it.

We did also try some of the rides in the main park itself, we rode the carousel, the Jolly Buccaneer and shot up some outlaws on Sheriff’s Showdown. There were so many more rides we wanted to go on but we ran out of time, we could easily spend a whole weekend here.

The whole day was really good, we had a great experience and will definitely be back again soon.

Things You Might Want To Know About Visiting Drayton Manor 

It costs £4 to park, you get a ticket on your way in and pay before you leave at any of the pay stations located around the park.

The toilets and facilities are lovely and clean, there are also plenty of them located around the park.

You can check height restrictions for each ride on the Drayton Manor Park website.

There are height measurement boards located at each attraction to check before you queue up.

You can rent a locker if you don’t want to carry your bags around the park.

There’s a sweet shop in Thomas Land by the exit that is reasonably priced with a great selection perfect for long car journeys home.

Related Posts:

Charming Escape Smartbox by Buyagift

Buyagift Cinema Tickets With Dinner Smartbox