A few weeks ago, my very lovely Mum treated us to a family day out at Alton Towers, the home of the brand new CBeebies Land. Since then, Lara and Holly have talked about more or less nothing else - I think it had a big impact! Tonight, in the car on the way home, they were comparing tales of when they met the Zingzillas and how they explored Tree Fu Tom's world.
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| CBeebies Land Entrance |
CBeebies Land opened at Alton Towers at the end of May and I think it is a great addition to the theme park which makes Alton Towers feel just that little bit more family-friendly. CBeebiesLand is very close to the park entrance so you don't have to worry about little ones trekking all over the park; in fact, I think the girls would have been quite happy to spend the entire day in just CBeebiesLand even though there is a small number of other appropriate rides in other parts of the theme park.
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| Zingzilla's show |
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| Postman Pat Ride |
CBeebies Land features lots of the girl's favourite TV characters. From Postman Pat's vans to Charlie and Lola's kitchen. From Nina and the Neuron's invention lab to Mr. Bloom's allotment, there are attractions to suit toddlers, preschoolers and younger children and lots of recognisable names and characters to get them excited. The biggest hit for us was the Tree Fu Tom themed outdoor playground which kept both our 2 year old and 5 year old entertained for ages because there were lots of climbing/hiding/exploring areas.
I thought the most magical part of CBeebies Land was Mr. Bloom's Allotment (seeing both girls sing along with the veggies brought a massive smile to my face) but I felt that the queuing time was far too long for small children to tolerate. The biggest attraction seemed to be the In The Night Garden water ride which features Iggle Piggle's boat drifting through the Night Garden.
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| Tree Fu Tom playground |
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| Numtums Merry-go-round |
Holly most enjoyed riding on the NumTums roundabout and this is the thing she is still chattering about several weeks later. Lara talks most about having had her photo taken pretending to be with Mr. Tumble! I think it is fab that you can buy a digital download of the images you create. There was so much to do at CBeebies Land that we didn't even get a chance to ride the over-head CBeebies monorail style ride (a re-incarnation of the old squirrel ride) or explore Mr Tumble's sensory garden. There are also LOADS of live shows throughout the day if you need a sit down or a sing song.
.JPG "Mr. Tumble at CBeebies Land") |
| Lara (and Holly!) in their Mr. Tumble Photo |
.JPG "Charlie and Lola's House at CBeebies Land") |
| Chasing Fish Fingers at Charlie and Lola's House |
We had lunch in CBeebies Land and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and value of the food. Yes, it is expensive but certainly not as bad as several other UK theme parks I have visited (and the prices are pretty standard for Merlin attractions). Inside CBeebies Land you can buy yummy healthy packed lunches for adults and children alike but there are lots of other food options throughout the park. If you are visiting Alton Towers with older children (or if, like us, you have a friendly set of grandparents who can temporarily look after the kids) then I can highly recommend the Smiler rollercoaster - guaranteed to put a smile on your face and 'marmalise' you!
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| Smiler |
