Paultons Park is somewhere I've visited since I was a child and I remember so many fun days out there with family. It first opened its doors in 1983 and with over 70 rides and attractions there is something for all ages which is why it ended up being the perfect day out with my friend and both of our sons.
The theme park has been voted the UK's top family theme park repeatedly over the last few years and I'm not surprised at all. In recent years, it has welcomed Peppa Pig World and the Lost Kingdom as well as Critter Creak and Little Africa so finding something to do with children of all ages is a breeze.
Paultons Park can be found in Ower, near Romsey so it's not too far away from us at all and we timed it perfectly so both boys napped in the car on the way there ready for a day of fun. Parking is free and the entry prices are all set to include Paultons Park and Peppa Pig world, children under one metre go free. At the ticket office don't forget to pick up a band so you don't need to measure children at each ride which saves so much time and a lost child sticker in case you have a little wanderer!
Armed with the map we were given at the ticket office we set off. We took our strollers with us but if you wanted to save on space you can hire pushchairs to use around the park and there are also lockers to store any belongings you don't want to carry around with you. We just loaded up the pushchairs with everything we needed including lunch and set off into the park to explore.
We headed to some of the rides and attractions first where we hopped on the teacups, viking boats and the Victorian carousel before finding the picnic area for lunch. Neither my friend or I had been to Paultons Park in years so brought a picnic along with us but it was great to see plenty of choice if you did want to eat on site. You can choose from the Wild Forest family restaurant, The Railroad Diner, The Station Cafe as well as take-away kiosks situated around the park.
The park is also so clean which was brilliant to see plus there were plenty of bins around for people to dispose of rubbish too. I don't think I saw a single scrap of litter anywhere!
Our first stop after lunch was the famed Peppa Pig World. It's the world’s first and largest dedicated theme park to Peppa Pig featuring nine rides, the much loved characters from the show and plenty of photo opportunities. There’s also a meet and greet at timed intervals throughout the day with Peppa and George! The Queen’s Flying Coach Ride is one of two new rides and features individual coaches set upon a monorail and there is also Grampy Rabbit's Sailing Club where you can cruise along the new water route and discover Pirate Island.
As we went mid week and in term time, queues were really minimal, the only ride we did have to queue for was Miss Rabbit's Helicopter Flight which took about ten minutes and both boys were fine with that (they're both two!). It was unfortunately the only ride Joshua hated but I think it was because both boys were sat up front and my friend and I were sat behind so he couldn't see me. We were off again in no time though and all was forgotten once we spied the penguins up ahead.
After watching the penguins jump in and swim about we went on Peppa's Big Balloon Ride which was my personal fave followed by Grandpa Pig's Little Train, George's Dinosaur Adventure and Grandpa Pig's Boat Trip.
Peppa Pig World was brilliant, even for two little boys that don't want the show. It was bright, colourful and full of fun at every turn. There was nothing they couldn't go on and we did a couple of goes on Grandpa Pig's Little Train. As well as the rides you could also head to George's Spaceship Playzone which features slides and lots to climb on. It's perfect for all weathers especially in the rain but remember to bring socks as they must be worn inside the play zone at all times.
You'll also find Mr Potatoes Playground for some outside fun which would be brilliant for letting the little ones run wild.
After Peppa Pig World, we walked round to Critter Creak which is a fully themed world of strange mixed up creatures known as the Curious Critters. Cat-o-Pillar roller-coaster is great for older children and swoops over ten metres high while Professor Blast's Expedition Express Train is perfect for little ones. We took a ride on the train before exploring inside Beastie Burrow filled with fascinating critters.
The theme was brilliant, it was just so fun and unusual and both the boys really enjoyed the train. It's also right by all the gardens so we took a walk through Jungle Falls, Forest Friends, Japanese Garden and the Fairy Garden. It was always one of my favourite places to walk through when I was younger so it was so lovely being able to do the same with Joshua.
Throughout the park the are toilets including accessible toilets. They also have smaller toilets for little ones plus baby change and a baby care centre. There's a spot for first aid and lost children plus phone charging, a people dryer and free wifi. If you need to look for anything specific be sure to keep your map on you throughout the day as this has all the information included. You could also use the official Paultons app which includes an interactive map, show times and live queue times.
Our final stop for the day was the Lost Kingdom which was a lot of fun and the perfect way to end the day! The dinosaur theme park is the ideal place for any budding paleontologists as you enter a world full of dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. It's so authentic and as you walk around you'll hear the roars of some of the biggest dinosaurs that once walked the planet.
The Jurassic themed rides include Flight of the Pterosaur, Velociraptor, Dino Chase and The Dinosaur Tour Company. The tour was brilliant with jeeps you could jump in and tour around the land in although watch out for the water jets and the tunnel! None of us were prepared for what was around the corner and I spent the rest of the tour with Joshua in my arms! Oops!
Don't forget to hang around for the amazing opportunity to come face to face with their 'living' walking animatronic Dinosaurs too. Joshua wasn't all that keen but my friend and her son had a fabulous meet and greet with the resident dino.
It's a really brilliant part of the park and somewhere we'd definitely head back to again.
We had a quick look at the rides for the bigger kids but had to save them for another day when we had the rest of our families with us so we had resident pushchair watchers too.
I was drying to get on some of the bigger roller-coasters!
Our very last stop before leaving the park was John & Anne's Garden, a beautifully pruned, landscaped masterpiece. There were tropical birds, a cabin where you could learn the history of Paultons Park and it was just a serene moment of calm I didn't expect within the theme park. We also captured some beautiful photos of the boys in there too.
Paultons Park was such a brilliant day out for us, we had such an enjoyable time and I can't wait to head back there again soon especially with their Happy Halloween and Christmas events upcoming.
The 140 acres parkland is huge and as much as we saw and did a lot, there was still so much more we could've done. We're lucky that we're so close that we can go back frequently but if you're from afar it's really worth looking into the short Paultons Breaks especially as you get your second day free. The 2020 dates are now on sale so it's the perfect time to price up your stay for next year.
If you need any more information at all on the park, head to paultonspark.co.uk. It's such an informative website and I had found it really helpful ahead of our visit especially as I hadn't visited the park in almost twenty years so I knew a lot had changed.
It's the UK's favourite family theme park and I'm sure you can understand why.
Complimentary press tickets for the purpose of review - see disclaimer.