Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

Where is your local park and how often do you visit?

According to my Six Flags annual pass from 2018 it's Over Georgia. Only spent 3/4 of a day there ever as the rain closed everything early (including the indoor rides, one of which is themed to flooding). For a brief moment I had an actual B&M hyper at home. It was a special time I miss greatly.

Any other year its whatever London park is best on the current timetables and how quickly I can make the connections. Usually Thorpe. A couple of hours minimum one way. I visit on average every other year trying to keep it special and interesting, maybe Hyperia will change that.
 
Six Flags Great Adventure and whenever they open a new coaster. +1
 
I'm very jealous reading most of these.

My local park is Pleasurewood Hills (about 40 minutes away) or Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach (about 35 minutes away). I haven't been to Pleasurewood in years, not since they removed Hobb's Pit, but before that I used to go maybe once every five years or so.

We go to Great Yarmouth a bit more, maybe once a year, but where we used to go just to wander about and maybe go on the Roller Coaster, I think now you need to pay for entrance so we've only been once since COVID.
 
Nearest park to me is Gulliver's in Warrington. Never been.
Have kids now so got an excuse to go get the creds so been suggesting it for years as a day out idea but my wife said to wait until they were a bit taller. She took them to the park without me a couple weeks back while I was working so still not been and still need the creds. 🤣
 
Paulton's Park is the nearest, been once. (40 minute drive on smaller roads I reckon) Looks like there might be some very interesting developments here over the next few years, so it will soon be time for another visit.
Next would be Legoland and Thorpe Park. Used to go to Legoland about once a year when children were at home. Been to Thorpe Park a good number of times - am waiting for the chance to go and try Hyperia.
TP is home to my favourite B&M and current favourite UK coaster which I always ride when there. Never really thought about annual passes. But perhaps I should look into this, don't usually visit more than once a year though...
 
28 miles from Thorpe, but was 18 miles away as a teenager.

Used to go multiple times a season with friends and family. Then 2010ish onward I'd begrudgingly visit once every few years because it was a dump.

Purchased an Annual Pass this season for Hyperia and I'm there every couple of weeks now. I'm field based and can plan my own days, so I go after work and ride Hyperia until closing.

On a couple of occasions I've been forced to venture away from Fearless Valley, and Thorpe actually isn't a dump anymore! I'm an airtime chap, so the other coasters don't do much for me. But the park looks great at the moment and there's a good vibe around the place.
 
BPB (or Pleasure Beach Resort as Amanda likes to call it) is my nearest park, about an hour's drive or just over an hour on the train. I tend to visit about 2 or 3 times a year.

Give me a TARDIS though, and Belle Vue would have been about 10 minutes drive from my house - how gutted I am it closed before I was old enough to go. Would have loved a go on the Bobs or Scenic Railway. Shame it went!

Southport Pleasureland and Froniterland Morecambe also used to be local parks (just over an hour away) that I would visit about once a year, but sadly now gone too. Only been to Southport once since the old BPB version shut and it is unfortunately now more akin to a travelling fair from my last experience.
 
I live a short walk from Linnanmäki (Helsinki, Finland) and I have a season pass so uhh I go like twice or thrice a week lol

It's nice to have a park so close with a season pass cause you can do a lot of those rides you'd fear you're gonna waste time on or get sick on like if you only have one day to be there.
 
My local is the Palace Pier in Brighton. I used to spend my summer holidays there as a child. I go maybe once a year now with friends/family and their kids but even then I skip a fair few of the rides (sometimes I'll also wander on as far as the first donut stand. Who doesn't love a traditional seaside bag of piping hot, greasy, overly sugary donuts? So wrong, but so right!) The place is a dump, it's overpriced and the rides are all knackered. I'd say most of their offerings are reaching the point of needing replacements, so they could be in trouble in years to come.

I think a new thrill coaster and/or flat ride would do really well for them. I guess lack of any competition means they don't really have to try at all though so I don't see it actually happening. More likely that as each major ride dies it'll be replaced by some cheap fairground kiddie ride.
 
The closest park to me is Adventureland in Monrovia, which is about a half hour from where I live. I've never set foot there, because it's very small and the two coasters I already rode when they were at other parks. It's just a little mom and pop park, not unlike what you'd find on a seaside boardwalk. One day I might go there, but it's pretty low on my priority list. Second closest is Six Flags America. It is about an hour from me. As this park has always been the neglected stepchild (well, one of them) of the chain, it hasn't had a new coaster since the turn of the last century. Unless you count recycled hand-me-downs from other SF parks.... It has an OK coaster lineup, but I just can't see going back there until they give me a good reason to do so. If they RMC Roar, that would get me to go back there for sure. Or, just put in a brand new coaster.
Now the park I consider to be my home park is Hershey Park. It is about an hour and a half away and contains my number one all time coaster, Skyrush. Plus, it has an amazing coaster lineup that's tough to beat, even by mega parks like Cedar Point. Then there is Kings Dominion, which is about 2 - 2.5 hrs away, depending on traffic. Not really a home park but one I try to visit ever so often. Given they are building a B&M flyer, that will give me reason to go next year (though I have plans to also go this fall).
 
Closest park is Bobbejaanland, which is about an 8 minute drive away from here.

Actually, living in Belgium means that most of the big parks are a maximum of a 2 hour drive away:

Walibi Belgium: 50 min. drive
Toverland: 1h15 drive
Efteling: 1h30 drive
Bellewaerde: 1h30 drive
Plopsaland De Panne: 1h30 drive
Phantasialand: 2 hour drive
 
Thorpe Park. The general consensus with me is to visit at least three times a year (in order to pay off the annual pass). I almost didn't renew at at all for 2023, but I ended up going for it and barely paid off the AP.

2019: at least 4 visits
2020: at least 2 visits
2021: 3 visits
2022: 3 visits
2023: 5 visits
2024 (as of writing this): 4 visits, with at least 2 more planned later this year bringing the total to at least 6 visits.

In 2023 was my first visit with my friends, who ended up really enjoying the park so we ended up planning more. Hyperia has been a major contributor for the increased visits in 2024 too, with 4 visits halfway into the season, but after finally getting a front row ride the will to go back has dropped a little (including the general unpleasantness of the Fearless Valley area bringing things down a little too).

Hyperia has also shown how much I don't really care for the other rides there anymore, my recent solo visit had me wandering around the park going "have I really outgrown Thorpe Park?" And it seems like yes. All of the flat rides are dated, the dark rides aren't fantastic, and the coasters simply don't hit like they used to anymore. I think it'll take consistent investments in order to keep me coming, but I think I will forever appreciate having this park so close to me so I think I will retain the whole "at least 3 visits a year" thing for me even if I am growing slightly tired of their ride offering these days.

You could also consider Chessington my home park, as it takes roughly the same amount of time to get there. That goes like this...

2019: 2 visits
2020: 0 visits
2021: 1 visit
2022: 0 visits
2023: 1 visit
2024: 1 visit

2019 I visited to ride Rameses Revenge as it was closing, 2021 was passholder day so it would naturally be quieter, 2023 for Mandrill Mayhem, 2024 for a second opinion on Mandrill Mayhem. I feel absolutely zero desire to revisit in the near future unless they build a significant and major new addition.

You could also consider Legoland Windsor my home park, as it takes roughly the same amount of time to get there. That goes like this...

2019: 1 visit
2020: 0 visits
2021: 1 visit
2022: 0 visits
2023: 0 visits
2024: 1 visit

2019 I visited on a coach tour, 2021 I wanted to ride Duplo Dino and Sky Lion, 2024 Minifigure Speedway opened. I feel absolutely zero desire to revisit in the near future unless they build a significant and major new addition.
 
Chessington World of Adventures (< 10 miles) would be my home park. I've only ever been once in the 14+ years I've lived around London, although I might go again over the next year or so when I get the chance as I'm missing my final UK B&M ;)

Thorpe Park (< 25 miles) is also pretty close. I've been twice this year, following Hyperia's opening, but usually it's a couple of years between visits and I go if I have friends or family visiting who want to go. Before this year, I hadn't been since 2018 I think.
 
When I lived in Virginia, my home park geographically speaking was Six Flags America, being 45 minutes away by car, but in terms of what I actually visited I considered it to be Kings Dominion. I was 90 minutes away and I’d go 4 or 5 times a year, mostly during the summer holiday.

Now that I’m in Orlando for college, my home park is Islands of Adventure, around 25 minutes away from me depending on traffic. Not only do I visit as a guest at least weekly, but I also work there as a ride operator! Those two facts combined mean I’m there almost as much as I am home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
 
Technically my closest park is Gullivers World Warrington which is an 11 mile drive. I used to go about once a year for three years as a child (I grew up on the east side of Manchester so we were further away at the time) I haven't been since I was about 7, but of course there isn't a reason or excuse for me to go back.

Second closest is Southport Pleasureland. I don't count it a 'proper park' in it's current state as nothing seems to be permanent and it feels much more like a fair than an amusement park. Back in the day when it was a real amusement park with Tramatizer and The Cyclone I used to go about once a year.

The third closest and the one I count as my local is Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It's just under an hour drive or 50 minute train journey (if you get a good connection at Preston) In my teen years I went about 2/3 times a year. I had a season pass in 2019 so I went about 4 or 5 times that year I think. From 2020-2022 I when once a year, but I haven't been since October 2022 as I would rather spend money going to new places, but I will go if my friends want to go.
 
Last edited:
Alton Towers, which is under 25 mins away on a good day. It has been my home park and that sort of distance away for almost my entire life. My first visit was in 1981 :D

Nowadays I am kind of bored with it having visited many better parks elsewhere in the world, but will typically visit once or twice a year. Moreso this year though due to having the Merlin pass. I doubt I'll renew as I will have my fill of Merlin's UK parks this year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top