Surrey has plenty of places for families to visit during half term and in the Easter and Summer holidays.
Surrey Tourist Attractions
- Chessington World of Adventures
- Hampton Court Palace
- Kew Gardens
- Richmond Park
- Thorpe Park
- Twickenham
- Wimbledon
Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey
Chessington World of Adventures is the UK’s ultimate family theme park and is situated in Surrey, just 12 miles from the city of London. The park is a great family day out, with a good mix of rides for teens, kids and adults, with 90% of rides suitable for children under 12 years old.
Chessington World of Adventures is made up of ten themed lands: Beanoland, Forbidden Kingdom, Land of the Dragons, Market Square, Mexicana, Mystic East, Pirates Cove, Toytown and Transylvania. Featuring many renowned rides such as the Bubbleworks, Vampire ride, Rameses Revenge and the Rattlesnake, plus a variety of childrens rides such as Toadie’s Crazy Cars, Tiny Truckers and Sea Dragons, there is a ride for everyone at Chessington World of Adventures.
The fun doesn’t stop with the rides either! Chessington Zoo features all sorts of wild animals and there’s also three shows; penguins, birds of flight and sea lions. Trail of the Kings lets you get up close to big cats and gorillas and there’s the Creepy Caves, Monkey & Bird Garden or Creature Features.
The new Sea Life Centre at Chessington World of Adventures opened in 2009 and is a 250,000-litre aquarium with over 20 marine life displays. Species range from tiny shrimps and starfish to magnificent sharks and stingrays are included, bringing you nose to nose with a wide range of sea creatures. Kids of all ages will love the interactive ‘rockpools’, fun exhibitions and breathtaking walkthrough ocean tank, which creates the illusion that the visitors are on display while the fish swim freely overhead!
Whether you take a flight of fright on the Vampire ride, twist and turn on the Dragons Fury or make a splash on Dragon Falls, Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo has all the screams, thrills and spills an adventurer could wish for!
Address: Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NE
Official Website: www.chessington.com
Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
The former English royal palace has over 500 years of royal history and be prepared to spend a full day at Hampton Court Palace if you really want to appreciate its splendour and history. Offering something for everyone such as the largest private collection of art in the world, the Royal Collection, and the maze in the grounds. Guides in period costume and audio tours bring the palace to life, providing an insight into how life in the palace would have been in the time of Henry VIII and William III.
Situated on the banks of the River Thames, there are a variety of events held here throughout the year, one of these the Hampton Court Flower Show. It is no wonder Hampton Court Palace continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, this is a great place to visit with your family and friends.
Address: Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU
Official Website: www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace
Kew Gardens, Surrey
Located in Richmond beside the river Thames within a 300 acre site are The Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, usually referred to as ‘Kew Gardens’. The Gardens are a World Heritage Site containing six magnificent glasshouses where you can walk through over 3500 million years of plant evolution, and is home to world’s largest collection of living plants with over 30,000 different kinds including over 14,000 trees. With over 7 million preserved plant specimens, the collection of preserved plant specimens at Kew Gardens is the largest in the world and there are many unique sights to be found at Kew Gardens.
Highlights include the 19th-century Palm House, a replica of a Japanese temple, the tropical atmosphere of the Princess of Wales Conservatory with its ten climatic zones, a walk to the iconic pagoda, a Japanese wooden house dating to 1900 and a birds-eye view from the new Xstrata Treetop Walkway. Kew Gardens also offers an extensive library contains more than 750,000 volumes, a dedicated interactive botanic play area for children and free daily tours of the Kew Gardens. Kew Gardens has so much to offer and provides an educational and enjoyable day out for all the family.
Address: Victoria Gate, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB
Official Website: www.kew.org
Richmond Park, Surrey
Richmond Park is the largest Royal Park in London at almost 2500 acres in size. The Park is designated as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The pastoral landscape of hills, woodlands, ponds, gardens and grasslands set amongst ancient trees are home to around 650 free roaming deer and offers a peaceful respite to visitors. The park has a wide range of facilities including a playground at Petersham Gate and educational facilities for those with special needs at Holly Lodge.
Disabled toilets are available as are a selection of food and refreshments from the Roehampton Café, Pembroke Lodge or the Refreshment Points. Why not bring your own refreshments and enjoy a picnic in Richmond Park? It is perfect for picnics, and these can be specially arranged by the hotel at your request. Enjoy the fine weather with strolls and cycling around the park with your family. This truly is the best of both worlds; escape the hustle and bustle whilst being a stone’s throw away from the city.
Address: Richmond Park, Surrey TW10 5HS
Official Website: www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park
Thorpe Park, Surrey
Thorpe Park is situated in Surrey and is the UK’s most thrilling theme park and features Europe’s tallest fastest launched roller coaster, Stealth. New in 2009 was SAW – The Ride, an extreme horror experience, and the huge variety of different rides mean that Thorpe Park is a fun and exciting day out for all the family.
Thorpe Park is divided into six main themed lands: Amity Cove, Calypso Quay, Canada Creek, Lost City, Neptune’s Kingdom and Ranger County. Amity Cove is themed on a New England fishing village and features the very wet Tidal Wave, classic spinning Storm in a Teacup and the Flying Fish family roller coaster. And not to forget Stealth – Europe’s tallest and fastest launched roller coaster located down the Amity Speedway.
Calypso Quay is a bright and colourful Caribbean quay with a mixture of rides. There is Detonator with its jaw dropping 5.5 g-force drop and the white knuckle roller coaster ride that is Nemesis Inferno. For great family attractions there is Time Voyagers and the wild water Rumba Rapids.
The authentically themed Canadian Creek features a range of attractions including the Canada Creek Railway for a fun ride through a dramatic canyon and around a beautiful lake. Other attractions are the classic Loggers Leap log flume (the tallest in the UK), the Rocky Express spinning train ride, or the intense revolving sky swat experience of Slammer.
The Lost City is packed with intense rides to satisfy even the most demanding thrill seekers. Just inside the ancient walls is the trio of Vortex, Zodiac and Quantum . Other rides are Rush, the world’s largest speed swing, and ‘X:\ No Way Out’ – the world’s first backwards rollercoaster in the dark. Not to mention the world record breaking 10 inversion roller coaster Colossus plus the stomach churning Samurai.
Neptune’s Kingdom is a fun watery wonderland for the whole family featuring Neptune’s Beach and its pools and its main attraction – the racing boats of Depth Charge. Ranger Country is an exotic jungle, ideal for the younger visitor featuring rides such as the swinging Mr Monkeys Banana Ride, the adventure jeep ride of Miss Hippos Fungle Safari and the spinning Chief Rangers Carousel.
Address: Thorpe Park, Staines Road, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8PN
Official Website: www.thorpepark.com
Twickenham
Twickenham is the home of England rugby and also the World Rugby Museum which houses the finest collection of rugby memorabilia in the world. The Museum opened in 1996 and takes visitors through the history of the sport from its origins to the present day. Innovative interactive exhibits, reconstructions, action-packed film footage and even a scrum machine, all brings to life the great game
Stadium Tours take you behind the scenes to visit the most exciting and prestigious parts of Twickenham Stadium, led by an expert tour guide with detailed knowledge of the stadium and its history. Or why not watch a rugby match such as an England international? At only 10minutes from Kingston Lodge Hotel, this iconic stadium is a great place to visit. Please ask the hotel for details on future events.
Address: Twickenham Stadium, Rugby Road, Twickenham TW1 1DZ
Official Website: www.twickenhamstadium.com
Wimbledon Tennis
One of the 4 yearly grand slam tennis tournaments, Wimbledon is Britain’s most prestigious tennis tournament and the oldest in the World. Held every June at the famous ‘SW19’ All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, it features 19 tournament grass courts including the famous 3: Centre Court, Number 1 Court and Number 2 Court.
For two weeks every year Wimbledon welcomes the world’s best tennis players competing in the following events: Men’s Singles, Ladies Singles, Men’s Doubles, Ladies’ Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Boys’ Singles, Boys’ Doubles, Girls’ Singles, Girls’ Doubles, Men’s Invitation Doubles, Senior Men’s Invitation Doubles, Ladies’ Invitation Doubles and Men’s Wheelchair Doubles. The 2009 men’s and women’s champions were Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
The 2010 Championships take place from Monday 21st June to Sunday 4th July 2010. See Andy Murray live as he tries to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. Wimbledon is also a great place to visit all year round with the fascinating Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, guided tours around the grounds, an extensive souvenir shop open daily throughout the year, as well as other tournaments such as some Davis Cup matches held there.
Address: The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, LondonSW19 5AE
Official Website: www.wimbledon.com
