I must have been here every single year since god knows when. I guess it helps that all of my grandparents live in the Southend area, and after a day down at the beach hut, it was known for my cousins and I to litrally beg to go there! I even used it as part of an example in one of my A-level essays...... Of course back then it was known as Peter Pan's Playground, whereas now it has been renamed Peter Pans Adventure Island or simply Adventure Island.
A Little History:
Adventure Island started out life in the 1920s as public gardens situated on reclaimed land. Over the years a number of childrens rides were added and the area soon became known as Peter Pan's Playground. More recently (in 1995) the park has expanded even more, so now it is not only situated on the west side of the pier (which just happens to be the longest in the world), but the east side also. It was then the park was renamed Adventure Island. New rides are added almost every year and it will provide a fun filled family day out.
Location:
Sunken Gardens West, Western Esplanade, Southend-on-Sea
SS1 1EE
The park is situated along Southend Sea Front (Western Esplanade) and easy to access though a variety of different types of transport. By Car: Take junction 29 or 30 off of the M25, eastbound towards Southend on Sea. As you begin to near the town centre, you will see those brown attractions signs which will lead you directly to the park. The park itself doesn't have any parking, but there is ample parking along the seafront just a short walk away. By Train: At the moment there is an offer with both c2c and 'one' railways offering free return rail travel when you ask for an 'Adventure Island Ticket'. This will cost either £19 for the Super Saver ticket or £14 for the Tiny Tots ticket. You must keep your outbound tickets once you arrive in Southend (Southend Victoria with 'one' and Southend Central with c2c) and it will be exchanged for a wristband on arrival at Adventure Island. By Coach: The same offer is also available when you take the London to Southend Link X1 coach - operated by Stephensons of Essex.
Obviously these offers do not operate all year round but you can still get to the park by using those methods of transport.
Opening Hours/ Cost:
Aventure Island prides itself on being the 'UK's Number 1 Free Admission Fun Park'. So unlike Alton Towers and Thorpe Park and so on and so forth, you do not have to pay to get into the park , you only have to pay to go on the rides. This can be done in two ways. Either by purchasing wristbands, or individual tickets. Wristbands. There are two types of wristband - the Super Saver Wristband or the Tiny Tots Wristband. The SuperSaver Wristband costs £19 and allows you access to all the rides in the park, except the Pay as you Play attractions. The Tiny Tosts Wristband costs £14 and allows accesss to all 18 Tiny Tots rides ( they must be accompanied by someone of 14 years of age or older). If you don't want to buy a wrist band you can always buy tickets (£1-£2 each) which you can use to go on the rides, some rides require 1 ticket but others will require 2. If you are planning on going on only 1 o2 rides then it is probably more cost effective to buy the tickets, but otherwise the wristbands are more cost effective as they alow you accsess all day, and you can even leave the park and re-enter as long as you keep the wristband on. Often they do half price wristbands after 6pm.
The park is open throughout the year on the weekends from 11am to 6pm or 8pm. It is open daily from April onwards for the Summer Season, opening at 11am and closing anytime between 9pm and 11pm ( depending on the number of people in the park). In September it goes back to being open at the weekends only, with exceptions given for half-term breaks.
The Rides:
There are a variety of rides and attractions for all ages, including rollercoasters, logflumes, a ferris wheel and a pirate's ship. There is also a selection of pay as you play attractions including mini golf and go-kart racing. There are also arcades and a number of restaurants/ fastfood places from which you can grab a bite to eat.
What I think:
I love this place, it has so many childhood memories, and as I have been visiting it for so many years I know that there are rides to suit all age groups. The park is well kept and the employees helpful. I think its a good idea that it has free entry as that way if you are only there to accompany your children then it will reduce the cost. I will point out that I have only ever been there for two or three hours at a time and although I've had enough to occupy me within this space of time, I'm not sure that there is much that could keep me there much longer. There is a lovely atmosphere if you go there before or just as it starts to get dark. All the rides and the seafront are lit up and the whole place has a magical feel about it, especially if you are a little child who, as a treat, is up way past their bedtime. Take a ride on the ferris wheel,it's relaxing and you can see lights twinkling all around you! However, for a one off treat or a fun filled day out Adventure Island definitely does the trick!
For more information visit www.adventureisland.co.uk
Pictures of Adventure Island, Southend-on-Sea
Map of Adventure Island
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