Enjoying an Alton Towers Scarefest for Halloween #countrykids

We have just come back from two brilliant days at Alton Towers Halloween Scarefest.  We love Alton Towers.  Not just because of the rides, but also because of its beautiful location, stunning gardens and impressive, albeit ruined, stately home.  

As Merlin Annual Pass holders we don't have the pressure of trying to pack as much in to one day as we would if we were paying the full entrance rate.  It means we are far more relaxed and happy to take in the surroundings, instead of dashing off to the next ride queue.

I love the decorations that appear around the park on Halloween.  The giant pumpkins are fabulous and the kids are always happy to climb inside for a photo!

The thing we like most about the Halloween Scarefest is the live horror mazes.  This year, 11 year old Kizzy was totally up for being scared witless by everything on offer.  This meant experiencing all four of the live actor horror mazes:  The Sanctuary, Carnival of Screams, Terror Towers and the Zombie Scare Zone.

For anyone who has never been through a Scarefest maze, they are basically an interactive walk through that tells a story while actors terrorize you!  Strobe lighting, smoke, tight spaces, smells, loud noises and themed scenery act to disorientate you, as the actors dressed up for their roles whisper in your ear, jump out on you and generally mess with your mind.  It's like living through a horror film!

My favourite this year was the outdoor Zombie Scare Zone, set in a post apocalyptic urban street where the undead wandered around.  They sniffed us, chased us, made terrifying noises in our faces and stared at us with their dead zombie eyes.  It's frighteningly fun and the actors are amazing in their roles, giving you just the right amount of attention that you can cope with!  Kizzy loved it and is now a fully fledged horror fan!

 While the girls went on some of the mazes and rides, Freddy enjoyed the freedom of running around the open spaces and climbing on apparatus dotted around the park.  He hung off of the giant flower stems and jumped on giant toadstools.  He loves playing outdoors and we were blessed with some beautiful autumnal weather.

The Halloween characters entertained the kids around the park.  Patch the Pumpkin was one of Freddy's favourites and he was happy to meet him and pose for a photo.

The park stayed open until past 9pm.  The girls queued up for more than 2 hours at the end to ride The Smiler in the dark.  They agreed it was well worth the wait to experience the 14 loop rollercoaster in the pitch black dark. Having a hotel room for the night meant Ian and I could take Freddy back to the room when he'd had enough.  He flagged at about 8pm after having spent the entire day walking around, playing and enjoying the sights and sounds of Halloween for the little ones at Alton Towers.  His big sisters enjoyed the more hardcore Halloween Scarefest experience, but we all agreed that we had had an absolutely fabulous day!

I'm linking up with Country Kids!

Fun In The Sun at Alton Towers

Today we had a wonderful day at Alton Towers.  I had used a year's worth of accumulated Tesco Clubcard Points to exchange for six Merlin Annual Passes that will give us access to all the Merlin attractions for 12 months.  It also gave each of us a drinks capsule that comes with unlimited refills. So we were all set to kick off our year of fun with a day out in the sun!

It was blissfully hot meaning we could go on the water rides without worrying about getting wet.  Always a bonus!  I did get my Fitflops a bit soggy which is a hideous experience.  Slipping around inside wet shoes, garroting my big toe with the leather thong is grim whatever the weather!

Although there were lots of people in the park, the queues were not too bad meaning that we all got to go on the rides we wanted to.  Freddy enjoyed the kiddies' rides which we literally walked straight onto.  The girls went off to have their first experience of The Smiler, which had a 90 minute queue time.  (It had been 3 hours earlier on in the day...in 30 degree temperatures!!) They said it was well worth the wait!

Alton Towers is my favourite theme park because it is just such a lovely place.  The big old stately home, the beautiful gardens, the open green spaces and the magnificent lake complete with a mini menagerie of feathered friends are all an attraction in their own right.  Add to that some world class roller coasters and some fun rides for little ones and you've got a place that it perfect for a family day out.

I was very pleased that Alton Towers have now got their own burger restaurant in the park, and it has a pretty decent bean burger on the menu.  As a season ticket holder we got 20% of the price making a burger, fries and 16 oz drink meal deal just £4.80.  Not bad at all for some convenient fast food on site.  Plus it was efficient and friendly too.

Ian, Freddy and I went to the Sea Life Centre and enjoyed watching the multi-coloured fish swimming around in their tanks.  Freddy loved finding out the names of the fish.  He loved the Soldier Fish, the Lion Fish and the Puffer Fish!

We all met Sid from Ice Age for a photo op!  We also saw the Ice Age 4D film, which was actually a bit scary for Freddy and very loud.  He spent the entire time sat on my lap with his ears covered!

Freddy loved the Dung Heap playground and enjoyed climbing on the rope climbing frame. 

Now we have our annual passes we fully intend on making the most out of our weekends and school holidays by visiting as many of the attractions as we can.  I love the excellent value that the Merlin Annual Pass represents, especially when bought with Tesco Clubcard Vouchers.  Just £52 buys the pass and unlimited drinks for a year.  I won't have to think about the cost of days out or the added expense of buying drinks for a while!