England has long been a gracious host to foreign visitors. World renown for pubs and eateries, royalty watching, and historical tourism, England can be quite an entertaining place. However, England does not necessarily have an international reputation as a family destination. You certainly can’t take small children into a pub, and summer vacation can feel more like school when visiting Stonehenge and Poet’s Corner.
Fortunately, there are actually many family-friendly activities and destinations to be found across the pond. Though many attractions are geared towards children, some are engineered to equally appeal to teens and adults, with features for their enjoyment built in here and there. Here are seven attractions not to miss on your next family vacation to England.
Warner Brothers Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter
This one should speak for itself. The global phenomenon of Harry Potter comes to life at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. The actual sets, costumes and props remain from production and are open to the public just 20 miles outside of London.
A great zoo/theme park, Longleat offers a safari, a boat ride on a lake full of seals, mazes, trains, a castle-adventure playground and a landscaped park. Longleat has been named the UK’s Family Attraction of the Year most years since its establishment by most sources.
One of Europe’s largest aquariums, The Deep features a 30-foot-deep main tank with manta rays, sharks and Saw Fish among creatures – 3,500 in total. Sure, you can go to an aquarium anywhere, but this one has creatures you won’t find anywhere else. A must see!
Corn Mazes around the UK
Location: various
Known as maize mazes, corn mazes are similar to crop circles – without the mystery as to their creation. Corn mazes are a great way to see some of the famed English countryside without boring the kids to death. They are popular with the locals, so ask where you can find a good one. The York Maze is the largest in Europe.
Like the Harry Potter tour, this one speaks for itself. Over 150 rides, shows, water slides and boat trips intersperse amazing Lego constructions. In some cases, as many as 35 million individual Legos are used to recreate famous landmarks from across Europe. There’s also a Star Wars Experience exhibit! Legoland is geared towards children ages 2 to 12.
The most famous theme park in England, Alton Towers predates EuroDisney and beats it in terms of variety. It includes rides, a children’s play area, a waterpark, and a spa – an adult play area as they prefer to call it. Like Disney, hotels are on site for extended stays.
The younger kids will love this one as they will feel like giants walking through acres of waist-high houses and landscaped gardens. Animations are provided throughout to truly captivate their imaginations. Also included are a medieval castle, villages, a working fire department and a working train.
Chris Turberville-Tully works with ESA Serviced Apartments, a company offering vacationing families an alternative to hotels. Serviced apartments also offer families more space, better amenitites and lower prices for an extended stay.
Luxury Travels
April 17, 2013 2:37 pmA great selection of activities for the kids. This will be VERY useful now the weather is getting better (finally)