How often do you visit Alton Towers and other parks?

Obviously this is a forum for enthusiasts but i've noticed some people who seem to be at the park extremely often so it made me wonder how many times a year people tend to visit?

Due to the distance and some previous bad experiences we only normally visit once a year (and not at all this year)

Our most visited park is probably Legoland, we've been 6 times so far and will likely have 2 or 3 more visits by the end of the year.

After that Chessington and Southend Adventure Island are probably neck and neck though i don't have an official count of the latter.

Efteling squeezes in on a technicality as we do a 3 day visit though i think for the purposes of this survey i'd consider it one trip, especially as the first and last days are both half days.

How about you though?

Bowser said:

Obviously this is a forum for enthusiasts but i've noticed some people who seem to be at the park extremely often so it made me wonder how many times a year people tend to visit?

Due to the distance and some previous bad experiences we only normally visit once a year (and not at all this year)

Our most visited park is probably Legoland, we've been 6 times so far and will likely have 2 or 3 more visits by the end of the year.

After that Chessington and Southend Adventure Island are probably neck and neck though i don't have an official count of the latter.

Efteling squeezes in on a technicality as we do a 3 day visit though i think for the purposes of this survey i'd consider it one trip, especially as the first and last days are both half days.

How about you though?

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Alton Towers is without a doubt the park I have visited the most I started going when I was really young and have gone every year.

2nd most visited is a toss up between Fantasy Island, Thorpe Park and Drayton.

Not far from lots but near to none my closest park is Twinlakes which I can't go to due to not having a kid and Wicksteed Park which I have been a few times to.

Typically, I would say I make one two-day visit per year to Alton Towers. I have done two weekends in a year before, most recently in 2022, but I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than 4 days (2 weekend visits) on park in one season, from memory. I’ve been going to Alton Towers since 2009 and haven’t yet missed a season!

My second most regular visit is Thorpe Park, which I’ve settled into typically having one day at per year. I have been twice in some seasons (most recently in 2024 when Hyperia was closed on my first visit in June), but I’d say that one visit per year has grown more typical. I’ve been going to Thorpe since 2014, and I haven’t missed a season since 2017 (the only two seasons I’ve missed at Thorpe in the time I’ve been visiting are 2016 and 2017).

In terms of how often I visit parks generally; it varies. I logged 14 total theme park visits in the spreadsheet last year (which I think equates to 13 theme park days, as I park hopped between PortAventura and Ferrari Land on one day), and 16 total visits in 2023 (which again is probably a bit less in terms of days because I did some multi-park action while in Orlando), but this year, I only logged 5 theme park visits all year due to being tied up in a postgraduate degree and writing my dissertation over the summer. I will also typically try and get to at least one park abroad during a typical year (I didn’t manage it this year, but I went abroad in 2022, 2023 and 2024).

I don’t think I live near enough to any major theme parks to visit parks hugely often. Alton Towers is a 2.5 hour drive on a good run, Thorpe Park is a 2 hour drive on a good run, and living in South West England and close to the South Wales border, there’s not a huge amount of major stuff locally to me!

Towers always used to be two or three times a year, now only once, with a big covid/sickness break.
The Beach...was roughly monthly for many years, even fortnightly, though only for a few hours at a time.
Now I try to get there every month, but old age tiredness stops my usual after work trips.

Live an hour and fifteen away from Towers and usually visit 3-4 times a year, generally one Sunday every month or two. This year I’ve been once in April, once in May, once in July and one in September and that’s more than enough for me.

Generally also have another day or two a year at other UK theme parks, this year that was a day at Drayton Manor in June, and then Thorpe Park planned this month.

I think if I went much more often, I’d lose the excitement that I still get when planning and visiting - even at Towers I still look forward to every visit! I sometimes wonder how somebody like Shawn TPW can still get enjoyment out of rides like Nemesis when he can just pop along every other afternoon and get a couple of rides in, I’d have thought the novelty would wear off.

Tomorrow will be my fifth Alton Towers visit this year, which is a little on the lower side compared to previous recent years. I've visited at least once per year since 1994.

We've only visited Thorpe Park twice this year, usually we'd clock in three or four visits.

We've attempted to visit Drayton Manor Park and Zoo three times. Two were successful, the other I spent my entire time snapping pictures of menu screens before leaving due to incredibly shoddy ops. We may have one more this year.... I'm not sure why I do this to myself.

We've visited PortAventura twice this year, each time with a two day ticket. Only once to Ferrari Land, however.

Paulton's Park and Chessington World of Adventures both get an honourable mention with a single visit to each.

This year I've visited Towers 9 times, with another 5 days booked in before the end of the season, which is about average for me. We're also in the stages of planning a winter trip.

Outside of Towers, this year I've also done:

Drayton Manor, Europa Park (x2), Foire Des Printemps, Verkehrshaus Luzern, Twinlakes Park, Gulliver's Land, Wollaton Adventure Park, Sandwell Valley Amusements,Birmingham Beach and Funfair, Six Flags Great America, Mt. Olympus, Little Americkka, Safari Land, Santa's Village (IL), Indiana Beach, King's Island (x2), Scene 75, Dayton, Scene 75, Columbus, Cedar Point (x2), Six Flags Darien Lake, House Of Frankenstein, Canada's Wonderland (x2), Niagara Amusement Park, Waldameer, Kennywood, Idlewild,Fun Fore All, Gulliver's World, Trafford Centre Summer Fair.

Around 1 to 2 times a month , a lot more when it closes at 4pm as less tiring

I usually visit Towers between around 6-10 times a year. Been going every year since the early 80s (but can only remember the back end of the 80s as I was still a kid). I'll do Thorpe etc occasionally when they have a new ride like Hyperia last year.

I usually go to Towers twice a year, Thorpe around three times, and usually around three times to Chessington.

I’m local to towers so roughly once a month I visit on average.

Sometimes I’ll do a half day if I’m incredibly bored at home at it’s a quiet day.

I usually visit the Towers once a year. Sometimes twice if I get time.

I also try to get to Blackpool at least once, but haven’t been this year. I’ve bought an annual pass for next year so I suspect I’ll be visiting more! I live 45mins away so I’ll probably just pop over if I have some free time at a weekend etc.

I try to visit the European Parks once a year too; this year I went to Europa Park. Last year Efteling and the year before Tivoli Gardens.

I’ve never visited any of the other UK parks; I just don’t have the free time to travel there.

In a normal year, I’d tend to do two trips to Towers but stay local for 2 nights and have 1 full day with a half day either side (I’m nearly 3 hours away).

Thorpe usually 4-5 times. LegoLand once or twice. Chessington once or twice.
Paultons once.

I really really want to get to more European parks though. Annoyingly, life keeps getting in the way.

When the kids were younger, we'd go proably twice a year. Now it's really just Scarefest (although a couple of years ago we did also go the following summer after getting compensatory tickets for having a spoiled day).

I first went in 1982 & 83 with my junior school (rode the Corkscrew for the first time in 83), then again in 84 with senior school (Black Hole) and 86. When people in our friend group started driving (88), we started going again once or twice a year. Went a few times with my now wife. First daughter was born in late 2003, next one early 2008. First took them when then eldest must have been about 5 or 6, cos the little one was in a pushchair. gone at least one a year since then - including Scarefest in 2020.

We'd also have 2/3 visits to other parks as well. We live near Warrington, so visited the Gulliver's World there a fair bit when they were little (including at Xmas, when my wife's work's social club did subsidised day out!). Went to the now 'deceased' Camelot a fair few times. Did Drayton Manor once - but timed it when seemingly every school in Birmingham had a day out there and it was bedlam. We also tried Lightwater, principally to ride The Ultimate. But the coaster was closed, along with another major ride, and the rest of the park was pretty naff, so we walked out after less than an hour. The staff were great - refunded us in full. Southport Pleasureland (which is just a fairground, really, so probably doesn't count) and, moreso when they were into their teens, BPB.

Have done DLP 4 times. also went to Florida in 2017, but went to Universal, Seaworld and Busch Gardens instead of the Disney parks.

We're pretty much a family of theme park & coaster lovers.

Have had 4 trips to Alton Towers this year spanning 2 days each and staying in either the stargazing pods or the Alton Towers hotel.

Interestingly on the last visit in September we got a phone call from the Alton Towers Hotel, desperate to give us a free complimentary upgrade to the cbeebies hotel due to having a 6 year old with us. Needless to say we declined as said 6 year old was in the queue with us for Wickerman, and thankfully had zero interest in even setting foot in cbeebies land. Also looking at the rooms in there it would be like staying in some seriously bad acid trip.

Have also done Lightwater Valley 3 times this year because it’s cheap, local, and I'm just curious to see how that park develops really in its new direction. So much wasted potential there really but nostalgia has me still loving it.