Play-and-Stay Blog

What I’m about to say next may be hard to believe. It may shock you, it may even disturb you. So prepare yourself. Ready? Ok.

There are some great websites about UK theme parks out there that aren’t Play and Stay. Admittedly they’re few and far between but they are certainly out there. While looking around doing research for the topics I’ve been posting about here, I’ve waded through a vast wealth of theme park sites. Some of them have been very poor, and some have been excellent. However the vast majority have been almost exclusively dedicated to parks and attractions in the USA. While informative to a certain degree it’s hardly relevant to enthusiasts in the UK. I actually found that I had a hard time finding news and topics on UK parks. The industry over here is much smaller than in the USA, but I never expected the web presence to be quite this tiny. Beyond the official sites there didn’t seem to be that much discussion and opinion. I didn’t give up hope though, and after much trawling have found these hidden gems on the UK theme park community.

Drayton Manor Plus

First up is Drayton Manor Plus. It’s a nice website with a catchy design and fresh look. They keep well up to date and on top of all the news and events at Drayton Manor. It’s a great source of information on the new Thomas Land they’ve built there. The community on the forum is active but quite small, and most posts seem fun and informative. A great website to stop by if you’re thinking of having a theme park break at Drayton Manor.

The European Coaster Club

A website for the real enthusiast this took my eye as it was European rather than American! They’ve just posted about their first visit of 2008 to Alton Towers. You can join the club to get their magazines and other promotional material. Some good reading and great photographs on here, worth a visit if you have more than a passing interest in roller coasters.

Screamscape

This website is probably the exception to my rule of being UK or European based. Screamscape covers American resorts primarily but also runs news on the European parks as well. I’ve included it here as it is a really comprehensive source of up to date information on theme parks around the world. Aesthetically it isn’t the best but the content is really complete and I’ve found it very useful over the past few months writing for Play and Stay.

Towers Nerd

With a name like Towers Nerd it needs no introduction does it? News, polls, pictures, information and a really dedicated community this site has everything. One of the larger online theme park communities this site is where all the really hardcore fans hang out. I would say this place even has more information about the park than the official site itself. Certainly the opinion is more objective and honest. Towers Nerd even do a podcast if you really need your theme park news on the move! Definitely recommended.

So there we have it, the best few websites about theme parks in the UK. Or at least, the ones that I found and thought were pretty good. Admittedly there does seem to be somewhat of a shortage of real quality sites. Most of the decent ones I found were getting outdated and news posts were few and far between. Do you post on a theme park message board or know of a site you think I should have listed but missed? Let us know!

Found a cool website on UK theme parks at www.themeparkjunkies.co.uk. It’s made for real enthusiasts by real enthusiasts, and it’s a great source of information: check it out!