Drayton Manor is about an hour away from us by car in Evesham, and over the years has been one of Leo's and my own favourite days out. We hadn't been of late, I believe the last time was a few years ago when we went along with my friend and her son and Leo was just a little shy of being tall enough to ride Shockwave.
We had thought at the bottom of the ride that we were smack on the line, but when we approached the top we were sad to learn that he was just a smidgen too small.
We decided to change that this month, we were confidently over the 1.4m in height and knew that this would be the first occasion that we could go and do absolutely everything! My not so little boy had officially outgrown Thomas Land and was ready to set his sights to the wider park.... and the bigger rollercoasters!
Drayton Manor were in full preparation for their upcoming Haunted Manor Event running from Saturday 28th October through until Tuesday 31st October. Pumpkins were dotted all around and the sunny Autumn chill proved to be a great day to visit.
Leo enjoyed Shockwave for the first time and followed it up with subsequent visits, but his absolute favourite ride of the day had to be the Maelstrom. I think he must have enjoyed this 5 times consecutively!
Following our latest successful visit, the other half and I were excited to be invited along to The Haunted Manor! This was a first for us as a couple, we hadn't had a theme park date and of all the weekends to be invited along it found us with NO children! This is pretty unheard of but we decided that it was an event that couldn't be missed.
The park opened at 10:30am and for this event they are open until 7pm, which means you get to enjoy the rides after dark!
We decided to start our day a little later and arrived at the park for 1pm. The sun shone and we thoroughly enjoyed hopping on The BountyPirate Ship for our first thrill of the day. In my older age it has definetly become apparent that my sea legs are not as strong as they once were. It takes me a lot longer to adjust to the swings and sways!
We made our way around the park and loved the new addition of Thor which opened back in 2022. We hopped on Accelerator and tried to contain our squeals as we were catapulted around the track before setting our sights on Shockwave. Sadly this had suffered a system error and was out of use for a good few hours during our visit.
Timings of Events
For the younger children you can catch the Thomas Land Spooky Show at 11am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.
Or you can even pop along to see Sir Topham Hatt and enjoy a spot of Trick or Treat.
Rory's Boo Bash at Dayton Theatre is at 1pm and 3pm.
There were scare zones operating in Chaos Cove and Vikings: Ragnarok between 4:15pm - 7:15pm. They were welcomed by the guests who much enjoyed taking photos with them!
The Frightful Fireworks Finale is at 8pm.
Castle of Shadows Scare Experience
This is a 15 minute experience for the older kids - recommended for kids aged 10 Plus. A brand new scare experience set in Grimoire academy where you will find yourself inducted as a new pupil of the school, did someone say something about a coven and an ancient demon?
£3 per person additional cost.
The Haunted Express Scare Experience
The train that tours around the park has taken a dark twist for Halloween, you can now take a frightful trip around an eerie Adventure Cove where you will come across live actors and some spooky surprises! Recommended for kids aged 10+.
£3 per personal additional cost.
The Haunting Reclaimed Scare Experience
For the braver families within the Haunting ride where the story from '96' continues...
Scares here start from 5pm.
Frightful Fireworks Finale - Finish the day with a 7 minute long fireworks show at the Haunted Manor before you bundle back into the car and make your way home.
The Haunted Manor at Drayton Manor is a fantastic family day out, and as always when we visit there are many laughs and memories made.
We missed the kids on this last trip, but I am so glad that I managed to take Leo to experience the park at this next level just a few short weeks ago!
It got me thinking about our previous visits, and my now pre teen is a far cry from the small toddler boy who used to ride around the Thomas Land Troublesome Trucks all day long.
You can check out our previous visits below.
Drayton Manor with a 2 Year Old
Thomas & Friends - Tale of the Brave
The Thomas Land Expansion is officially OPEN!
War of the Worlds Firework Spectacular at Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton's Magical Christmas Review
Disclaimer: We were invited along to the Haunted Manor event at Drayton Manor and provided with complimentary tickets to enter. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.
