Since Ethan was a toddler he has liked trains and Thomas the Tank Engine. When he was three we took him to our local Day Out With Thomas and last year we were invited to see the Thomas & Friends Big World! Big Adventures! Movie. I was always aware that Drayton Manor was the home of Thomas Land. Ethan has always had trouble traveling in the car for more than an hour so it is a place we haven’t been able to visit. This year we decided we would try to make the journey. With an invitation to review Thomas Land we booked two nights at the Drayton Manor Hotel during the Easter holidays.
Thomas Land
Thomas Land is a dedicated area in the Drayton Manor theme park. There are 20 attractions and rides for you to see and do. They are
Bertie Bus
Step on Bertie Bus and he will take you high in the sky giving you a birdseye view of Thomas Land. Little E didn’t want to go on this ride but Ethan went on this with his daddy.
Please Note – Children under 1.05m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Blue Mountain Engines
Blue Mountain Engines are a gentle roundabout ride where you get the chance to sit in a rotating train or carriage. Both children happily boarded the train carriage to go for a spin.
Please Note – Children under 0.9m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Captain’s Sea Adventure
Locomotive ships take you on a spinning sea adventure. The boats also rotate as it circles around, you will get wet! We didn’t ride this ride as we run out of time in the afternoon. I didn’t want to start the day wet!
Please Note – Children must be a minimum height of 0.9m. Children under 1.2m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Diesels Locomotive Mayhem
You can join Bert, Mavis, Rusty, Salty and Dennis on this rotating ride. The Thomas the Tank Engine diesel locomotive gang will have you spinning around the platform. I was the lucky parent that got to take the children on this ride!
Please Note – Children under 1.2m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Cranky’s Drop Tower
The Cranky Crane will lift you up high in the sky. But get ready as he will quickly drop you back to the ground. Both Ethan and Little E decided they didn’t want to ride this one so we gave it a miss.
Please Note – Children must meet the minimum height of 1.05m to go on this ride.
Emily’s Adventure Play
This is a soft play area perfect when you need some adult downtime. Emily’s Adventure Play was closed when we thought about looking inside. But I think Ethan might now be too tall for this area so it was better for us that we missed it.
Please Note – The maximum height to play in Emily’s Adventure Play is 1.3m.
Thomas, Rosie & Percy Engine Tours
A visit to Thomas Land won’t be complete without a ride on one of the famous trains. You can join Thomas, Rosie or Percy on a train ride from the two stations at Drayton Manor. There is a train station in the Thomas Land area and the other is in the zoo. We rode with Thomas over to the zoo station. This is where you will also find Terence’s Driving School.
Please Note – Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride. They must also be able to sit unaided.
Flynn’s Fire Rescue
Can you help Flynn put out the fire? This ride circles around the building, rotating as well as going up and down. Help stop the fire using the powerful jets. We didn’t get the chance to go on this ride during our time at Thoams Land. I was avoiding the wet rides in the morning and we run out of time at the end of the day.
Please Note – Children under 0.9m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Harold’s Helicopter Tours
At Thoms Land, you can join Harold on a helicopter tour. Climb into your very own helicopter and take off to the top of the tower. It’s a gentle ride perfect for the whole family. Giving you a whole view of Thomas Land. Our two loved this ride and we went on two helicopter tours during our visit.
Please Note – Children under 1.05m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
James and the Red Balloon
Jump in the red hot air balloon basket and let the red balloon take you for a spin. This is one of the newest Thomas rides at Thomas Land Drayton Manor and our children loved it. There is also a great photo opportunity at this ride.
Please Note – Children under 1m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Jeremy Jet’s Flying Academy
Jeremy Jet has his very own flying academy in Thomas Land. Your family can climb into one of Jeremy’s planes and take off. The planes go up and down in the air and they gently rotate. You can even control your plane using the button to give the plane extra lift. These rides are a firm
Please Note – Children under 1.2m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Lady’s Carousel
Lady’s Carousel and is a gentle roundabout made from trains. This is the perfect ride for younger children and I joined Little E on this whilst her brother when on Bertie Bus for a second time.
Please Note – Children under 0.9m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Rocking Bulstrode
Bulstrode the barge will take you on an exciting ride. Bulstrode rocks up and down a ‘U’ shaped track. He also spins in circles as he goes. Ethan decided that he didn’t want to ride on this ride so we gave it a miss.
Please Note – Children under 1.05m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Sodor Classic Cars
Children can ride around the track in a beautiful old-fashioned car when they visit Sodor Classic Cars. The cars automatically steer you around and each passenger also has their own steering wheel to add to the fun. Unfortunately, this ride was closed during our visit but we did get to ride it on our second trip to Drayton Manor when we were invited to the Digs and Discoveries Premiere.
Please Note – Children under 1.1m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Spencer’s Outdoor Play Area
Spencer’s Outdoor Play Area is located near the zoo station in Drayton Manor. Every one of Spencer’s carriages has something fun to do. This includes climbing frames and slides. Our children didn’t get the chance to play in Spencer’s Outdoor Play Area as we were heading towards the Dino Trail. There is a lovely little cafe near this play area, this would make the perfect place to stop if you wanted some downtime.
Please Note – Small children must be accompanied by an adult in this play area.
Terence’s Driving School
At Terence’s Driving School, children can take their own tractor for a ride. Every rider is in control of their own Terence. This ride can be found near the zoo station in Drayton Manor. This ride tuned out to be a big highlight of our trip as Ethan joined Little E and was able to control his own tractor with just a little bit of support.
Toby’s Tram Express
Toby is ready to take you on a spinning adventure! Toby rises into the air, rotates and tilts in different directions. Both of the children enjoyed this ride but it did leave me feeling a little dizzy!
Please Note – There is a minimum height of 0.95m to go on this ride. Children under 1.05m must be accompanied by an adult to ride.
Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster
I never expected a fast ride at Thomas Land so The Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster was a nice surprise. The trucks race along the roller coaster tracks as fast as they can. They twist and turn around the track, tilting as they speed around corners before coming to a stop at the station. Ethan loved this ride and went on it quite a few times. Little E isn’t a fan of fast trans so after her first ride she didn’t go on it again.
Please Note – There is a minimum height of 1.0m to go on this ride. Children under 1.2m must be accompanied by an adult to ride.
Winston’s Whistle-Stop Tour
Winston’s Whistlestop Tour is the perfect way to see the sights of Thomas Land. The cars complete a circuit on an elevated track which goes above and around the attractions in Thomas Land. Our children loved this ride and we went on it a few times during our visit.
Please Note – Children under 1.05m must be accompanied by an adult to go on this ride.
Our Thoughts On Thomas Land
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The rides are also a great mix depending on what your little thrill seekers are looking for. Both Ethan and Little E have varied tastes in the rides they enjoy. They didn’t have any problem filling the day with rides that they enjoy.
We all loved the Thomas Land theming, the children were both very excited to see the characters they know from the series. Every ride easily accommodated us as a family of four. Even with Ethan being an older fan of Thomas I worked out that we would be able to ride as a family of four for a few years yet.
Visiting Thomas Land With Autism
Queuing is always an issue for Ethan so it is important the places we visit can accommodate his needs. Drayton Manor offers an Access Card which lets you on ten rides via the exit. This, therefore, reduces Ethan’s queuing times and hopefully helps to reduce the chance of meltdowns.
Even though we visited Drayton Manor during the Easter holidays our school holidays started a week earlier than the schools local to Drayton Manor. I didn’t know this when selecting our days
So Much More To See At Drayton Manor
Thomas Land has so much to offer it’s visiting Thomas fans but there is so much more to see and do at Drayton Manor. Ethan went on some of the bigger thrill rides with Darren whilst Little E loved the classic rides Drayton Manor also had on offer.
There is also a Zoo to visit and the children loved visiting the Dino Trail.
Our full day at Drayton Manor can be seen in our below vlog. We had a lovely time visiting Drayton Manor and Thomas Land. We hope we get the chance to visit again in the future.
DISCLOSURE – We were gifted entrance tickets to Drayton Manor for the purposes of this post and to create our YouTube videos. We always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and experiences of the products.
