TOP 10 Family Days Out in the UK (2023)

Something which I love about the UK is that when it comes to family days out, there are so many options! There’s activities and attractions in every area of this country, and there’s a theme park or fun-filled day out for pretty much everyone no matter what age. With so many different options available, it can sometimes be hard to pick the best place to visit with your family and friends as I’m sure a lot of the time, you’ll all want to do different things. So, I'll be sharing what I believe to be the top 10 family days out in the UK in 2023, so you can plan your next adventure.

As I said, there’s hundreds of different attractions, so if you’ve visited somewhere that hasn’t made the list, then leave it down in the comments below.

10 - Madame Tussauds

We’re starting off with an attraction which can actually be found around the world, but here in the UK you can find a Madame Tussauds in two different locations, one being Blackpool and the other being London. If you don’t already know, Madame Tussauds are wax work museums which have been around since 1835. You’ll find both UK attractions, and the others located around the world, filled with wax work models of famous historical figures, celebrities and popular film and TV characters.

What’s great is that both locations have different wax figures, so if you’ve been to one then you can visit the other without seeing two of the same. Madame Tussauds also has a Marvel 4D experience, so if you’re a fan of Marvel then this is something you need to check out. Not only that, if you’re a Star Wars fan then Madame Tussauds London is somewhere that I would highly recommend. Madame Tussauds Blackpool doesn’t have Marvel 4D or Star Wars, however you’ll still find Marvel models there and it’s much cheaper too. For a standard ticket into Madame Tussauds Blackpool, online entry around £15-£20 for an adult and for a child ticket it’s around £2 less. Whereas London you are looking at around £30 per adult. Having said that, even though you are paying more for London, there’s more included in the attraction. It’s worth noting that the Marvel 4D experience has an additional £5 fee if you book online.

Madame Tussauds is a fantastic attraction which you need to check out at least once, the only reason it’s at the top of this list is because it takes around two hours to complete the whole experience in London and even less time in Blackpool. However it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area and want to meet your favourite celebrities... kind of.

9 – Thorpe Park

This one is mainly aimed at you if you’re a family full of thrill seekers. But having said that, this park still caters for all age groups. Thorpe Park is a theme park located between Chertsey and Staines-Upon-Thames in England. This theme park is home to 26 attractions, 7 of which being rollercoasters. This park is perfect if you’re after adrenaline rushes and thrills, but there are still plenty of other attractions too fit for the whole family. You have Angry Birds which is home to King Pig’s Wild Hog Dodgems, Mr Monkeys Banana ride and even the Flying Fish coaster. There’s something for everyone at this park, it’s home to some of the best rides and rollercoasters the UK has to offer such as The Swarm and Stealth. If you love rollercoasters, then these are two which you need to ride.

Entry tickets to Thorpe Park in 2023 are around £30-£40. It’s worth noting that Thorpe Park and the other theme parks on this list are open from March until the beginning of November, so keep that in mind before heading down.

8 – Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park located in, you guessed it, Blackpool. It can be found on the South Shore and if you’ve never heard of this park before, it’s a classic. In fact, in 2023 one of it’s rollercoasters The Big Dipper, celebrates it’s 100th anniversary.

This park has such a rich history and perfect for the whole family. There’s a bunch of exciting rides and rollercoasters such as The Big One and Icon. There’s some great dark rides such as Wallace and Gromit’s Thrill-o-matic and the classic ghost train. No matter what age, this park can be enjoyed by the whole family. Nickelodeon Land can also be found at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, where you can find 12 Nickelodeon themed rides and attractions. You can take a splash on the Rugrats Lost River, hop aboard the Bikini Bottom Bus Tour or even have a ride on the Nickelodeon Streak. It’s a fantastic area which you need to check out if you visit the park.

What makes Blackpool Pleasure Beach even more great is that as well as all the rides and rollercoasters, there’s also shows and events all year round. I spoke about Madame Tussauds in Blackpool earlier, well, this is only a few minutes down the road. So, if you’re really struggling on which you’d prefer to do, it’s possible that you can do both all in the same day.

7 – Legoland

Another theme park which you can find at various locations around the world, but you will find the UK Legoland down in London. This park is mainly aimed at Children, but let’s face it, no matter what age you are who doesn’t love Lego?!

There’s a total of 55 attractions at Legoland Windsor, 3 of which being rollercoasters and one being the UK’s first flying theatre, Flight of the Sky Lion. The park is split into 12 different lands, meaning there is so much to do and discover. In 2019, Legoland Windsor was actually the most visited theme park in the UK and this should be no surprise. This park has so many great attractions and it’s also a resort too so you can even have a short break here. There’s so much to do at Legoland Windsor, it can be enjoyed by all ages and it’s not too far from Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures either, so if you really wanted to, you could do two or maybe even all three parks over a few days.

Entry tickets are roughly £40 in 2023, it also depends on when you visit and if you book in advance, but for all you get with your entry price it is definitely worth it.

6 – Chester Zoo

There are a few Zoo’s on this list, 2 of which will be coming later, but one of the best and biggest is Chester Zoo. This zoo can be found in Cheshire, England and is home to 35,000+ animals. Now, it would take me all day to go through every animal at this park, there’s pretty much every animal you can think of. Elephants, Lions, Jaguars, Monkeys, Bears, and don’t forget the Dwarf Mongoose!

There’s so much to do and see at this park, fair enough there may not be any rides and rollercoasters at this zoo unlike some others on this list. But this zoo is massive and if you love animals then this will be the perfect day out for you and your family.

Tickets prices vary throughout the year, adult tickets can start from around £25 and £19 for a child, but during busier periods adult tickets can go up to around £32. But having said that, this is a full day attraction and unlike other parks on this list, it’s open all year round excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Another perk of visiting Chester Zoo if you're driving, car parking is free!

5 – Sealife

So far we’ve gone through various different parks and attractions which are in one or two locations, so it may be difficult to visit if you live far away. But what’s great about Sealife is that there’s 12 attractions across the UK and Ireland, and there’s even more located inside Merlin theme parks such as Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures. So there’s plenty of locations to visit that may be close to you.

I’ve personally visited four Sealife Centres across the UK, including Birmingham and London. Each are pretty similar in terms of the animals, however there’s always going to be little changes that make each location different. For example, Birmingham has the UK’s only 360 degree ocean tunnel, whereas Brighton has the oldest aquarium and a glass bottom boat experience. These attractions are a great way to chill out and spend an hour or two looking at all the incredible Sealife. The whole attraction will take around an hour or two hours max to complete, but it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in an area which has one. Due to there being so many locations, I can’t give you an exact price, but for a ticket to Sealife it should cost you no more than £30 per person.

4 – Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle which was originally built by William the Conqueror, which is pretty awesome. There’s plenty to do at this attraction, including archery, The Kingmaker which is a walkthrough experience which shows the journey of preparing for battle in medieval England and there’s also the Zog Playland which your kids will love.

This is definitely a more chilled out attraction compared to some of the others on this list, but there’s still something fun for the whole family and this is definitely the most educational too. Prices range from £24-£32 per ticket, but with everything you can see and learn in just one day at this attraction, it’s definitely worth it.

3 – Alton Towers

Of course, I had to include the UK’s biggest theme park on this list. The Alton Towers Resort is by far one of the best days out in the UK. And it’s that big, that you’ll probably need more than one visit to do absolutely everything.

We visit Alton Towers a lot, so we have plenty of vlogs, tips and tricks to check out which can all be found on the videos page. There’s a total of 41 attractions and 10 roller coasters, just like with Thorpe Park, if you’re a thrill seeker then this is the place to be. Alton Towers is home to some of the biggest and best rollercoasters in the UK such as The Smiler, Wicker Man and Oblivion. Having said that, the park also accommodates to the younger guests too with a fantastic CBeebies Land featuring multiple rides and attractions. There’s also the World of David Walliams too which is the home of Gangsta Granny The Ride, along with a few more fun themed rides.

Alton Towers also has various events throughout the year such as Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest and their Halloween event Scarefest, so all year round there’s something new to check out. As I said, this park is huge, so it’s likely you won’t be able to do everything in one day. So why not stay over at the resort? Alton Towers have a bunch of amazing hotels, such as the CBeebies hotel, the Alton Towers hotel, the Enchanted Village and the Splash Landings hotel, where you can also find a water park. You are spoilt for choice at Alton Towers, there’s so much to do, so it’s definitely worth a visit in 2023. If you book online, tickets are roughly £44, definitely book in advance because on the day ticket prices are almost £70 this year which is a lot. But for £44 a day it’s worth it, especially during all the different events throughout the year.

2 – Drayton Manor

One of the best family theme parks in the UK is Drayton Manor Park. Now for a while, I didn’t rate this park very much. But then in August 2020 the park entered administration and was then bought by The Looping Group, who also own a few other parks, zoos and attractions. Ever since, Drayton Manor has been getting better and better. The park is looking fresh, has a variety of different attractions and some fantastic events and entertainment throughout the year too.

If you’re visiting for the rides then you’ll love Shockwave, which is a rollercoaster that you ride standing up. You can also get absolutely soaked on Stormforce 10. There’s also a new area which was introduced last year called Vikings which has some super fun family rides themed to Vikings.

If you’re visiting with younger children then Thomas Land is the place to be. Here you will find 18 different Thomas themed rides, such as the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Rollercoaster and Harold’s Heli Tours. You can also meet different characters, including Thomas himself. What’s really cool is the Thomas museum, which features models from the first TV series. Here you can learn the history of Thomas and also check out the huge model railway.

Drayton Manor is packed with amazing rides and experiences, and just when you thought that was it, the park also has a zoo. In this zoo you can find Tigers, Lemurs, Flamingos, Meerkats, Red Pandas and more. So after you’ve had a few rides, had some great food from one of the restaurants and brushed up some more knowledge on Thomas the Tank Engine, a nice stroll around the zoo meeting the animals is a must. Adult tickets are from £29 and child tickets are from £15, so it’s a perfect fun filled day out which also won’t break the bank.

Extra list entries:

Before I get onto the number one family day out in the UK, here’s a few that didn’t make the list but are also worth checking out. First there’s the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, the making of Harry Potter. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter and the Wizarding World then this is somewhere you need to check out. Here you can tour the actual film sets and learn how the movies were made. Next we have Flamingo Land, this is another theme park filled with rides and attractions. In 2022 they introduced Sik, a brand new 10 inversion rollercoaster to the park. This new ride is highly rated so it’s worth checking out in 2023. Finally, there’s Paulton’s Park, which is also the home of Peppa Pig World. I haven’t visited this park personally, however I have only heard good things about it and calls itself the UK’s favourite family theme park. So it must be good. This theme park features rides and attractions for the whole family, including the new area introduced in 2021 Tornado Springs which has a spinning coaster called Storm Chaser.

1 – Chessington World of Adventures

At number one we have Chessington World of Adventures. Now this is an all-round great park that caters to every guest young and old. At this park, even the rides designed for the younger generation I love. Take for example The Gruffalo River Adventure. This is a super fun boat ride which great theming and amazing scents that really immerse you in the ride. There’s also some super thrilling rides such as Dragon’s Fury, a spinning coaster that is one of my personal favourites here in the UK. One of the newer rides Croc Drop is a family drop tower ride which drops you into the mouth of a giant crocodile, it doesn’t get much more awesome than that.

As well as the big rides, there’s also a bunch of attractions and entertainment for younger guests. You have the first ever Elmer themed ride, a little ride called Treetop Hoppers and you can also journey through the rainforest on Jungle Rangers, a car ride where the kids are in control. What’s also awesome about Chessington is that it not only has a zoo with Lions, tigers, penguins, otters, sea lions, gorillas, giraffes, rhinos and more, it also has a Safari which takes you round some of the enclosures and teaches you about the different animals you see. If you have a little extra money, then definitely check out the animal feeding experiences where you can get up close and personal with some of them. I did the giraffe feeding experience a couple years ago and it was amazing.

Chessington World of Adventures is also a resort, so if one day isn’t enough then you can stay over at the hotel which I highly rate. The rooms have amazing views overlooking the animals and the food in the restaurant is 10/10. Chessington World of Adventures is perfect for the whole family, and definitely a park to check out in 2023. This year is a better time than ever to visit, as they have just opened their brand new World of Jumanji which is home to the parks first inverting rollercoaster and two other flat rides.

So there we have it, 10 of the best family theme parks in the UK to consider visiting in 2023. There are of course plenty more out there that didn’t make the list, so if you have any suggestions, drop them in the comments!