Many regard Alton Towers as the UK's Number 1 theme park, featuring world-class rides including Nemesis, Oblivion, and Hex - a ride set in the Towers ruins themselves retelling one of the many local legends.
Many regard Alton Towers as the UK's Number 1 theme park, featuring world-class rides including Nemesis, Oblivion, and Hex - a ride set in the Towers ruins themselves retelling one of the many local legends.
| Opened | 1860 (Towers and Gardens) 1980 (theme park) |
|---|---|
| Season | March to early November |
| Owner | Merlin Entertainments |
| Attendance | 2,350,000 (TEA 2023) |
| Website | www.altontowers.com |
| Nearby | Gulliver's Kingdom (16 miles) Drayton Manor (27 miles) Gulliver's Valley (35 miles) Gulliver's World (42 miles) Xtreme Scream Park (45 miles) |
The Towers ruins
Alton Towers was the Earl of Shrewsbury’s ancestral home from 1442, when Sir John Talbot who owned the Estate at the time was granted the title, up until it was sold to a group of businessmen in 1924 who opened the house and gardens to the public.
The Estate had been partially open for middle class ticket-bearing patrons from as early as 1837, but it was Henry Chetwynd-Talbot, the 18th Earl, who began regular opening of the house and gardens as a tourist attraction after he arrived at Alton Towers in 1860.
The Towers came under the ownership of John Broome, a millionaire who had made his fortune in property development, in 1973. Broome began the transformation of the site into a theme park when, in 1980, he installed Corkscrew, the first of Alton Towers’ major rollercoasters.
Since that time, Alton Towers has grown into one of the UK’s largest and most popular theme parks. It is currently owned by Merlin Entertainments and attracts almost two million visitors per year.
The theme park is split into themed lands, with Towers Street forming the park’s main entrance and acting as the other end of the monorail from the main car parks. Looking down Towers Street, visitors get a spectacular view of the Towers ruins themselves and the great lake and lawns in front of them.
The entrance to CBeebies Land
Other major areas include Forbidden Valley, home to Nemesis and Galactica (formerly Air) – both rollercoasters from B&M; X-Sector, home to Oblivion and The Smiler rollercoasters; and Dark Forest, home to Th13teen and Rita.
Katanga Canyon contains the Runaway Mine Train and Congo River Rapids, and Gloomy Wood houses The Curse at Alton Manor. Wicker Man, Alton Towers' wooden rollercoaster which features a towering Wicker Man statue that bursts into flames as trains pass through can be found in Mutiny Bay.
CBeebies Land is a park-within-the-park, and aimed at young children. It features rides and other attractions based on characters and shows from the BBC’s CBeebies TV channel. It opened for the 2014 season and, due to its phenomenal success, has been expanded several times since then.
Special events include Scarefest, the parks's annual Halloween event which sees the addition of terrifying scare mazes and other haunted attractions in October; and Alton Towers' huge Fireworks Spectacular that brings the season to a close at the beginning of November.
Alongside the theme park, the resort boasts three on-site hotels, luxury lodges, a spa, a waterpark and a mini golf course. These have helped transform Alton Towers into a multi-day holiday destination.
Discover the horrifying story of Emily Alton
An inverted coaster half buried in a quarry surrounded by red waterfalls
Alton's Air rollercoaster now retro-fitted with VR headsets ready to board passengers for a ride into virtual space
A fantastic family coaster set in the woodland around the Dark Forest, but be prepared for an encounter with a wraith that will leave your heart in your month
Venture into the heart of Alton Towers and become part of the retelling of the local legend of the Chained Oak
Escape the Dark Forest on Rita, the launched coaster that may be your only chance to avoid the sinister forest forces
A hairy trip through Katanga Canyon onboard an out of control mine train, passing close by the river rapids
Take a journey down the river, but it will be anything but relaxing as you encounter white water rapids, waterfalls and well-aimed waterguns
Proof that world record breaking rollercoasters aren't always the best, The Smiler lacks finesse and pacing through its 14 painful inversions
Indoor drop tower ride giving visitors the chance to view newly discovered eggs of the Nemesis creature
Take a rollercoaster ride through a pinball machine, with you as the pinball!
Children's rollercoaster featuring characters from the CBeebies TV show
A temporary pop-up attraction allowing visitors to waltz around the dancefloor with Flavio Flavioli
Themed aquarium
Interactive live action experience into the gruesome dungeons beneath the Towers
Begun by the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, the gardens offer a sanctuary away from the rides and a chance to explore hidden gems including a Pagoda Fountain and the Swiss Cottage
Alton Towers' main gift shop stocking park merchandise and other essentials
Games arcade at the top of Forbidden Valley
The latest arcade games available to play in X-Sector
Large arcade building beside the lake next to X-Sector
Arcade in Mutiny Bay
Games stalls in the heart of the Canyon
Food delivered by rollercoaster at Alton Towers' premium sitdown restaurant
Wide selection of meals straight from the grill, with indoor seating
Sweets, drinks and ice creams beside the Front Lawns near the entrance to X-Sector
Drink refill station in Dark Forest
Coca-Cola Freestyle refills in X-Sector
Mutiny Bay Coca-Cola Freestyle refill location
Self-service Coca-Cola Freestyle refills
Katanga Canyon location for Coca-Cola Freestyle refills
Opening Weekend 2013