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Chessington World Of Adventures




  Name Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo
  Location Chessington , England
  Address Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE, United Kingdom
  Opening Date 7 June 1987
  Previous Names Chessington Zoo
  Season Theme Park: March - October Zoo: Year round
  Rides 26
  Coasters 4
  Water Rides 2
  Owner Merlin Entertainments
  Slogan The fun starts when you get here!
  Homepage wwwchessingtoncouk


Chessington World of Adventures is a family theme park and Zoo located in South-West London , England . It lies twelve miles from Central London , close to the A3 and M25 (junction 9 or 10).

The park has a wide selection of attractions, ranging from the Dragon's Fury roller coaster, down to family-oriented rides such as the Bubbleworks. It also has a large number of Animals , many of which can be seen from the rides.


PARK GUIDE


The park is split into ten lands, each with its own individual theming.


Chessington Zoo


The Zoo is one of the oldest areas in the park and is split into two different sections. The West side of the park is home to the ''Trails of the Kings'', a walkthrough attraction which takes you up close to enclosures where animals such as Gorillas , Tigers and Lions are kept. The East side of the park features smaller animals. These include Otters , Capybaras , Monkeys , Birds , Goats , and Pigs .

There is also a Sealion enclosure, in which there are shows several times a day, and ''Creepy Caves[', a Reptile house. Zookeepers on site care for the animals, many of which are endangered, and there is an active breeding programme.


Beanoland


Beanoland (themed around '''', and ''Billy's Whizzer''; a wave-swinger ride with water fountains that squirt guests on the ride.

In the following years, ''Dennis's Madhouse'' and the ''Bash Street Bus'' were added. ''Dennis's Madhouse'' is another attraction for the younger adventurers.


Forbidden Kingdom


Themed loosely around Egyptian/Aztec, this area is home to two rides. '' Tomb Blaster '' is an interactive laser-shooting attraction. Riders fire laser guns at targets which earn them 100 points per target. '' Rameses Revenge '', the other ride in Forbidden Kingdom, was introduced in 1995 . Made by German manufacturers Huss Rides .


Land of the Dragons


Land of the Dragons is an area of the park which opened in 2004 . This dragon-themed zone contains mostly children's rides, which are contained within an area with only one entrance, so that parent can let their children run around without worrying about them getting lost.

Also contained within the area is a spinning Roller Coaster called '' Dragon's Fury '', manufactured by Maurer Söhne . Designed as a family roller coaster, the four-passenger cars are allowed to spin freely as they complete the course. With two Chain Lift s, the track is 60ft high and reaches a top speed of 45mph. The circuit also features an Immelmann turn, an airtime hill and a downwards helix. In a recent poll of the best steel roller coasters in the world, Dragon's Fury ranked 30th.


Market Square


Market Square is a central area within the park and is home to a selection of shops, video arcades and food stalls. Outlets include KFC , Pizza Hut , a donut stall and the parks main retail shop. The land also contains the entrance to ''Safari Skyway'', a monorail opened in 1987 , which takes you upon a guided tour of the zoo.

''Hocus Pocus Hall'' was added to Market Square in 2003 . It features an indoor walkthrough experience for younger adventurers. Visitors wear 3D Glasses while walking through the attraction.

The area also contains Lockers , an events stage and the parks Guest Services within Market Square.


Mexicana


Themed around a Mexican and Far West environment, Mexicana is home to an assortment of rides. ''Rattlesnake''built in 1998) is arguably the main roller coaster in this area. It features a mixture of sharp un-banked Turns , sudden Drops and rigid Brakes .

With a minimum height Restriction of 1.4 metres this is one of the few rides in the park that only older visitors can ride. It is also notable for being dug into the ground due to local planning restrictions.

The other ride in Mexicana is the 'Runaway Train'. This is a powered roller coaster made by Mack, and is aimed at the whole family. The train usually completes a number of circuits each time, but varies according to visitor numbers.


Mystic East


Mystic East is an oriental-themed area. It is home to the expansive 'Dragon Falls' log flume. The ride, opened in 1987, takes riders around the general Mystic East area and features two drops. The first drop takes visitors inside the mouth of a Dragon . The bigger second drop gives riders a chance to buy an on-ride photograph.

As of 2005, an Observation Wheel called 'Peeking Heights' also resides in this area. Peeking Heights features 18 pods that slowly rotate round. This gives riders a panoramic view of Chessington from the air.

Mystic East is also home to 'Panning for Gold'. A game where visitors sift through Sand to find Gold pieces. A certain amount of gold pieces will let you purchase a medal.


Pirates Cove


Pirates Cove is a small land adjacent to Transylvania. This area is home to the 'Black Buccaneer', a swinging pirate ship installed in 1988 and manufactured by Huss Rides. This swinging ship is larger than many pirate ship rides found in other theme parks. The ride offers a considerable amount of airtime in full swing.

The 'Seastorm' is a small circular ride where riders sit in small boats that bob up and down as they are rotated round. Installed in 1995, the boats turn backwards at some point during the course of the ride.

Pirates Cove is also home to a food outlet named 'Chips Ahoy', and several games units combined together to be called 'Treasure Chest'.


Toytown


Toytown, situated in the centre of the park, adjacent to Market Square. It is home to a number of gentle rides for the tiny tots. These rides all have low height restrictions and can attract some long queues in the summer.

The rides include a Carousel , 'Flying Jumbos' and the 'Berry Bouncers'. There are also two car rides within Toytown. The first car ride is named' Tiny Truckers' and includes trucks going at a slow speed around a circuit several times. The other is called 'Toadie's Crazy Cars'. This ride is themed around The Wind In The Willows .

The area also contains a small Cadbury's Castle shop, a rectangular pond and a weather house.


Transylvania


Transylvania is home to two rides. The main ride in this area is the Vampire . Featuring two lift hills and tight corners, this roller coaster uses suspended swinging cars as it glides round the track. With a relatively low height restriction, and a maximum speed of 45mph, this is a perfect family roller coaster.

The second ride in this land is the 'Bubbleworks'. Sponsored by Imperial Leather, the 'Bubbleworks' takes you upon a tour of a soap factory. Similar to the old version (a fizzy drinks factory), you can see the several stages of the production, from the initial idea to the development and experiments.


FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS



2008

  • Phase 2 of the zoo expansion will see the 'Trail of the Kings' attraction relocated to the site next to 'Creature Features' (behind the Hotel). Also, the safari themed zoo attraction will be built behind the hotel, after being delayed for a year due to budget cuts.



2009

  • Phase 3 of the zoo expansion will see the staff facilities building and workshop relocated onto the former site of 'Trail of the Kings'. The space created from these projects will be used to create a new safari area featuring Giraffes , Zebras and other animals.



PAST RIDES

  • 'The Fifth Dimension' was closed at the end of the 1993 season. A total revamp of this ride saw the birth of the 'Terror Tomb'. Some of the remains of this ride can still be seen today.


  • 'Chessington Railroad' left at the end of 1996. Although still a popular attraction, it was deemed in the way of future developments. Another issue instrumental in the ride's closure was the fact that long stretches of the route were on open pathways, considered a safety risk.


  • 'Magic Carpet' was closed and left the park at the end of the 1998 season. In its place the following season was the mighty ' Samurai '.


  • The 'Fun City Show' was demolished in 1999 to make way for Beanoland to open the next season.


  • The 'Toytown Roundabout' was also removed at the end of 1999. In its place lay the Carousel.


  • The 'Clown Coaster' left the park at the end of the 2000 season to make way for the new Berry Bouncers ride which took its place in 2001.


  • Forbidden Tomb was re-themed during the 2001/02 closed season. Open in the new season was 'Tomb Blaster'. Gone was Abdab and friends, an interactive ride currently runs in its place.


  • 'Action Man Critical Mission', a kids' adventure playground type attraction, was demolished during summer 2003 to make way for the Land of the Dragons area, new in 2004.


  • 'Samurai' moved to Thorpe Park at the end of the 2003 season, this was a key factor in attracting the right target audience into the park.


  • The 'Rodeo' spinning round ride was closed at the end of the 2004 season. The ride remained in the park, dismantled, prompting many to believe the ride would one day be operating again. However in early 2007 the ride was removed from the site.



PARK OPENING HOURS

The park is only open between March and October, before officially opening in March, the park hosts a rehearsal day, where they host a practice run to allow new employees to get a taste of their new job, on the rehearsal day, families and friends of employees are invited with each employee been given 4 free tickets. The park is open between the hours of 10 AM to 5 PM which gradually increases to 6 PM Then eventually for October, to 8 PM. The park hires new employees throughout the year and they generally post new positions on their website


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