A couple of days ago we went to Chessington World of Adventures, which is an ideal place to take the kids during half term, but since it’s Halloween season, they also had plenty of extra “Howl’o’ween” fun going on. The entire park is decorated for the Halloween season, so it will get you into the mood for some scary fun! They’re also open late during the Halloween and half term week, so you can enjoy rides in the dark up til 8pm.
We saw lots of children there in fancy dress, which you can wear to take part in their costume competitions, and there are special Halloween attractions on during this time: the Curse of the Lost Tomb for older children or teenagers, and the Trick or Treat Wood for the slightly younger or less brave ones!
My kids all enjoyed riding after dark, and the late opening also gives you more chance to queue up and get on to some of the more popular rides – handy since my older ones are ready to go on some of the scarier rides these days, like Kobra and Dragon’s Fury.
As a note – if you want to buy fast pass for those particular rides, I would buy them earlier on though, as we left it til last minute as we weren’t sure and then by the time we went back to get it those particular ones were sold out (probably because they’re more popular) luckily they did manage to finish going on them before the park closed though!
As my youngest (5) was too small to go on Kobra just yet (it’s 1.2m minimum height, which my 6 nearly 7 year old has recently reached) he got a cuddly Kobra from the gift shop instead and rode on the Jungle Bus tour ride about 5 times in a row!
Another interesting thing to do at Chessington is watch some of the shows. These are great for all ages as you won’t need to queue up, and of course it suits all ages and heights! We watched the Pandemonium show which is new, and features animatronic pandas (who look quite realistic!). The kids can line up to meet the pandas after the show too if they like, and get their photo taken with them.
They also enjoyed the canopy capers, which is a play area created out of loads of nets where kids can run and play, and see the zoo animals from above.
The Temple of Mayhem is another fun attraction where you don’t need to queue. Kids can run around over multiple levels and shoot balls at each other. It’s a bit different to the typical soft play (which is also there at the Dragon’s Playhouse) and is great for my kids
As for food, there are loads of options around the park and also in the two hotels. We got lunch in the Zufari bar and grill, and booked for the buffet option at the Safari restaurant in the evening.
The Safari buffet is a really good option as they have loads of choice to suit all the family. Also, being a buffet means you don’t need to wait for your order, which is quite handy after a long day in the park with the kids. All of the restaurants in the hotel are not too crowded, they’re nice and spacious and are all decorated well with jungle themes to give a bit of atmosphere.
It’s definitely worth going along to Chessington during Howl’o’ween season, to keep the kids busy during half term and let them get in some Halloween thrills! My boys are 5, 6 and 8 and there are plenty of rides available at Chessington to suit all of their ages and heights.
Check out the Chessington site for more info on their Halloween events. There’s a special offer on so you can get your tickets from £27.60
We were invited to Chessington in order to review
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Love Chessington, wish we had gone over the half term looks like you had lots of fun 🙂 #ThePlacesWeWillGoLinky
Chessington looks like a lot of fun and I think Grace would love it x #ThePlacesWeWillGoLinky
This place looks so lovely 🙂 I really like the panda part