| Alton Towers Resort | |
| Location: | Alton, Staffordshire |
| Location3: | England |
| Season: | Theme Park February January (Full park offering between March November) Alton Towers Gardens February January Alton Towers Dungeon March November Sharkbait Reef by Sealife February January Alton Towers Hotel Year-round Splash Landings Hotel Year-round Enchanted Village Year-round CBeebies Land Hotel Year-round Stargazing Pods April – November Alton Towers Waterpark Year-round Conference Centre Year-round Extraordinary Golf Year-round |
| Homepage: | www.AltonTowers.com |
| Owner: | LXi REIT[1] |
| Operator: | Merlin Entertainments |
| Opening Date: | (as country estate) (as theme park) |
| Previous Names: | Alton Towers Alton Abbey |
| Visitors: | 2022: 2,300,000 (28%) |
| Area: | 910acres (total combined resort area)[2] |
| Rides: | 42 |
| Coasters: | 10 |
| Water Rides: | 3 |
| Slogan: | Britain's Greatest Escape |
| General Manager: | Bianca Sammut (Divisional Director) |
Alton Towers Resort (often shortened to Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton.[3] The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, mini golf and hotel complex.
Originally a private estate of the Earls of Shrewsbury, Alton Towers' grounds were opened to the public in 1860 to raise funds.[4] In the 1970s, a few rides were added and some of the themed areas were developed. Inspired by Disneyland, it was transformed into a theme park in 1980 with the installation of its first roller coaster and several new rides. The park has many attractions such as Congo River Rapids, Runaway Mine Train, Nemesis Reborn, Oblivion, Galactica, The Smiler, Wicker Man, Rita and TH13TEEN. It operates a total of ten roller coasters and offers a range of accommodation and lodging options alongside the theme park. Facilities include Alton Towers Waterpark, Alton Towers Conference Centre and Extraordinary Golf.
The theme park is open seasonally from mid-March to early November, whilst many of its hotels and amenities are open year-round. Special events are hosted throughout the year, including Alton Towers Scarefest (the park's Halloween event), Oktoberfest, Fireworks, and Christmas.
See main article: History of Alton Towers. Alton Towers first opened to the public on a regular basis following the opening of Alton Towers railway station. Money raised from railway excursions was paid to the earl and helped to maintain the upkeep of the grounds.[5]
In 1924, a group of local estate agents formed Alton Towers Ltd to take ownership of the estate and began to restore the gardens as a tourist attraction.[6] In the 1950s, this included the operation of a fairground, and by the 1970s included a boating lake and chairlift.[7]
Property developer John Broome purchased a majority stake in the park after marrying the daughter of majority shareholder Dennis Bagshaw in 1972. From there, he began the theme park by developing new areas and installing permanent rides, including the Corkscrew, The Flume, Around The World In 80 Days, The Black Hole and the Grand Canyon Rapids. [8] [9]
In 1990, Broome sold Alton Towers to The Tussauds Group, then a division of Pearson plc, after his development of the former Battersea Power Station encountered financial difficulties. The change of park ownership brought another era of development, involving the opening of new themed areas and attractions, such as Runaway Mine Train (1992), The Haunted House (1992), Toyland Tours (1994), and Nemesis (1994). Tussauds' park development team from 1990 to 2002 included attraction producer John Wardley among others. [10]
The Tussauds Group was sold to venture capital firm Charterhouse in 1998. The opening of Oblivion that same year and Air (now Galactica) in 2002 saw the park sustain new major roller coasters, both marketed as 'World First' rides. In 2005, Dubai International Capital (DIC) acquired Tussauds for £800 million.[11]
In May 2007, The Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group for US$1.9 billion and merged it with its then-subsidiary Merlin Entertainments.[12] [13] [14] Dubai International Capital also gained 20% of Merlin Entertainment.[15]
On 17 July 2007, Alton Towers was sold to private investment firm Prestbury under a sale and leaseback agreement.[16] Merlin continues to operate the site under a renewable 35-year lease.[13] As of 2023, the property is owned by LXi REIT plc.
As of early 2008, the resort changed its name to Alton Towers Resort to better reflect its status as a multi-day destination. Most other Merlin-owned theme parks with onsite hotels would follow soon afterwards. In 2020, Alton Towers operated on a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, operating on a limited capacity from 4 July to 5 November. [17]
| Name | Picture | Status | Opened | Type | Manufacturer | Height Min. | Park section | Notes | Previous Attraction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runaway Mine Train | Operational | 1992 | Steel/Mine Train | Mack Rides | 0.9 m | Katanga Canyon | A powered mine train roller coaster. The oldest roller coaster in the park following the removal of the Beastie in 2013. | Octopus | ||
| Nemesis Reborn | Operational[18] | 1994 (2024) [19] | Steel/Inverted | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1.4 m | Forbidden Valley | Europe's first inverted roller coaster. Underwent a major refurbishment and re-track for 2024. | Nemesis | ||
| Oblivion | Operational | 1998[20] | Steel/Dive coaster | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1.4 m | X-Sector | The world's first dive coaster.[21] | Alpine Bobsleigh | ||
| Galactica | Operational | 2002[22] | Steel/Flying | Bolliger & Mabillard | 1.4 m | Forbidden Valley | The world's first Bolliger & Mabillard flying roller coaster, formerly known as Air (2002–2015). From 2016 to 2018 it featured virtual reality.[23] | Air | ||
| Spinball Whizzer | Operational | 2004[24] | Steel/Spinning | Maurer AG | 1.2 m | The Towers | A spinning coaster themed to a game of pinball. Between 2010 and 2015 it was sponsored by Sonic the Hedgehog and named Sonic Spinball before losing the contract in 2016. Has a sister coaster at Chessington. | N/A | ||
| Rita | Operational | 2005[25] | Steel/Accelerator | Intamin | 1.4 m | Dark Forest | A hydraulic launched coaster. | Boneshaker | ||
| TH13TEEN | Operational | 2010[26] | Multi Dimension Coaster | Intamin | 1.2 m | Dark Forest | A family coaster featuring the world's first "vertical free-fall drop" element on a roller coaster.[27] | Corkscrew | ||
| The Smiler | Operational | 2013[28] | Steel/Infinity | Gerstlauer | 1.4 m | X-Sector | Worlds first Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster, Holds world record for most inversions on a roller coaster (14).[29] | Black Hole | ||
| Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure | Operational | 2015 | Steel | Zamperla | 0.9 m | CBeebies Land | A coaster designed for young children and families. Themed to the TV show of the same name. | Beastie | ||
| Wicker Man | Operational | 2018[30] | Wooden | Great Coasters International | 1.2 m | Mutiny Bay | The second large-scale modern wooden roller coaster to open in the UK, and the first wooden rollercoaster to be themed to wood and fire. The ride interacts with a flaming wicker man feature.[31] | The Flume |
| Name | data-sort-type="number" | Height | data-sort-type="number" | Length | data-sort-type="number" | Top speed | Inversions | Manufacturer | Designer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galactica | 65.6feet | 2755.9feet | 46.6mph | 2 | Bolliger & Mabillard | John Wardley / Bolliger & Mabillard[32] | |||
| Nemesis Reborn | 42.6feet | 2349feet | 50mph | 4 | Bolliger & Mabillard | John Wardley / Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH[33] | |||
| Oblivion | 65feet | 1222feet | 68mph | 0 | Bolliger & Mabillard | John Wardley / Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH[34] | |||
| Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure | 22feet[35] | 469.2feet | 18.6mph | 0 | Zamperla | Zamperla[36] | |||
| Rita | 68.8feet | 2099.7feet | 61.1mph | 0 | Intamin | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH[37] | |||
| Runaway Mine Train | 36feet | 1000feet[38] | 22.4mph | 0 | Mack Rides | John Wardley / Mack Rides GmbH[39] | |||
| Spinball Whizzer | 55.8feet | 1476.4feet | 39mph | 0 | Maurer Söhne | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH[40] | |||
| The Smiler | 72feet | 3838.6feet | 52.8mph | 14 | Gerstlauer | Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH[41] | |||
| TH13TEEN | 65.6feet | 2480.3feet | 41.6mph | 0 | Intamin | Intamin Amusement Rides[42] | |||
| Wicker Man | 43.6mph | 0 | Great Coasters International | John Wardley / Jeff Pike, Skyline Design LLC[43] |
| Name | Picture | Type | Status | Opened | Area | Manufacturer | ! class="unsortable;style="text-align:left; | Additional information! | Replaced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Blade | Swinging ship[44] | Operational | 1997[45] (1980) | Forbidden Valley | HUSS | A swinging ship, themed to a swinging blade. It was originally situated in Fantasy World between 1980 and 1996, as the Pirate Ship, before moving to Forbidden Valley in 1997.[46] Currently the oldest attraction at the park. | Thunder Looper[47] |
Alton Towers rented four temporary flat rides for the 2021 season to help with capacity. [48] Three of these were part of the "Retro Squad", which remained at the park until 2023.
| Name | Picture | Type | Status | Opened | Area | Manufacturer | ! class="unsortable" | Notes! | Replaced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Towers Dungeon | Boat ride and walk-through attraction | Closed | 2019 | The Towers | An in-park version of Merlin's Dungeon brand attractions, with five interactive scenes and a boat ride. It incurs an additional charge. | ||||
| Splash Battle | Operational | 2008 | Mutiny Bay | A Splash Battle ride, where riders shoot with water guns while passing multiple pirate-themed scenery. | Splash Kart Challenge | ||||
| Rapids ride | Operational | 1986 | Katanga Canyon | A rapids ride around Katanga Canyon, interacting with the Runaway Mine Train. Refurbished 1992. | N/A | ||||
| Dark ride | Operational | 2023 | Gloomy Wood | A dark ride themed as a haunted house. | Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back | ||||
| Walk-through/ Madhouse dark ride combination | Temporarily closed | 2000 | The Towers | A walkthrough attraction based on the legend of the chained oak. Concludes with a Madhouse attraction in the ride's Vault area. | N/A | ||||
| Gangsta Granny: The Ride | Dark ride | Operational | 2021 | The World of David Walliams | Garmendale Engineering | A dark ride based on the story of Gangsta Granny, written by David Walliams. | Wobble World | ||
| Walk-through/ ABC Rides Drop Tower combination | Operational | 2012 | Forbidden Valley | ABC Rides | An experience themed to the Nemesis story. Has a small indoor drop tower in the experience. Closed in August 2015 but reopened in May 2023 with minor changes. | Lava Lump |
| Name | Picture | Type | Opened | Area | Manufacturer | ! scope="col" style="width:25em;" class="unsortable" | Notes | !Replaced | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | Driving Attraction | 2006 | The Towers | SB International AB | A children's car driving attraction. | Vintage Cars | |||||
| Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp | align=center | 1999 | The World of David Walliams | S&S Power | A mini drop tower for children. Formerly Frog Hopper. | ||||||
| Royal Carousel | align=center | align=center | 1991 | The World of David Walliams | align=center | A children's merry-go-round ride. Formerly Gallopers Carousel. | |||||
| Heave Ho | align=center | align=center | 2008 | align=center | Mutiny Bay | Zamperla | A rocking and swinging boat ride. | ||||
| align=center | align=center | 1987 | align=center | Mutiny Bay | align=center | A teacups ride themed as barrels of gunpowder. Formerly the Tea Cup Ride. | |||||
| Sharkbait Reef | 2009 | Mutiny Bay | Merlin Magic Making | A Sea Life aquarium themed as a shipwreck. | 3D Cinema | ||||||
| In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride | Boat ride | align=center | 2014 | CBeebies Land | An In the Night Garden themed boat ride. Originally opened as the Canal Boat Ride and themed as Riverbank Eye Spy 1995-2014. | ||||||
| Get Set Go TreeTop Adventure | Powered monocab ride | 1996 | CBeebies Land | Riders travel through the tree tops in their own vehicle above CBeebies Land. Formerly Squirrel Nutty Ride. | |||||||
| Postman Pat's Parcel Post | Convoy Ride | 2014 | CBeebies Land | Metallbau Emmeln | An interactive car ride based on the CBeebies programme Postman Pat. | Old Macdonalds Tractor Ride | |||||
| Bugbie Go Round | 1995 | CBeebies Land | A carousel-style attraction featuring Bugbies. Formerly Numtums Number Go Round and originally opening as Doodle Doo Derby. | ||||||||
| JoJo & Gran Gran At Home | Walk Through | 2022 | CBeebies Land | Merlin Magic Making | An indoor interactive attraction based on the CBeebies programme JoJo & Gran Gran. | Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters & Greendrops | |||||
| Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory | Playhouse | 2003 | CBeebies Land | Merlin Magic Making | An interactive indoor play area based on the CBeebies programme Justin's House. Formerly Berry Bish Bash. | ||||||
| Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig | Show | 2022 | CBeebies Land | Merlin Magic Making | An interactive show and attraction based on the TV show Andy's Dinosaur Adventures. | Mr Bloom's Allotment | |||||
| Something Special Sensory Garden | Sensory Trail | 2014 | CBeebies Land | Merlin Magic Making | An outdoor sensory garden based on the CBeebies programme Something Special. | ||||||
| Hey Duggee's Big Adventure Badge | Play Area | 2022 | CBeebies Land | Merlin Magic Making | A play adventure land based on the CBeebies programme Hey Duggee. | Tree Fu Tom Training Camp | |||||
| Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride | align=center | Aerial Roundabout | 2017 | align=center | CBeebies Land | align=center | Garmendale Engineering | An aerial roundabout ride themed to CBeebies programme Go Jetters. One of two additions to CBeebies Land for 2017.[49] | |||
| The Furchester Hotel Live | Show | 2017 | CBeebies Land | Merlin Magic Making | A live show based on the CBeebies programme The Furchester Hotel. One of two additions to CBeebies Land for 2017. | ||||||
| Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop | 2019 | CBeebies Land | Two mini drop towers based on the CBeebies programme Peter Rabbit. Opened 23 March 2019. |
| Name | Picture | Type | Status | Opened | Area | Manufacturer | ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haunted Hollow | Walkthrough | Open | 2007 | Gloomy Wood / Mutiny Bay | Themed spooky path between Gloomy Wood and Mutiny Bay, with interactive features. The woodland path was laid in place of the former Park Railway route, which ran 1953–1996. It can be a short cut to the Gloomy Woods or the Forbidden Valley.[50] | |||
| Monorail | Open | 1987 | Links entrance plaza to car park and hotels | Monorail system to transport guests from the resort hotels and car parks to the theme park entrance. Trains refurbished in 2008. | ||||
| Sky Ride | Gondola lift | Closed until 2025 | 1987 | Stations at Towers Street, Forbidden Valley and the Towers | Cable car to transport guests around the theme park giving views of the gardens, with three stations; Towers Street, Forbidden Valley and The Towers. As of 2024, Sky Ride remains closed due to refurbishment.[51] | |||
| The Gardens | Open | 1860 | Gardens | The Talbot Family | Landscaped gardens located within the valley with lakes, water features and architectural landmarks. Features include:
| |||
| The Towers ruins | Open for paid tours only | 1970 | The Towers | The Talbot Family | The ruins were made safe and opened to the public in the 1970s. Home of several scare mazes during the Scarefest event. |
| 'Project Horizon' | Rollercoaster | 2026 or later | Area formerly known as | Unknown, likely RMC | A new rollercoaster being built in a show building in the former area known as 'Coaster Corner' The ride, manufacturer and statistics are currently unknown. [52] | |
| 'Project Ocean' | Flat Ride | 2025 | Forbidden Valley | Unknown | A new flat ride that will sit on top of a new building that will create an underpass to Galactica. [53] |
| Attraction | Opened | Closed | Manufacturer | Relocation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 2008 | Vekoma[54] | |||
| Mini Apple Coaster | 1982 | 1997 | Pinfari[55] | Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, England, UK since 1998[56] | |
| 1983 | 2010 | Pinfari | Closed during 2011 and 2012 then removed. Used as travelling coaster under the Dragon Challenge name and now located at Barry Island Pleasure Park. | ||
| 1984[57] | 2005 | Anton Schwarzkopf | Operated in Furuvik Zoo from 2011 to 2021, until the ride was removed and put up for sale.[58] [59] | ||
| 4 Man Bob Coaster | 1985 | 1990 | Zierer[60] | Was moved to Family Park in France.[61] | |
| Alton Mouse | 1988 | 1991 | Vekoma[62] | Idlewild and Soak Zone, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States of America since 1993[63] | |
| The Beast | 1988 | 1997 | Anton Schwazkopf[64] | Last operated in Salitre Magico, Colombia, from 2010 to 2017 | |
| 1990 | 1996 | [65] Anton Schwarzkopf | Hopi Hari, Brazil since 1999[66] |
| Attraction | Opened | Closed | Ride Type | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1993 | Dark ride | Turned into Toyland Tours | ||
| 1981 | 1992 | Walkthrough | Incorporated into the Toyland Tours building | ||
| 1981 | 2015 | Log Flume | Demolished | ||
| Twirling Toadstool formerly Ug Swinger | 1984 | 2016 | Wave Swinger | Scrapped | |
| 1994 | 2005 | Dark Ride | Turned into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride | ||
| 1992 | 2002 | Dark Ride | Turned into Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! | ||
| 2001 | 2013 | Chance Rides Inverter | Scrapped, then replaced with 2 temporary Retro Squad rides. | ||
| 1993 | 2003 | Huss Breakdance | Currently a travelling ride in Switzerland. | ||
| Boneshaker formerly Energizer | 1995 | 2003 | Mondial Supernova | Operating at Terra Mitica under the name of La Cólera de Akiles. | |
| 1997 | 2015 | Huss Topspin | Scrapped | ||
| 2006 | 2015 | Dark ride | Turned into the Alton Towers Dungeons | ||
| Ice Age The 4D Experience | 2012 | 2016 | 4D Theatre | Building remains SBNO | |
| Enterprise | 1984 | 2021 | HUSS Enterprise | Scrapped | |
| 2003 | 2022 | Shooting Dark Ride | Turned into The Curse At Alton Manor |
The Retro Squad was a group of 3 temporary flat rides hired by Alton Towers from 2021 to 2023. In 2021 Mixtape, Roller Disco, and Funk'n'fly were all present, located in X-Sector, Dark Forest, and Forbidden Valley respectively. In 2022 Mixtape was replaced by Spinjam, with the other 2 staying. In 2023 Roller Disco was replaced by Twistatron, but was located next to Spinjam on the former Enterprise site, instead of the Dark Forest. On 5 November 2023 the Retro Squad departed the resort permanently after 3 years.
| Mixtape | 12 April 2021 | 7 November 2021 | Sartori Smashing Jump | A smashing jump flat ride, which is owned by UK showmen Freddy Jnr. & Davis Stokes. This was the shortest-lived Retro Squad ride, along with Twistatron. Known as Jumper Jumper when traveling. | |
| Roller Disco | 12 April 2021 | 6 November 2022 | Fairtrade Services Waltzer | A waltzer flat ride, owned by UK showman John Collins. Known as Thunderdome when traveling. | |
| Funk'n'Fly | 12 April 2021 | 5 November 2023 | PWS Rides Super Trooper | A super trooper flat ride. The ride was manufactured by PWS in 2021. The old super trooper from David Irvin was returned after 2021, but due to its popularity, a different super trooper was hired in 2022, retaining the same name but just a slightly different colour scheme. Known as Super Trooper when travelling. | |
| Spinjam | 19 March 2022 | 5 November 2023 | Tivoli Extreme | A Tivoli Extreme flat ride called 'Air Raid', owned by UK showman Mitchell Wilmot. Known as Air Raid when travelling/ | |
| Twistatron | 18 March 2023 | 5 November 2023 | Raecher Hiscoe Trabant | A Trabant flat ride with outward facing seats. The ride was manufactured inhouse in 2021. Known as Star Fighter when travelling. |
The Alton Towers Theme Park is divided into 11 areas: Towers Street, Mutiny Bay, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest, The Towers & Gardens, The World of David Walliams, X-Sector, Adventure Land and CBeebies Land. The SkyRide cable car system travels between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and the Towers and takes in views of the gardens.
The park's maximum capacity at any one time is set at 28,000 guests.[67] [68] [69] [70] According to the TEA attendance report, the park was estimated to have attracted 2,130,000 people in 2019, a 1.4% increase on 2018's figure of 2,100,000. This made Alton Towers Britain's 2nd most visited theme park, after Legoland Windsor, and the 13th most visited theme park in Europe. Annual admissions surpassed 3 million in both 1994 and 2010, when the Nemesis and Thirteen rollercoasters were opened respectively.
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingestre Centre | Aqualand | Katanga Canyon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Merrie England | Mutiny Bay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Springfield Centre | Fantasy World | X-Sector | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Talbot Centre | Festival Park | UG Land | Dark Forest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Talbot Street | Land of Make Believe | Cred Street | Cloud Cuckoo Land | The World of David Walliams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Towers Street | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kiddies Kingdom | Adventure Land | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Storybook Land | CBeebies Land | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Britannia Farm | Safeway Farm | Old MacDonald's Farmyard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thunder Valley | Forbidden Valley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gloomy Wood | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous themed area
Current themed area
Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter. Themed loosely as a town street, it leads to views of the gardens and the Towers across the lake in the distance. Along the pathway are the park's jumping frog fountains and a lawn where seasonal events take place. The first SkyRide station is located nearby, which is a 1048m (3,438feet) long cable car transport that opened in 1987, and was refurbished 2009. The monorail moves guests from the five on-site hotels, the water park and the car parks to the theme park. In this area during the hour before the park's daily closure, departing guests are entertained by three people wearing police costumes, two of them riding Segway-like vehicles which play party music and the third standing with an old-fashioned megaphone that is unused, and a man riding a miniature ship while dressed as a sea captain.
Themed as an African village; created in 1992 and incorporated existing rapids ride. Rides include the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train and Congo River Rapids. Both are well-established rides in the park whose ride tracks share a tunnel. Congo River Rapids is a river rapids ride that opened 1986, as The Grand Canyon Rapids, and was refurbished in 1992. A 735 m long wild river rapids ride down the Congo River that lasts six minutes. Runaway Mine Train is a steel sit down powered coaster that reaches a speed of 22 mph (36 km/h) on a 1000 ft long track (305 m) and height of 36feet; height limit 90 cm. It was designed by John Wardley for Tussauds and manufactured by Mack Rides.
Gloomy Wood serves is the area containing the dark ride The Curse At Alton Manor, which originally opened with the area as The Haunted House in 1992.
In 2007, a themed footpath through the woods was added to the area, named Haunted Hollow. The pathway follows the route formerly used by the park's old scenic railway, linking from Mutiny Bay. Haunted Hollow includes tombstones, statues and other features, some of which interact with guests using sound effects.[71] In July 2015, Nitrogenie opened and replaced the old Waffles and Ices, a shop producing ice cream using liquid nitrogen. However, this is now closed. Gloomy Wood was suggested by the 2017 park map to be home to the new Wicker Man wooden coaster, opening in 2018. However, the park later stated that the ride was in Mutiny Bay.
Forbidden Valley is set in a 'research facility' run by the Phalanx organisation. Prior to a redesign for 2024, the area had a 'post-apocalyptic' theme with scrapyard structures populating the area. A SkyRide station also serves this area of the park.
The area's principal attraction is Nemesis Reborn, previously Nemesis which opened in 1994. Nemesis Reborn is a steel inverted coaster that reaches a speed of 50 mph (81 km) with four inversions, set in a rocky quarry over waterfalls. The attraction is themed as an alien creature inhabiting the quarry where the coaster is situated.
The Blade is a Huss Pirate Boat modified with a pendulum blade. It opened in 1980, and was relocated to the area in 1997 from Fantasy World. The Blade operated as the only flat ride in Forbidden Valley following the removal of Ripsaw.
Galactica is a B&M flying coaster, originally opening as Air in 2002. Air was loosely themed as a peaceful landscape, distanced from the 'apocalyptic' look of Nemesis. Air was redesigned as Galactica in 2016, adopting virtual reality headsets and a space travel theme. The VR headsets have since been removed due to feedback from customers.[72]
Nemesis Sub-Terra is a walkthrough / ABC Rides drop tower combination. The experience is themed around the story of Nemesis, and how some eggs have been found underground in a Phalanx facility. The ride originally operated from 2012 to 2015, however on 27 May 2023, it reopened.
In May 2016, the 'Rollercoaster Restaurant' opened, offering a dining experience where guests have their food delivered by looping rails. The restaurant is open daily from 10am - 9:30pm; available to guests without theme park admission after the park has closed, except during Scarefest and Fireworks events.
Adventure Land is a small family area featuring Spinball Whizzer;[73] based on a pinball machine in which the car is the ball whizzing around the machine. The ride originally had this name, until 2010 when it was known as Sonic Spinball until the name change back in 2016 when a contract ended with SEGA after six years. The ride is a Maurer Söhne spinning roller coaster, in which riders sit in cars that can spin on their base whilst travelling at speed around the track. Spinball Whizzer is now part of The Towers, alongside Cuckoo Cars Driving School, Hex and the Alton Towers Dungeon. It has a sister rollercoaster located at Chessington World of Adventures.
Adventure Land is named after the adventure play ground which previously sat on the site. The former play area was one of the attractions of a larger area called Kiddies Kingdom. In 1996, Kiddies Kingdom was split into Adventure Land and Storybook Land.[74]
X-Sector is themed as a secretive government facility, suggested to be subjecting park guests to experimental testing. In 2013 the areas theme was tweaked to include the Ministry of Joy, making guests test subjects for their machines, including The Smiler, which was meant to 'marmalise' and 'correct' riders into forcing a smile. In 2015 after The Smiler Crash, the areas theme was broadened and any references of marmalisation and correction was removed.
The area contains two thrill rides. The steel dive coaster Oblivion which opened in 1998 as "the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster", designed by Tussauds and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. The cars are held over the edge of the drop for between one and three seconds, before diving into a deep tunnel. The Smiler is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster, which opened in May 2013, that holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster at 14. The area layout was partially altered in 2013 season to accommodate the opening of The Smiler.
Previous rides in X-Sector include The Black Hole, which was a Jet Star 2 coaster enclosed in a tent, where The Smiler is located today. Energizer (later renamed Boneshaker) was a swinging gondola flat ride. It was replaced by Submission in 2001, a "Chance Double Inverter" flat ride, which was itself removed in 2014. Enterprise was a standard HUSS Enterprise model which opened in 1984, spinning riders 360 degrees and giving the illusion of defying gravity. It was permanently removed from the resort in 2023 after being SBNO in 2022.
Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed family area, which opened in 2008.[75] The area was a re-theme for Merrie England.
Attractions in Mutiny Bay include: Battle Galleons, an interactive "Splash Battle" boat ride, where guests sit in tracked boats while soaking other riders with water cannons. Also in the area is the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho. The park's original teacups ride was re-themed to become Marauders Mayhem, with the tea cup cars being redesigned as gunpowder barrels. The Flume was a Mack log flume ride that opened in 1981 and was rethemed in 2004 with a sponsorship from Imperial Leather alongside Bubbleworks at Chessington World of Adventures. Upon opening, it was the longest flume ride in the world at . Late in the 2015 season, the ride and the neighboring tavern closed and were removed in 2016 to make way for the Wicker Man roller coaster and the "Welcome Inn" bar which shares the coaster's theme.
In 2009, a Sea Life Centre named Sharkbait Reef opened in the location previously home to the 3-D Cinema.[76] This includes "touch pools" for interacting with underwater species and a 10m (30feet) underwater tunnel.[77]
The World of David Walliams opened in May 2021 and is aimed at younger children aged 7–11. It is based on the children's books by David Walliams. Attractions include Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp (the former Frog Hopper) and Royal Carousel (previously Galloper's Carousel). The area has had various names over the years including "Cloud Cuckoo Land", "Cred Street" and "The Land of Make Believe", each had a similar a cartoon-inspired look, mainly featuring Toyland Tours. The area was first built as "Talbot Street" in 1981, becoming the park's first themed area, home to the Around The World in 80 Days and Doom & Sons dark rides. The World of David Walliams also includes many of the author's hidden secrets such as one of the streets being called "Wallibums Way".
In October 2019, it was announced that Cloud Cuckoo Land will be replaced by "The World of David Walliams" for the 2020 season, which will feature attractions based around Walliams' series of children's books.[78]
On 29 May 2020, it was announced that the opening of "The World of David Walliams" would be delayed from 2020 to the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[79]
Another attraction, Flavio's Fabulous Fandango, was temporarily added to the land for opening. The land also features Raj's Shop and various outdoor entertainment.
The Dark Forest is themed as a supernatural woodland area; to coincide with the opening of TH13TEEN, a steel family coaster themed as a haunted crypt, that opened on 20 March 2010. Th13teen, features the "world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster" - an indoor, vertically dropping track element. The ride replaced the Corkscrew; the park's first roller coaster, which opened in 1980. Rita is a hydraulically launched steel sit-down coaster that reaches a top speed of 62 mph (100 km) that is now themed around an abandoned drag racer that is used to escape the Dark Forest.
The area was previously a cartoon prehistoric area named Ug Land, which opened in 1999, but was half-demolished to make way for Rita's construction in 2005. Rita used to be themed around drag racing but was changed with the opening of Th13teen and the Dark Forest. With the opening of Th13teen, the area was renamed as Dark Forest and further altered with a new colour scheme and entrance feature. Rita was also given a repainted control cabin and trains, shortening its name from "Rita - Queen of Speed".[80]
CBeebies Land is based on the BBC children's TV channel: CBeebies and opened on 24 May 2014. The area includes rides, shows and interactive experiences based on programmes from CBeebies, including In the Night Garden... and Postman Pat. Attractions in the area are: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, Postman Pat's Parcel Post, Get Set Go Treetop Adventure, Something Special Sensory Garden, Bugbie Go Round, Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory, Hey Dugee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, Jojo & Gran Gran at Home, Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure, and The Furchester Hotel Live. Shows at the Big Fun Show Time stage include: Teletubbies Big Band Show, Bing Live, and Hey Dugee Live.
In 2015, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened, it is an underwater themed children's roller coaster; built on the former site of The Beastie rollercoaster. CBeebies Land was further expanded in 2017 with the opening of the Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride and The Furchester Hotel Live, and again in 2019 with the addition of Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop and Teletubbies Big Band Live Show. 2022 saw 3 new attractions arrive, being Hey Dugee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, and JoJo and Gran Gran at Home. A new Bluey themed attraction opened on 23 March 2024.
The Towers are the ruins of Alton Towers stately home and are the source of the park's name. They belonged to the Talbot family as a stately home until 1924 and largely designed by Augustus Pugin, also noted for his work on the Palace of Westminster.[81] The Towers are now in a state of disrepair following decades of neglect. The ruins are open to the public during most of the open season. However, some areas are closed off as part of a £1.1 million project in place to restore the oldest parts of the Towers. Key areas of The Towers include the banqueting hall, the chapel, conservatories, and Her Ladyship's Gardens.
Hex – The Legend of the Towers, a walk-through dark ride based within the ruins themselves, opened in 2000. The finale to the ride is a Vekoma Madhouse located away from the real Towers but themed as a secret vault. The storyline is based on a local legend about the chained oak tree, located in a nearby forest, and makes use of the history of the Towers. It draws its theme from the legend of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury who was said to be cursed by a beggar woman to suffer death every time a branch falls from an old oak tree.
The Alton Towers Dungeon was added to the area in 2019. Since the openings of CBeebies Land and The World of David Walliams; Spinball Whizzer and Cloud Cuckoo Land have been part of the area.
Cuckoo Cars Driving School allows children to drive miniature electric cars around a themed road layout, featuring visual jokes along the way.[82] A SkyRide station is located nearby Fountain Square, giving access to other areas of the park.
Near the garden entrance is a cenotaph to the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, who built Alton Towers and developed its gardens in the early 19th century. The monument features a marble bust with an inscription reading "He made the desert smile". Other landmarks include a Chinese Pagoda Fountain, The Swiss Cottage, Miniature 'Stonehenge', and orangeries.
See main article: Alton Towers Waterpark. The Alton Towers Waterpark, formerly known as Cariba Creek, opened alongside the Splash Landings Hotel in 2003.[83] It is a large (with 7 pools and 10 water slides), part-indoor and part outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical Caribbean lagoon. The waterpark features several fast slides, a lazy river, a giant tipping bucket and many other water features. Also located there are two food and drink venues: Adventures Cave and Ice Cream Shack. A separate ticket is needed for waterpark access as it is not included with the theme park entrance price.
Attractions include Lagoona Bay, which is the main tropical pool, with water cannons, geysers and waterfalls. The Little Leak is a paddling pool for young children with two small slides and interactive pipes to play with, while Wacky Waterworks Treehouse is a wooden 'treehouse' with water cannons, and other interactive features to squirt passing people with.
The largest ride in the Waterpark is the water coaster The Master Blaster, with uphill sections similar to the Master Blaster at Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool and Nucleus at Water World, Stoke-on-Trent. The Master Blaster is a high speed water flume that contains sharp turns, drops and dark sections, and has views of the entire indoor area of the waterpark.
Other rides include Rush & Rampage, twin racing slides where riders experience wide turns. This attraction requires rubber rings. Lazy River (Calypso Creek) is a slow-moving water circuit, taking riders underneath spraying water jets and tipping buckets of water. Rubber rings are available. The Tipping Bucket is a container filled with 1000 litres of water which regularly tips its contents over people standing below. Flash Floods are tiered outdoor pools with two slides leading to the middle pool and three leading to the bottom. Other swimming pools include Volcanic Springs, and indoor heated hot pool, and Bubbly Wubbly Pool, an outdoor heated pool and whirlpool.
The resort contains 3 hotels, and 2 sets of glamping-style accommodation:
The Alton Towers Hotel is a four star hotel that opened on 10 April 1996 with 180 rooms. There are thirteen themes: Explorer, Arctic Explorer, Moon Voyage, Gangsta Granny, Chocolate, Sleepover, Coca-Cola, Splish Splash, Big Pyjama, The Smiler, Arabian Nights, Princess, and Dreamy Den.
The Splash Landings Hotel opened in 2003. The hotel has a relaxed Caribbean theme and is attached to the Alton Towers Waterpark. It also has a four star rating and houses 216 rooms. There are three themes: Beachcomber, Ice Cave, and Pirate.
The Enchanted Village open in April 2015, and contains 120 lodges and 5 secluded treehouses set in the fictional Enchanted Forest woodland. Situated next to the Alton Towers hotel, it features a variety of miniature playgrounds for children.
The CBeebies Land Hotel opened on 8 July 2017 with a total of 76 themed rooms.[84] There are eight themes: Bugbies, Bing, Octonauts, Postman Pat, Swashbuckle, In the Night Garden, Something Special, and Bluey.
Although Alton Towers had previously gained the necessary permits to expand the Enchanted Village, these plans were eventually scrapped and reduced into a "pod"-style accommodation option.[85] 102 individual pods were constructed, each sleeping up to four people.
The proposals have faced some critical views from the public, with many criticisms being raised over the capacity of bathroom facilities as well as how the resort will cope with the increased demand in food and beverages, as the Stargazing Pods will not have its own restaurant, bar or shopping facilities. The council even initially rejected the application citing lack of imagination and "magic", although the plans were granted permission the second time without making any notable improvements.[86]
The Stargazing Pods opened on 12 April 2019.[87]
Alton Towers Spa was part of the Alton Towers Hotel and opened in 2004. It included relaxation and treatment rooms and an adults-only swimming pool. Despite being inside the Alton Towers Hotel, non-hotel guests were able to use the spa. It was closed on 31 December 2023 with the resort citing future development for the area.[88]
Opened in 2007, the Extraordinary Golf mini-golf attraction is themed to different rides and attractions at the park, some of which, are from the park's history. Extraordinary Golf is located to the west of the Splash Landings Hotel. Extraordinary Golf was refreshed for 2016 including the addition of a Galactica themed hole.
Alton Towers is located in a Conservation Area, which puts restrictions on its permissible development, notably that no structures in the park should be built above tree line and if so should be disguised from external views of the park; this can be seen on the ride Rita, where the highest sections of track are camouflaged green.[89]
Noise pollution is also a problem for the park due to the close proximity to the villages of Alton and Farley and the town of Cheadle. There have been several cases where Alton Towers have been taken to court over the noise levels emitted from the park and have been served noise abatement orders between 2004 and 2006.[90]
In November 2022, Nemesis closed for a complete retrack, and reopened as Nemesis Reborn in 2024.[91]
In September 2022, Alton Towers held a public consultation to propose plans for an indoor roller coaster on the former site of the Alton Mouse codenamed "Project Horizon". The project was approved in early 2023, and it is not known when it will open.[92]
In February 2024, Alton Towers submitted plans for a new flat ride near the former site of Ripsaw. It will see a new building erected on the path down to Galactica, creating an underpass, with the flat ride sitting on top. The ride is codenamed "Project Ocean".[93] Planning permission was granted in April 2024,[94] with construction commencing in May 2024.[95]
Alton Towers has a tradition of codenaming its new roller coaster developments as "Secret Weapon", or "SW", followed by a number. The name is associated with the park's inclination to promote its rides as holding "world first" or in some way "innovative" features and records. However the naming tradition actually began for unrelated reasons, since "Secret Weapon" was the working title of a roller coaster that was ultimately never commissioned.
SW1 was a pipeline roller coaster, planned to open in around 1992, on what later became the Nemesis site. It was provisionally titled the "Secret Weapon", with the intention of theming the ride as an ambiguous weapon testing facility.[96] John Wardley rode the Arrow Dynamics prototype of their pipeline coaster, but stated "it was very slow and rather boring",[97] as well as the requirement for such a high lift hill being unsuitable for the park's planning restrictions. After a second layout revision, labelled "SW2", the ride was scrapped and development on SW3 (Nemesis) began.[96] [97] The code name subsequently became the standard preliminary name for major roller coaster projects at the park.[98]
The naming convention was briefly dropped while the Tussauds Group changed ownership under Dubai International Capital, before being continued by Merlin Entertainments beginning with the Thirteen rollercoaster in 2010.[99]
Scarefest is the resort's largest annual event, which runs from the first weekend of October until early November. It celebrates Halloween with a number of temporary scare maze attractions, scare zones, costumed characters and extended opening hours. Rides and areas are lit with coloured lighting at night, with most rides and attractions continuing to operate until 9pm. The Scarefest event has been running since 2007, although the park started celebrating Halloween with decoration several years before and has operated the Terror of the Towers scaremaze since 2002.[100] [101] The scare mazes are upcharge attractions. For the 2023 season - which runs from 7-8 & 13–31 October, the park teamed up with YouTube gaming star Daz Black to create an escape room-themed scare maze called PANIC!.[102]
For the final few days of the season, Alton Towers host firework shows, which have been running annually since the 1990s on the Great Lawns. The shows were reduced to 3 a year following a court order in 2005.[103] In 2006, the display was rebranded as Electric Towers, but then discontinued. However, the fireworks and laser show was reinstated in 2010 to celebrate the park's 30th anniversary and has returned to being an annual event.
The "Alton Towers Oktoberfest" started in 2020, taking place throughout September and early October. It is based on the German festival of Oktoberfest held traditionally in Munich, Germany. The event includes themed food and drink, entertainment and extended evening hours with all rides open.[104]
Since 2015, Alton Towers have opened the park for a Services Day; a day where a limited quantity of discounted tickets (fewer than on a usual season day) are sold to those who work in public services.[105]
Alton Towers has a history of hosting concerts since the 1960s. Alternative rock band James played to a crowd of 30,000 on 4 July 1992.[106] Concerts in recent years have included the Alton Towers Live event in 2011 and 2013. In 2010, there was a 1980s concert for the 30th Anniversary featuring Rick Astley and Bananarama and also that year hosted a P!nk concert. In the past, these concerts were often held in the car park at an additional fee, however, more recently concerts have been held within the theme park. Artists that have performed there include Tina Turner and The Black Eyed Peas.
In June 2015, sixteen people were injured on The Smiler ride, with two individuals requiring leg amputations. Merlin Entertainments originally released a press release blaming the crash on "human error",[108] [109] however the Health and Safety Executive concluded the crash occurred due to Merlin failing to put proper processes into place for operating the ride.[110] During the subsequent court case, Merlin retracted their statement and pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety law. The company was fined £5 million, with the court citing a "catalogue of errors" with Merlin's operating procedure and training.[111] [112]
In June 2017, Alton Towers estate owner Nick Leslau repeated the discredited claim that the crash was due to "a human error", but added that "Merlin has paid a massive price, but the performance of the business has been exemplary and the share price is now at an all-time high."[113]
On 30 June 2004, due to a strong gust of wind, the Sky Ride cables became caught, jamming the ride. About 80 people were on the ride, and nine people had to be rescued by being abseiled down 200foot cables.[114]
On 28 October 2007, a fire broke out in the Forbidden Valley Skyride station, leading to a partial evacuation of the park.[115]
On 21 July 2009, another fire broke out, this time in the Cloud Cuckoo Land station, leading to the entire station being destroyed.[116] While the park was closed, a new station was designed and built, ready for the 2010 season.
See main article: Runaway Mine Train (Alton Towers). On 20 July 2006, when the train was entering the tunnel section of its course, two carriages uncoupled, with the front half of the train continuing up the slope while the rear half remained stuck in the tunnel. The front half failed to make it over the hill, rolled back and crashed into the rear half which had remained stuck in the tunnel. Six people were taken to hospital and 23 others were treated for cuts and bruises. Following the incident the Runaway Mine Train was closed for the rest of the season. The train was only returned to full length operation in June the following year.[117]
On 26 July 2024, the ride and queue were evacuated after smoke was seen rising from part of the track.Alton Towers later confirmed that the wood used for the ride is unable to catch fire and the fire was later confirmed to be from a thrown foreign object.
In 2004, a Private prosecution was brought against the park by a couple from the local village of Farley over the noise from the park. Alton Towers was found guilty, with the judge singling out Oblivion in his judgement. [118] [119] The park were fined £5000, and was later issued a Noise Abatement Order limiting emissions to 32dB. The fine was reduced to £3500 and the noise allowed increased to 40dB on appeal. The order lead to the park removing a recording from Oblivion that was played before the rides drop. [120]
The couple were later granted permission to bring an injunction hearing against the park to enforce the order in November 2011, however there is no record of a case going ahead. [121]