Tornado Springs Rides
Hey, friends! We managed to try nearly every ride in Tornado Springs on our first visit, but we’ll be going back for more soon. Here’s what to expect in the newest area of Paultons Park! There are family rides, thrill rides and playgrounds for the smallest theme park visitors too. You can read about our day at Tornado Springs here.
Family Rides in Tornado Springs
Let’s start with the family rides. These are rides that everyone can enjoy together, as long as you’re over 0.9 metres tall.
Windmill Towers [Family Ride]
This is the second ride we tried in Tornado Springs and it was SO much fun. I laughed the whole way through. Imagine Tower of Terror in Disney but on a gentler scale. Hero’s tummy kept flipping and he was giggling non-stop. A word of caution though – do not wear a floaty skirt or dress like me unless you want the people on the ground to think you might be parachuting like Mary Poppins. Lesson learned.
There are two Windmill towers to decide between, and each tower seats 10 guests. You must be 0.9 metres tall to ride and under 7s must be accompanied by an adult. Riders are secured by double lap bars and the seat has a rise between the legs that meets the lap bar, preventing slipping.
The ride shoots up and down various heights and your stomach will flip as it does. It’s a really lovely ride and a safe-feeling introduction to the bigger drop rides.
TREKKING TRACTORS [Family Ride]
Trekking tractors has always been at Paultons Park since I can remember, but it’s had a real spruce up! Guests can ride and pretend to drive the tractors around Farmer Flo’s farm whilst trying to spot some pesky groundhogs! It’s really popular with the little ones and there are no restrictions on who can ride.
RIO GRANDE RAILWAY COMPANY [ Family Ride]
We used to call this the Paultons Park train, but now it’s had a refurb and it’s all shiny and new, and named the Rio Grande Railway Co. We climbed onboard for a tootle around the park, crossing through Peppa Pig World and seeing some of the outskirts of the park. What’s lovely is that little children can sit together in a carriage and feel very grown up – we managed to squish four adults into a carriage knee to knee whilst the four boys had a spacious and delightful trip!
STORM CHASER [Thrill Ride]
Hero and I are the rollercoaster lovers in our family. When we saw Storm Chaser – which is hard to miss as it’s the huge yellow coaster that frames the entrance to Tornado Springs, we knew we had to ride it. Riders are seated facing outwards of doughnut shaped carts as they swirl and twist along the path of the storm. Riders must be a metre tall and are secured by a lap bar. This ride does not twist upside down, and we loved it!
CYCLONATOR [Thrill Ride]
The Cyclonator is the only ride we were sad that we missed. It looks AMAZING. Being seated looking outwards on a huge pendulum, and being swung this way and that, 25 metres up into the air….this is the ride we’re going back for. Riders must be 1.2 metres to ride this one.
Al’s Auto Academy Driving School [Children/Family Ride]
Al’s Auto Academy Driving School is especially for the younger park visitors – and their parents if they want a lift on the back of the car! This is our boys’ favourite ride as they get to actually steer a 1950’s style vehicle around the roads of the auto academy and have full control of the car. There’s one pedal for acceleration and an auto stop mechanism. They enjoyed learning to stay on the left hand side of the road, give way and decide where to drive! Queues for this get long, so get there early is our best advice. It’s a real contender for favourite ride next to Daddy Pig’s Cars in Peppa Pig World! At the end of the ride you can also buy your own driving licence – just be sure to have your photo taken as you pass through the queue!
The little cars that are at Al’s are adorable – all different colours and in true retro American style. The little back seat there is where parents can perch if their child is unsure or very small. Riders must be 0.8 metres to drive with a parent and 1.3 metres to drive alone.
The only issue we had with this ride was the confusion as to where to exit – this was slowing up the ride on the day we visited People were milling about after the ride trying to find the exit, with noone clearly alerting them as to where to go. Look for Al’s Shop on the outside of the ride and head for the “Driver Collection” signs!
Buffalo Falls [Family Ride]
Buffalo Falls is the large yellow bumpy water slide next to Peppa Pig World. It too was part of the park previously but renamed to fit into the theming of Tornado Springs. A welcome refurbishment has been the addition to fencing on the outside of the railing of the staircase to the top of the slide. It used to scare me before, but now it’s all enclosed, I’m happy to let the boys go up alone. Guests sit in rafts and shoot down to the end of the slide, rafting on the water! You must be 0.9 metres to ride this one.
One More Attraction at Tornado Springs
The Tornado Springs rides were all amazing – and there’s one more to come! We’ll update when we see it – for now, it’s still being built!
