Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Just wondered whether anyone has done this previously as we're thinking of booking for our toddler (3 yrs by then) who is mad about Thomas. Probably the one in Tunbridge Wells as seems the closest. Is it a full day out? What activities are there to do in the "Imagination Station"? We're trying to decide what time to book the train for... Do you actually get to ride on Thomas or any other of his "friends"? Grateful for any tips from anyone who has been before. Thanks :)
Another option for Thomas fans is Drusillas Zoo, down near Brighton/Hove. They have a selection of Thomas characters dotted around the park, and there's a little Thomas train you can ride in, complete with Fat Controller. We used to go regularly a few years ago when my younger sister lived in the UK, as her partner worked there in the weekends.

We did the Day out with Thomas with our 2 year old in Tonbridge a couple of years ago. It was quite small - we basically spent the morning there and then had lunch in a restaurant in the same complex, and drove home while he napped.


He absolutely loved it. It was a couple of years back, but when we went the train ride wasn't pulled by Thomas but it was Emily. They gave out little gifts to the children on the train which went down well. We did that pretty much as soon as we arrived. Then afterwards, we saw Thomas/Diesel racing (attachaed), did colouring etc and looked at the other train exhibits. I wasn't sure it was worth it, but my toddler had an amazing time. He still has the certificate from the visit on his wall!

We've done the one on the Watercress line a couple of times - there are 4 stations on the line. You can take one of the other trains - Diesel, `Edward, etc - between these - about 1 hour from 1 end to the other. At main station (think it's Alresford), you can have short rides on Thomas (about 10 mins total, so that everyone can have a go), meet the fat controller, ride on a mini steam train, go on a bouncy castle, look around the engine sheds where other engines are being fixed, and there is some entertainment. if you go to ?Alton? - there's some stuff to do there too - bus and steam roller to look at (can't remember their names - daughter now nearly 9 so haven't gone for a while!), an exhibition to visit, and a shop. Makes a good day out - we went ?2 or 3 times, as good place to meet friends with kids from W. Country. Not massively cheap but kids loved it!

Brilliant. Thanks everyone for all your Thomas tips! Thomas Land at Drayton Manor was already on our radar but hadn't heard about the Thomas activities at the zoo in Brighton - great to know!


Think we'll go for it and book tickets. Am certain he'll love it! Thanks again.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • I've used just about all the locally available supermarkets for deliveries over the years, and I now  use Waitrose for deliveries, for various reasons. They have a good range of the things I eat, their food is good quality and their "essentials" range is generally good value (except the tissues, which suddenly became so thin as to disintegrate immediately. I was mainly buying them for the nice plain boxes, so now I just put other tissues into the old Waitrose boxes 🤣) It is very rare for something I've ordered to not be available on the day. Their delivery drivers  are genuinely friendly and helpful. Their customer service is very good. On the rare occasions I've had issues, they have refunded me without quibbling. They often have special deals on some of the things I buy often, so I stock up when they are cheaper. I do occasionally compare prices with other supermarkets, and overall I really don't think Waitrose is more expensive, but obviously they might be for things I don't personally buy. I absolutely hate Sainsbury's, would use Lidl for some things but they don't deliver, Iceland has a very small range of things I eat, and I can't remember why I don't use Tesco or Asda any more. I recently checked out Ocado because there was some offer which seemed good value, but they just didn't have enough things I wanted to buy to make it worth using the offer. M&S don't deliver ( to the best of my knowledge) but in any case they seem to be still badly suffering from the recent hack into their system. Apologies, I have just remembered this thread is about shopping at actual physical stores, but probably many of the issues are the same.
    • Since I am of a certain vintage now, not sure if what I am going to suggest is even still around but here goes… use to be able to buy “dummy/mock papers on line and also had mini synopsis of Shakespeare plays specifically covering students wanting to gain a better understanding of play before taking mocks/ exams. Only know this as many many moons ago, struggled with English Literature and Language and this was the avenue-my parents went down. Also was at this point in my life, educated abroad as part of my fathers job.  
    • Love your comment about “shoehorned” - put a smile on my face..! As for comment about “Little Waitrose” ummmm - never really thought about it. Personally, could not care less. But guess Sainsbury Local and Tesco Express are to you more acceptable.. Ultimately, when I think about it, I actually don’t care what they call themselves - been lured by partially branding and partially convenience and what they offer in groceries.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...