Drayton Manor Resort

Drayton Manor Resort is a family theme park, zoo and accommodation in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England, UK. It covers 180 acre, of which about 113 acre are in use, and hosts about 1.5 million people each year. It is the fourth-largest amusement park in the UK by land area at 280 acre. The park is also home to Thomas Land and Drayton Manor Zoo, home to over 500 animals, including Red pandas, Eurasian lynx, Sumatran tigers and a variety of monkeys and gibbons.

On 3 August 2020, Drayton Manor Park was sold to Looping Group, who own two other attractions in the UK, West Midlands Safari Park and Pleasurewood Hills.

History
The land on which the theme park was built once belonged to the Peel family. Drayton Manor mansion, built for Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet in 1835, had been reduced to ruins by 1926, with only the clocktower surviving at the park entrance. The British Army requisitioned it as a training post during World War II. After the war, entrepreneurs George and Vera Bryan borrowed £6,000 and bought the land (and the 17 huts that the army had constructed during their stay). In 1950, they opened a small amusement park with just a handful of children's rides. In 1954, Mrs. Molly Badham, who later opened the nearby Twycross Zoo, partnered with the Bryans and opened a zoo to complement the amusement park. The amusement park grew slowly in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, but, in the late '80s, the park began to install bigger and more thrilling rides to attract customers from all over the United Kingdom and to compete with rival theme parks. In 1992 Colin Bryan, George Bryan's son, became managing director of the park.

On 9 May 2017, an 11-year-old girl fell out of a raft on the Splash Canyon Rapids ride. She then climbed an 'algae-covered travelator' before slipping and falling into a deeper pool of water where she drowned. According to Drayton Manor's director, George Bryan, park staff responded immediately and rescued the girl from the water. The girl was airlifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but was proclaimed dead from her drowning soon after arrival. The park was temporarily closed after the incident, and the ride remained closed until summer 2021.

In February 2020, the park suffered flood damage from Storm Dennis. Following this, the park was required to remain shut until July 2020.

On 3 August 2020, the park entered administration and was bought by the Looping Group who own various parks, zoos and aquariums around Europe such as Pleasurewood Hills and West Midlands Safari Park. However, the Bryan family still play a key part in running the business, with William Bryan's role being managing director, even though under new ownership.

In December 2020, the park suffered a fire within the Thomas Land area of the park. The blaze started in a toilet block and was deemed accidental by investigators.

At the end of 2021 the park announced that something big was coming with the teaser Invading 2022 in a Nordic Viking style, hinting at the fact there was to be a new area in 2022 called Vikings. After a soft opening on 17 May the intricately-themed area officially opened on 28 May, featuring three new rides and the rethemed Buffalo roller coaster.

In either 2021 or 2022 the park announced a rebrand and a new logo, renaming from 'Drayton Manor Theme Park' to 'Drayton Manor Resort'.

In July 2023, it was announced that the park would be opening an Intamin family thrill Lift and Launch Coaster, which is due to open in 2024.

Rides and attractions
Drayton Manor is split into various themed areas, consisting of rides and attractions.

Zoo
Drayton Manor is also home to a 15 acre zoo. It contains over 100 species from all over the world.

Events
Drayton Manor offer a range of family-friendly events throughout the season.

Pumpkin Smash Bash
Open from 10:30 am – 5 pm daily, this event is tailored towards the park's younger visitors. The signature attraction is 'The Castle of Spooks' which offers a 15-minute experience where guests get to meet Halloween characters and take part in spooky activities including scary stories, interactive games, and trick or treating. The park's signature area Thomas Land is dressed with creepy decorations, pumpkins and spooky entertainment.

The Haunted Manor
Advertised as the 'Ultimate Halloween Event', this event runs on selected dates throughout October, from 5–9:00 pm. Aimed at the park's older visitors, on top of the scare attractions, guests get to experience night rides, live DJ, characters and fireworks. The event was named 'Night at the Manor' in its first year.

– Previous Haunted Manor attraction. – Current Haunted Manor attraction.

Drayton Manor Hotel
In 2009, plans for a hotel at Drayton Manor were submitted to Lichfield District Council. Planning permission for the hotel was granted in 2007, though the applicants felt that the scheme could benefit from further improvements without increasing the site area required.

The 4-star hotel with 150 well-appointed contemporary guest rooms including 15 Thomas & Friends themed bedrooms is designed to primarily meet the demand from park visitors as the park is attracting families from all over the UK, especially since the arrival of Thomas Land.

Camping and Caravanning Club
The Camping and Caravanning Club have a site at Drayton Manor. On the site there are 90 pitches, glamping tents (available through Ready Camp) and a children's playground.