Chessington World of Adventures Resort

An Overview of The Park

Chessington World of Adventures Resort boasts a main theme park with the zoo within it, a Sealife Centre and two on-site hotels. The theme park section is split into ten themed lands. Each contains a variety of rides and attractions to suit different age groups and thrill levels. In the zoo section, guests can see all manner of animals of the land. Meanwhile, the Sealife Centre hosts the creatures of the sea.

The two on-site hotels are known as Azteca and Safari, with both themed and non-themed rooms available. Facilities provided by the hotels include the Savannah Splash Pool & Gym, easy access to the park, early ride times, free parking, included breakfast and hotel entertainment. There is also a Go Ape high ropes course on the site.

To see the exact attractions that call the theme park home, click this link.

For more information on the zoo and aquarium, click this link.

If you want to learn more about the hotels, click this link.

Food, Drink and Shopping

Around the park and in both of the hotels, there are numerous outlets for food and drink. In addition to four sit down restaurants, there are kiosks for normal food, sweet treats and drinks located around the park. Each hotel also has their own restaurant, and there are plenty of gift shops where you can purchase a souvenir or plushie.

To see more of the resort’s food offerings, click this link.

For information on the park’s retail offerings and their online shop, click this link.

Accessibility

The park does offer free tickets for carers, and assistance dogs are welcome except on rides and in certain zoo areas. For access to rides without queuing, you can use a Nimbus Card to apply for a Merlin Ride Access Pass (used not only at Chessington, but also Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor) and then pre-book it.

For more detailed information on the Ride Access Pass, click this link.

To find more information on accessibility, click this link. 

For the park’s opening hours, click this link.

Brief History of Chessington World of Adventures Resort

Based on the outskirts of London, the seeds of what would become Chessington World of Adventures were first planted in 1348. A mansion was built on the future site called Chessington Lodge. The mansion was burnt down by the forces of Oliver Cromwell in the Civil War in-between 1643 and 1660. After the Restoration, it was rebuilt and got larger between the years 1700 to 1900. It was also used as an alehouse for a period. Sadly, it was burnt down again after being acquired by the Vere Barker family. However, it got rebuilt in 1919.

In 1931, animal enthusiast Reginald Goddard decided to let the public view his private collection of animals. He opened the site up as Chessington Zoo. The zoo closed temporarily in 1939 on the brink of WW2. Then, after the site was sold to the Pearson Group (who also brought Madame Tussauds, forming the Tussauds Group), it became a theme park in 1987. Chessington World of Adventures grew from this. Ever since, the park has changed and evolved. It still retains the original zoo that started it all.

For a timeline of other park history, click this link.

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