Tayto Park

Following my post 'What To Do On a Summer's Day' I had several people mention to me that I should have included Tayto Park. The thing is though, I had never actually been to Tayto Park. Beckett had, twice perhaps, but not good old dad. So I decided that there would definitely be a trip to the park in the near future.

So when Beckett's Aunt asked would he and I like to join her and two of his cousins on a trip to Tayto Park, how could I say no?

Admittedly the weather wasn't looking super this morning but nonetheless we were committed to visiting the park and sure it's Ireland and we're Irish - when did a little bit of rain bother us. We arrived at the park at 11.30 and made our way in. The first thing that struck me was that the place is super clean. As someone who has visited many, many, many amusement parks around the world, this was basically spotless. Also, in contrast to a lot of parks, I was immediately aware that there were a lot of staff. Not too many that they were standing around idle or anything but enough that you could tell, things were getting done immediately as needed.

The Rotator

Pricing at Tayto Park is very reasonable. Children under 3 are free of charge and everyone over 3 is €14 unless you're an O.A.P., a student, or have a special need, in which case it's €12. Once inside then you either buy individual ride tokens for €1 each or an unlimited wristband for €15. Please note that some rides require more than one token and as such the unlimited wristband is highly recommended if you plan to be there for the day and have people likely to want to ride a lot of rides.

Once inside the park I am happy to say that I noticed that the level of cleanliness continued. I also noticed that the park has been designed with space in mind. Nothing is on top of anything else and there's plenty of space to move around, even with two strollers and two kids in tow. Thankfully it wasn't super busy today and queues were relatively small. Of course, the park isn't just about rides and this is what makes it brilliant for families.

You see, in addition to the numerous rides, including Europe’s largest wooden rollercoaster, the park also features: Dinosaurs Alive, a massive Playground, a tour of the Tayto Factory and a Zoo. Yup, a Zoo! This basically means that there is literally something for everyone in the family. Beyond the above there are also live shows, an Arts & Crafts station with free Facepainting and numerous spots to eat (both options for buying food and places to sit and enjoy a picnic).

Arts & Crafts and Free Facepainting

As you can see, Beckett particularly loved the Arts & Crafts and created an awesome, magical Potato Creature. Though given that he didn't really want to let go of the Potato to begin with, he may just like spuds!

So all in all, I would thoroughly recommend Tayto Park as a family destination. Bring a picnic. Go early. Stay late. Enjoy everything going on at the park. And don't forget your free Taytos on the way out!

Beckett and his cousin, Scott,
discuss which bit of the park was best