Thorpe Park’s Fright Nights aren’t too far off for those of you with a strong constitution!  Running 7-10 October, 15-17 October and 22-31 October.

See the return of the live action horror mazes; Hellgate, The Asylum, Seven & The Curse plus Saw, the Maze …all in the dark!  There is free entry to annual passholders on 7 October only, after this there is a £5 charge for all other Fright Night dates.

Looking for a deal, check out Thorpe Park; deals & vouchers.

Who’s up for this one?

Liz

Miniland at Legoland, Windsor

Flash a Blue Peter badge and you can gain free entry to many top attractions including:

• Alton Towers
• Woburn Safari Park
• Legoland
• Ripley’s believe it or not
• Magna’s science centre…and plenty more!
  

Free entrance is strictly for Blue Peter winners aged between 6 & 15 that can show the Blue Peter badge and accompanying blue peter badge card.  This is a great way to gain  free entry to nearly 200 top attractions but you must be  accompanied by a full paying adult.

For more information, go to Blue Peter.

There’s plenty of deals on for Thorpe Park at the moment, check these offers out:

2 for 1 voucher for Thorpe Park; with every purchase at WH Smiths you will receive a 2 for 1 voucher for Thorpe Park & other Merlin attractions.

50% off voucher for Alton Towers; Burger King are offering 50% off vouchers with every Burger King meal – ideal for those with an odd number in their party.

Groups Discounts at Thorpe Park; substantial savings for groups as small at 7. The bigger the group, the greater the savings and you don’t need to be in the Brownies to be classed as a group!  For more information, go to Thorpe Park deals & discounts for groups.

2 for 1 Voucher for Thorpe Park; moneysupermarket are running a 2 for 1 voucher that is valid until 7 November.  Further details from Thorpe Park deals.

Future deals for Thorpe Park; lastminute are offering discounted tickets for only £19 per adult.

Thorpe Park annual pass deal; prefer to invest in an annual pass, well Thorpe Park are currently offering 2 for 1 on these passes, effectively an annual pass will put you back £45.

Remember our Insider Guide to Thorpe Park for the low down on all the deals, discounts and tips to beat the queues.

Liz

Thorpe Park are offering 2 for 1 on Thorpe Park annual passes for all thrill seekers.  For a limited period of time, you can pick up 2 Thorpe Park annual passes for £90, that’s just £45 each.

Whilst valid for a full 12 months, there are additional charges to pay for Fright Nights at Thorpe Park with an annual pass.  However if you are a regular visitor to this park, it is worth noting these additional benefits for a Thorpe Park pass:

• Free car parking at Thorpe Park
• 20% off food, drink & souvenirs at selected retail units on site
• Photographic deals

For more deals and insider tips to beat the queues, go to Thorpe Park; Insider’s Guide.

Liz

WH Smiths are once more running 2 for 1 vouchers for top visitor attractions including:

• Thorpe Park
• Alton Towers
• Legoland, Windsor
• Chessington World of Adventures
• Madame Tussauds
• Warwick Castle
• Legoland Discovery Centre ..and more

These vouchers come with every purchase at WH Smith and valid through to the end of the season, (some restrictions on dates).

Worth holding onto!

Liz

Ensure you get 4 times your voucher’s value in reward options. If you spend it on food you only manage to  get two times their value!  Although Tesco are currently expanding this out to other departments for a limited period of time, this will still only get you two times their value!

Find cost effective deals in the brochure. Although reward vouchers can be redeemed for up four times their value, some deals only effectively offer you two or three times their value.  For example you can opt for a free Cineworld ticket for £3 in clubcard vouchers. However it doesn’t cost you £12 for a cinema ticket!  For value for money, it would be better spent on rewards such as a Merlin Annual Pass where your vouchers will  give you the full 4 times it’s value.

Combine tesco deals with other offers to max out your savings.  Use your tesco clubcard reward vouchers wisely to ensure best value. For example for a family of four off to Alton Towers, combine a 2 for 1 voucher with two tesco day entry rewards for a total of £20 in clubcard vouchers, (wise to split into twos at the kiosk to avoid the one offer per transaction!)  This way you can bank additional Tesco clubcard reward vouchers for your next day out too!

Additional clubcard points promotions.  Clearly this is what Tesco want you to do, but it is worth keeping an eye out for additional points promotions to build your rewards as long as you are buying necessary household items!

Check out these Tesco Clubcard deals that potentially offer value for money:

• English Heritage Membership; each £10 in Tesco clubcard vouchers will give you £40 off annual membership.  Membership will give you free entry to over 400 historic settings in England.

• Legoland Discovery Centre; buy entrance in full for £3.50 in vouchers per person, (adult on the gate price, £13.95)
• Conkers, Derbyshire; each £5 in Tesco clubcard voucher will allow you £20 off your entrance fees.
• Crealy Adventure Parks; this new addition will secure a £20 discount for just £5 in clubcard vouchers.

Tesco clubcard vouchers can offers value for money and, if used wisely, will save you a fortune on days out!

Liz

Just pick up 5 out of the 8 tokens running in the Sun & News of the World between 14 & 21 August.  Whilst you can’t be specific on the day you wish to visit Thorpe Park, there are a range of date bands to choose between September 2010 and April 2011.

Simply post off your application with the 5 tokens from different days and wait for your free tickets for Thorpe Park to arrive!  Further details are available at Free Tickets for Thorpe Park Offer.

A lego family at Legoland, Windsor

Use a voucher; there are plenty of vouchers and deals around for top visitor attractions around the country.  If you are planning a  day out to Thorpe Park, Cadbury World or Go Ape to name but a few, check out the deals available before you go – of course topdogdays is the obvious choice!

Use a loyalty card; make use of those loyalty card points you have accumulated – Tesco in particular offers you up to four times its value when you redeem vouchers for days out.  For example Legoland Discovery Centre will set you back only £3.50 in clubcard vouchers or Drayton Manor only £7.50 in vouchers.

Don’t waste money on additional spend; take a picnic rather than forking out for over priced food. For ride photography; there’s plenty of photo opportunities around a theme park that will capture the day with a regular camera!  If you must buy souvenirs; agree an amount with the kids before you enter the store and stick to your budget.

The tube at Legoland, Windsor

London travel; take advantage of the new Barclays cycle hire in London for those aged 14 and over where the first 30 minutes is free.  Remember that children under 11 travel for free on buses, tubes & trams in London.  Kids aged between 11 & 15, travel on the tube for maximum of £1 a day with an Oyster photocard.

Take advantage of discount travel offers; invest in a family & friends railcard and take advantage of regional rail offers.  London Midland trains are offering 50% discounts on off peak travel in August plus your additional discount with a railcard.

Kobra at Chessington World of Adventures

Alton Towers, Thorpe Park & Chessington World of Adventures all run substantial discounts for larger parties visiting these theme parks.  The good news is you do not need to be in the Cubs or Brownies to attract a group discount.  A ‘group’ can be defined as two or three families, friends, neighbours or work colleagues.  As long as you can meet the pre-requisite numbers and book in advance, these discounts to Alton Towers, Thorpe Park or Chessington can be yours!

Alton Towers; Generally discounts of around 30% are available for groups of 10 or more.  Contact 0871 222 6944 to book in advance.

Thorpe Park; run discounted entry off for groups as small at 7. The bigger the group, the greater the savings! For more information, go to Thorpe Park deals & discounts for groups.

Chessington World of Adventure; if you can club together 10 or more of your friends or neighbours, there are about 40% discounts to be had here! Group discounts need to be booked in advance & more information can be found at  Chessington World of Adventures deals & discounts for groups.

Check out your favourite visitor attraction and see what discounts they can offer you?

Liz

For Merlin Annual Passholders, there is now an additional perk for your card that allows you to offer friends and family half price admission to Merlin Atrractions around the country.

This offer is available at:

• Alton Towers
• Thorpe Park
  
• Chessington World of Adventures
  
• Legoland Windsor
  
• Warwick Castle

Tickets must be pre-booked on 0871 222 4001 and quote ‘MAP Friend Offer’ and not available direct from the kiosk on the day of your visit.  This is offer is valid until 31 August.

Another option for the summer holidays!

Liz