We were there to soak up all the atmosphere as we bring you our opening day Paultons Park Tornado Springs review.
Brand new for 2021 and with some surprises left to come including a brand new junior coaster set to open at a later date the brand new and highly anticipated Americana themed area of Paultons Park opened to the public on Monday April 13th, 2021.
Covering four acres, Tornado Springs is the biggest new opening at any UK theme park this year and is the most expensive development by the park costing £12 million and featuring eight new rides and experiences.
The concept of the area is themed around the fictional Route 83 (named after the year Paultons Park opened) which is a desert American themed mid-western town.
Featuring the UK’s first Mack free-spinning coaster in Storm Chaser and Al’s Auto Academy, a highly themed youngsters driving school, there’s so much to soak up in Tornado Springs.
First Impressions
Before you even step foot through the threshold of Tornado Springs you are greeted with the entry-way and surrounding theming not to mention the jaw-dropping visuals of Storm Chaser that takes up your whole peripheral.
The coaster is genuinely everywhere across the entrance of Tornado Springs and not only does it invite you in with its stunning views but from the soft tarmac ‘Route 83’ labelled roads to the rustic American wooden shacks and huts that make up the ride buildings, restaurants and more it really has that mid-western feel down to a tee.
Theming is a word i’ll try not to use too much in this review but oh, my, god.
Tornado Springs is the closest the UK will ever get to a Disney level of theming, it’s absolutely stunning.
Like a Radiator Springs type Disney vibe with so much to see, I’m still not convinced I managed to spot every item of theming.
Not one, not two, not three but EVERY single ride is themed to levels unparalleled in any theme park area i’ve experienced in the UK.
In the UK you get one or two rides beautifully themed but not an entire area. It was so ridiculously immersive for one second I even forgot I was in the UK!
The sun was shining (a rarity in itself in this country) and within minutes I genuinely thought my lengthy train ride to get there had transported me to another country entirely!
I knew I was far too old to ride the children’s ride at Al’s Auto Academy on my own (grown-ups sit on the back while the kids steer) I still queued up to soak up every second of the queue line including a full-sized American car just suspended in the air in a garage.
A car that looked as though it had just been pulled out of the movie Grease and now put on display in Tornado Springs.
They even went as far as theming all of the queue-time boards and they even themed two tiny little children’s drop towers (Windmill Towers).
It was the first time i’ve stood in a queue and I didn’t mind it.
You guys know how much I hate queues, i’m going out of my way to make content that actively tells people how to avoid them, but this was special.
A full-size tractor lies in the Storm Chaser queue line, we have a car in Al’s Auto Academy, we have a giant pig in the queue for the gyro-swing ride Cyclonator and lots, lots more.
Tornado Springs Target Demographic
It definitely seems as though Paultons decided to make the area appeal to a wide range of theme park fans.
From Storm Chaser being a family-thrill ride that packs a punch to the Cyclonator which says its family-friendly but I found it to be incredibly intense, you’d have to be a very brave child to ride that thing!
You then have two children’s play areas, Buffalo Falls which is a family water slide, Trekking Tractors which is a relaxing little tractor ride and then the aforementioned children’s drop towers in Windmill Towers.
You also have a beautifully themed train that takes you on the full tour of Tornado Springs. I found the train ride ridiculously relaxing and you get some great views of the new area.
Places to Eat in Tornado Springs
The Route 83 diner is the main hub for food in Tornado Springs but just down the road is a burrito bar, Ice Cream stand and more.
I’ll be bringing a more in-depth Route 83 diner review in due course but long story short, their burger was certainly one of the nicest theme park burgers i’ve ever had.
I always set the bar low with theme park food but the 83 Classic Burger pole vaulted over my expectations rather easily.
Overall
Tornado Springs is an absolute joy.
I was whisked away and immersed in the Americana soundtrack, the atmosphere and the rides that so effortlessly create this midwestern atmosphere.
To fully immerse me in the experience roaming actors or even actors in character serving customers in the restaurant / stalls would have completed the experience for me.
I mean, I absolutely cannot fault one single thing about the area as a whole it’s single-handedly the best themed area I have experienced in the UK.
I’m yet to visit Chessington World of Adventures, I hear good things about their theming but at the same time I just can’t imagine anywhere else in the country hitting these levels.
It really is a remarkable expansion and they’re not even finished yet.
The amount of thought, care and attention that has gone into designing this area is on a level of passion, dedication and genuine love for the park unrivalled in this country.
Hats off to the team at Paultons Park and to each and every lovely member of staff I had the honour of speaking to during not only my first visit to Tornado Springs, but my first ever visit to Paultons Park.
To book your tickets to Paultons Park and to see Tornado Springs for yourselves please visit https://paultonspark.co.uk
Want a full tour of the area? We’ve got you covered in our opening day VLOG over on our YouTube channel. Hit the play button below to check it out!
