With its mix of old and new Rainbows End has something that is bound to appeal to everyone in the family – from the thrill seekers to the nostalgia hunters. We took a day of school and work to on a Monday to go an explore Rainbows End and found some old favourites along with some new ones too.
As a newly blended family traditions are so important and most of our traditions, like any family, have come about a little by luck and chance. I am incredibly fortunate that my work gift you your birthday off with full pay (if you want to work in advertising hit me up!) so we decided on the very first year that we were together to make this a family day off from work and school so for one day a year we all go out and do something mid week – this year it was Rainbows End.
Now the beauty of going mid week to anything is that you beat the queues and that was certainly the case when we turned up to Rainbows End on a Monday morning. I think the longest that we waited in line for anything was about 10 minutes.
For me Rainbows End is a mix of the nostalgic and the new. My favourite ride has always been, and is still, the Log Flume. Seeing the old pirate, feeling the rush down the slide at the end always takes me back to the first times I went to Rainbows End as a kid. James reckons they should change it up a bit. I’m firmly against – there have to be some things that reignite that feeling of freedom and adventure that comes with the first time we did something.
There’s still the bumper boats and the dodgems (which have had a great upgrade) and I for one wasn’t missing the pirate ship (it always made me a bit green around the gills).
Along with the nostalgic comes the new. The newest of which was the AA Drivers Town. A city section complete with traffic lights and road signs, all scaled down to child size – including the little Suzuki Swifts. Despite being flung upside down and dropped from great heights numerous times on the more adventurous rides this was hands down our kids (8, 10 and 11) favourite attraction. It was also a rather scary preview into the types of drivers they may become in younger years. As it stands – only the youngest is getting to borrow our car….
Our favourites
Of the other new attractions James stand out was the Stratosfear. If you think of a ride that spins you around and swings you side to side until eventually the whole ride swings around in a 360 degree arc you’ve got it. James was the only one brave enough and tall enough to go on this one!
Outside of Drivers Town each of the kids had their favourites.
For our 8 year old it was the stomach dropping Fear Fall as she plunged from an 18 story height over and over again.
For our 10 year old it was the roller coaster as she screamed her way through every dip and turn.
For our cautious 11 year old who was more at home in the Kids Kingdom than the other rides it was somewhat surprisingly the Invader which spun you through the air at 70km per hour.
For me though, you just can’t beat the Log Flume…
Our top tip – hire a locker and travel light so you can enjoy yourself without worrying about your stuff.
More information about Rainbows End on their website here.