Here are some facts about Alton Towers.
- Alton Towers is a large theme park and water park, located in Staffordshire, about 15 km from Stoke on Trent. The theme park opened in 1980 although the site has been around since 1860.
- The attractions include over a dozen state of the art rides, a water park, a hotel and spa. There is also an aquarium, live entertainment and several acres of landscaped gardens.
- It is divided into 10 different themed areas. These include the themes of a post-apocalyptic world, a haunted wood, a children’s magical garden and an African village.
- Alton Towers is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK. Around 3 million people visit each year, or 30,000 a day at times during the summer.
- The roller coaster ride called Air was opened in 2002 and is the world’s first so called flying roller coaster. It measures 840 metres long and reaches speeds of 75 kmh.
- Thi3teen is the most expensive Alton Towers ride, costing around £15 million. It was the world’s first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, and features a 5 metre drop in total darkness.
- During a typical season, the distance travelled by all of the rides on Thi3teen will add up to almost 80,000 km. It is the equivalent of flying to Australia and back several times.
- About 260 tonnes of potato chips are eaten during one season at Alton Towers. The park also sells enough fizzy drinks each summer to fill up a bathtub each day for a year.
- One of the newest attractions is the sensory experience Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which opened in 2012. Guests experience such effects as smells, wind, snow and moving seats.
- The Flume was once the longest log flume ride in the world and is still a popular water park ride. It lasts for 6 minutes and has a total drop of 26 metres.
