My five year old son has been asking about going to Tayto Park for months, after seeing pictures of the park online. After checking the weather forecast we finally decided to go last Friday.
We were planning to leave early but we are just not early birds in my family, and unless we have something really important to attend, we usually don’t leave the house before 11am, and that feels really early for us. So we finally left home at 12pm and were in Tayto Park by 1pm.
I thought the Park would be nearly empty, as it was a Friday, but the car parks (called Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar) were nearly full already.
From the car park you could see the huge Zip Line (the longest and fastest in Ireland), which I think is one of the biggest attractions in the park. We were standing at the car park, watching people throw themselves off the zip line (attached to a harness of course!),all our jaws hitting the floor. Did any of us dare to go on it? No. Our little man wanted to, but I have to say I was relieved when we saw he didn’t reach the height needed to be allowed (same thing happened with most of the other attractions at the Eagle Sky Advent Centre Zone, more on that later…).
We picked our jaws from off the floor, made the first stop at a toilet (nice and clean) and headed into the park. The ticket price is twelve euro per person. We were 4 adults and 2 children (a five and a sixteen year old) so we paid sixty euro in total.
First Stop: The Pow Wow Playground & Native American Village
The first thing we saw was the Pow Wow Playground, which is awesome. It is a massive wooden house with walls to climb, tunnels, slides… This on its own is worth the ticket price as you can have kids occupied and entertained for hours while you sit on one of the numerous benches and sip a cup of (hardly delectable) Tayto Park coffee. Bring your own!
Pow Wow Playground
After a while there, we were already getting hungry. We brought a picnic with us, because we didn’t want to have to spend extortionate amounts of money on food (and probably junk food). We headed towards the Potatohontus Native American Village which houses giant tipi tents. The tipi tents are actually covered picnic or relaxing areas. It was starting to rain a bit so we chose a tent and had something to eat. Inside the tipi tents were a bit manky, but it was good for a short stop to have something to eat.
The Animal Area and the Eagle Sky Adventure Zone
With energy replenished, we headed towards the animal area. We didn’t even know Tayto park had animals! The area is lovely, well looked after, and it’s very much like Dublin Zoo . My son was a bit too hyper to enjoy the animals, so we headed towards the Eagle Sky Adventure Zone . He wanted to have a go on the Zip Line, (one of the fastest and longest Zip Lines in the country, did I say that already?) and the OH said he would go with him. So we went and stood in the queue. In each queue there is a height chart where they tell you the minimum height allowed for the activity. Sadly, my son could not go in the zip line, or the Tayto twister nor neither the Extreme Climbing Wall for that matter, as the minimum height required is 1.3 m. He was allowed to go on the Tayto Sky Walk, though, but the queue was about 1 hour long… so we headed for a different part of the park and would be back later on.
The Geronimo Thrill Zone
Next, we went to the Geronimo Thrill Zone, which is the best area for little ones, and for kids up to 6 or 7 years old, I would say. They have the Tayto Air Jumpers,(kids attached to springs that pull them in the air up to 5.5m) and my son really loved this. There are three of these in the park, but you will still have to wait long queues.
Can you tell he is loving it?
After that it was time for the Wacky Rodeo, but my son was just under the minimum height required, and we thought that if he fell from the bull he might not be able to get back up on his own, so we left the queue and visited the Tea Tree House, which is lovely, with its hanging bridges.
The Geronimo Thrill Zone seen from the Tea Tree House
Hanging bridge at the tea tree house
Next, was the turn of the Crispy Creek Mining Company, which was great fun. You get a pan full of sand and you have to find rare stones among the sand with the help of flowing water.
The Tayto Factory Tour & Vortex Tunnel
After this, we headed towards the Tayto Factory Tour which I recommend. It feels a bit voyeuristic looking at the factory workers doing their daily job through big windows, but it is good fun (it is really hot inside the factory tour!)
On the way out is the Vortex Tunnel, the one my son had wanted to visit since we got there. Basically is a dark tunnel with moving lighted walls and it makes you feel like you are going to fall. I hated it but my son went on it about 5 times. (its free!)
Our Experience at the Tayto Sky Walk
We had a cup of tea at the restaurant and went back to the Eagle Sky Adventure Zone, to check the queues for the Tayto Sky Walk (A high ropes course where you have to conquer obstacles and challenges). Queue was much shorter then (it was close to 6 pm) and my son and OH finally went on. They went on the first level (there are three, the third one being the highest) and I admired how brave my son was. There were some kids crying because they were afraid, and I wouldn’t like to be a parent stuck in one of the levels with a scared kid who doesn’t want to go keep going (usually, you are not allowed to go back) but there is staff on all levels who will give you a hand if you are stuck.
Getting ready…
Going up!
“oh no this is higher than I thought…”
cruising along…
Near the end!
All in all it really was a fantastic day, although with a couple of showers here and there. We spent 7 hours in total at the park and we didn’t visit everything. So plan for a long day, bring water, food, snacks, raincoats…
The tigers are located behind this playground
Tips:
- There are plenty of toilets in every corner of the park, same as for seating and picnic areas.
- The map they give you at the entrance is very handy. The place is very big, so keep it at hand to help you find the different areas.
- Its 12 per person, but all the attractions at the Eagle Sky Adventure Zone and the Geronimo Thrill Area are at extra charge.
- Babies won’t really enjoy the park. Toddlers can play at the Pow Wow Playground, at the sand pit in the Geronimo Thrill areas and in another small playground at the Eagle Sky Adventure Zone.
- For those paid activities, you don’t pay with money, you pay with tokens. Go to a ticket office and get as many tokens as you want. (1 per token)
- With your entrance ticket you get a free bag of crisps on your way out (on for each person). I don’t know if this is because they were closing, as it was 8pm, or they do this for everyone.
- Our favourite part was the evening, from 6pm, as a lot of people have gone home, the queues are much shorter and there is a much more relaxed atmosphere in the park.
- As for the animals, don’t miss the funny meerkats and the amazing huge tigers!
Have you been to Tayto Park? Do you have any other tips to make the most of the day?
More info on Tayto Park
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