If you’re planning a day trip in Somerset, did you know you can visit Butlins Minehead for the day?
This is our review of a day trip to Butlin’s in Minehead for our family of five.
#AD/Pr Visit **Tickets have been gifted for the purpose of review. All words and opinions are my own.**
This review is of our experience at Butlin’s Minehead in July 2024. Plus, a useful guide which will give you all the best information so that you can get the most out of your visit.
Our trip to Butlin’s in Minehead was at the start of the school summer holidays, two days after the new SKYPARK opened which we were looking forward to checking out!
There are three Butlin’s resorts: Minehead in Somerset, Bognor Regis in West Sussex and Skegness in Lincolnshire.
Butlin’s in Minehead is the largest of the three parks and is located on the coast in West Somerset. It sits at the edge of Exmoor National Park.
Warren Road, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5SH
What is there to do at Butlins Minehead?
Butlin’s is a holiday resort in Minehead, where you can also buy a day pass and enjoy a fun day out.
There is a whole host of activities and things to do at Butlins for the whole family. Included in the day pass are:
- Funfair
- Splash Waterworld
- Day-time shows
- Access to bars and restaurants
- A range of bookable activities
- New Skypark Playground
Butlins Minehead Review
We arrived at Butlin’s Minehead and checked in with security at the main entrance. Day visitors can arrive from 10 am. The adults were given wrist bands to wear but the three children didn’t need one. We were also given a Day Visit Guide To What’s On at Butlin’s Minehead – Daytime Activities, Shows Timetable, Character Photoshoot times and Bookable Activities. You can also find all this information on the Butlin’s website Day Visits Guide.
We walked around the site to get our bearings but all the different areas were clearly signposted and it is really easy to find your way around.
The kids wanted to check out the fairground rides first and headed straight to the carousel.
Fairground at Butlins Minehead
The traditional fairground rides at Butlin’s in Minehead include a carousel, dodgems, waltzers, chair swings, paratroopers, tug boat and helter skelter. These rides are all included in day pass and you can ride them as many times as you like.
All the queues were quite short except for the dodgems. I think this was due to having a member of staff giving a briefing to all users before every ride started. We were told not to bump the other cars and had to go round in an anti-clockwise direction. I must admit I found this strange having never experienced this at any fairground before. But the kids still enjoyed the ride (although they would have loved to bump into each other!)
The chair swings were the girls favourite fair ride and they were perfect for their age (9, 12 and 13). There was a height restriction on this ride but they were all over the minimum height. The queues were very short which meant they could go on many times throughout the day without waiting too long.
There is also a Little Stars Fairground for younger children (under 1.5m) which is indoors. This includes teacups and mini planes, and is also included in the price.
NEW SKYPARK Playground
The children were excited to explore Butlin’s new Skypark playground which had opened just a couple of days earlier. You can’t miss the huge, brightly coloured SkyPark sign!
Getting into SkyPark, you walk through a giant heart ‘immersive E-motion’ tunnel which looked really cool! SkyPark didn’t disappoint with its bright colours, huge climbing towers, intertwining slides, swings, balance beams and music stations.
SkyPark Zones
Butlin’s SkyPark was so well thought out with its different zones to explore and plenty of space so it’s inclusive to all children including wheelchair users. The idea is that each of the play zones represents a positive play emotion: Curiosity, Joy, Excitement, Happiness, Surprise and Calm. Each of these zones has its own colour which looks amazing!
Butlin’s Skypark is designed for children up to 12 years old and is split into separate play areas. Our girls enjoyed playing in the area designed for older kids (age 6 – 12).
There is a separate play space for tots under 6 years old, plus another area designed for all ages.
Our younger two girls particularly enjoyed climbing the two towers which are 9 and 10 metres high! They both have intertwining slides coming from the top of them. These are the Red ‘Excitement’ zone and the Blue ‘Surprise’ zone.
There is a great selection of swings in the park too, with the longest swing line in the UK. Up to 20 children can use it at once – there’s all the usual swings plus basket swings, rotating basket swing, two nest seats and an inclusive seat. This area is a bright orange colour and is the ‘Happiness’ zone.
The new SkyPark is a fantastic addition to Butlin’s Minehead and the children thought all the different zones are really fun and interesting. It allows children of different ages and abilities to all play together as equals.
As we were leaving Butlins the SkyPark lit up, the giant heart tunnel, the two intertwining slides light-up as the sun starts to set for an amazing after-dark experience.
Splash Waterworld at Butlins Minehead
Mid afternoon, we headed to Splash Waterworld which we were really looking forward to. It’s included in the price and there’s no need to book so we went straight into the changing rooms. There are three large changing rooms which are all mixed. The lockers need a pound coin so bring some with you.
We headed straight up the stairs to the water slides . There’s four to choose from:
- The Master Blaster (You must be over 1.1m tall)
- Black Hole (You must be over 1.1m tall)
- Space Bowl (You must be 8 years+, over 1.2m tall and a confident swimmer)
- Blue Comet (You must be over 1.0m tall)
Our family loved all the slides particularly the Master Blaster and Black Hole.
We did have to queue for the water slides, the Master Blaster seemed to be the most popular with the longest queue.
There are two large pools plus a shallow pool for tots. We loved the lazy river – remember to bring a floaty with you for this. The current pulls you around a huge circular route and along the Lazy River are a couple of mini waterfalls which are fun.
The Wave Machine comes on regularly and the waves are a good size and reach the shallow end, so all ages are able to enjoy it.
There are plenty of life guards around and all the waterslides are manned with a traffic light system for safety.
Food at Butlins Minehead
There are so many food options at Butlin’s in Minehead which we thought was fantastic. There is something here to suit all tastes. As our girls are pizza mad they chose to eat lunch at Papa John’s.
This was our first visit to Papa John’s so we were happy to try it out! We went for the all you can eat pizza buffet, which we later found out (Butlin’s) is the first Papa Johns in Europe to offer the pizza buffet!
There is a selection of pizzas, pasta and salad to choose from.
We also opted for the bottomless drinks which meant we could refill our glass as often as we wanted. There was the usual choice of fizzy drinks such as cola, lemonade and Fanta.
The great news for us parents was that for every paying adult, a child could eat for £1. So, this meant two of our children ate for £1 and one child cost us £7.50 which made our lunch super affordable.
I must add that several of the other food outlets were also running this offer of kids eat for £1 (not just Papa John’s). Check out the current offers online.
Entertainment at Butlin's Minehead
The main entertainment area is in the Skyline Pavilion which is the huge iconic tent right in the middle of the site and can be seen for miles along the coast. Inside, you’ll find a large stage with lots of seating, plus plenty of food and drink outlets. You’ll also discover arcades, shops, toilets and the information point.
If you download the Butlin’s Minehead app you’ll be able to plan your visit and keep an eye on what entertainment there is. For day visitors, you’ll be given a sheet when you arrive with a timetable of what’s showing on the stage and all activities throughout the day.
We dipped in and out of the Skyline Pavilion throughout the day and watched a little of the entertainment on stage. Overall, we thought the entertainment on stage was mostly aimed at children younger than ours, who were all having lots of fun!
Overall thoughts
We really enjoyed our family day trip to Butlin’s in Minehead and we were busy all day. We liked the great variety of activities and entertainment included in the day pass, so there was something fun for all ages.
The new SkyPark is a great addition to Butlin’s in Minehead and our (younger) girls enjoyed using the park a few times throughout the day.
For more information, to book a day pass or a longer stay, go to: www.butlins.com/discover-butlins/day-visits
Thank you to Butlins, Minehead for having us!
Things to do near Butlin's in Minehead
- Spend a day exploring Dunster and Dunster Castle
- Spend the day at Minehead Beach
- Take a ride on the West Somerset Heritage Railway
- Visit Porlock Weir Harbour
- Explore Exmoor National Park
Read More Days Out And Travel Guides
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