Milky Way Adventure Park - Review for families

Cost

££ - Under 2’s go free, children 2 – 4 cost £9 and an adult ticket is £13.50 during the school holidays. It’s slightly cheaper in term time ad cheaper during the holidays IF you book online in advance.

What’s on offer

The Milky Way Adventure Park is home to five rides, including the longest, tallest and fastest rollercoaster in Devon! From the fast and furious Cosmic Typhoon to the slower Cosmic Caterpillar, there’s a ride in the park to suit every child’s age and preferences. There’s an alien themed rollercoaster, some dodgems and a railway!

Other attractions include five specialist playgrounds categorized by theme and age, but they’re also considerate of the shaky Devon weather. The Time Warp play area is North Devon’s biggest under cover adventure play area. Little Stars and Toddler Town are specifically made for younger children. There’s an outdoor playground for dry days, too, with massive bouncing pillows, an aerial zip slides and plenty of swings.

Like The Big Sheep, The Milky Way also offers a range of child-friendly live shows and sporting activities. Here, try your hand at laser tag or archery or enjoy galactic, birds of prey or Under 5’s shows.

Finally, get crafty and make some pottery with your child or get lost in the awesome outdoor maze. Facilities-wise, there are toilets, parking and several cafes on site.

Highlights

The Birds of Prey and Merlin shows are usually a great success with families, particularly families with children of all different ages. Older children (and adults) can’t resist laser tag and the archery lessons, though extra, are individually coached.

Little children are really catered to. One thing TripAdvisor users with very young children loved that the dodgems offered a gentler ‘no bumping’ to consider the differences in energy and strength between older children, teenagers and toddlers. That way, everyone can enjoy the ride and no little ones get hurt in the process. Things like these, along with the Caterpillar ride and play areas, makes Milky Way an essential attraction for families with under 5’s.

The staff members are very friendly and good at explaining the nature of the busy park – not to mention where everything is. There’s not a lot of queuing. Woo! The biggest plus is after all of that energy expelled during their adventure, little ones will be fast asleep in the car ride back home or back to the hotel. Phew!

What to watch out for

- Some Sat Nav systems might try and direct you off the A39 too early. Keep an eye out for the signs to the Milky Way and stay on the road until you see them.

- Archery tuition and baby/toddler classes cost extra to your ticket. Everything else is included in the entrance ticket

- School holiday dates, prices and conditions comply with the Devon County Council school holiday dates, so make sure you don’t cross your wires during the visit.

MFM tips:

- This is an ideal place to visit when it’s rainy outside due to the level of the indoor play parks. Another rainy day attraction in North Devon is The Big Sheep.

- Don’t miss out on the natural beauty of North Devon, which is so stunning that UNESCO have declared it such. The stunning, untouched landscapes are not to be missed. You could visit the nearest town, Bideford or visit the 400ft cliff at neighbouring village Clovelly.

- If you fancy seeing showing the little ones some adorable puffins, travel along to the nearby Lundy Island for some serious bird watching (that the kids will love). Alternatively, rock pooling and crab fishing is a must at Bucks Mills Beach when the tide is out! If you want more fun North Devon ideas near the Milky Way, consult their North Devon guide.

Want to see what else you can do in this area? Take a look at our roundup of the best family days out in Devon.

What the owners say

"At The Milky Way we’ve got attractions to suit all ages, whatever the weather. With over 110,000 sq ft of indoor fun & acres of outdoor activities, The Milky Way theme park is the biggest all weather, family day out in North Devon! There are so many things to do plus ALL the rides are included in the entrance fee! Your adventure awaits... are you ready?"

Visit the official Milky Way Adventure Park website

More of our guides to the best family attractions in North Devon…

Lundy Island
Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park
Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway
The BIG Sheep
Watermouth Castle