Colonnades Leisure Park facts for kids
The Colonnades Leisure Park (also known as Croydon Colonnades) is a fun place to visit in South London. It's located in the Purley Way area of the London Borough of Croydon. This park opened in the late 1990s. Before it was the Colonnades, the site was home to the Croydon Water Palace. This was an indoor water park that operated from 1990 to 1996. The Colonnades is next to the Purley Way Playing Fields. It is also across the road from where the old Croydon Airport used to be. The local council, Croydon Council, now owns and runs the park. They bought it in August 2019.
What to Do at the Colonnades
The Colonnades Leisure Park has many places to eat and have fun. It is different from other shopping areas nearby. For example, the Valley Park Retail Area has a big IKEA store. The Colonnades focuses more on entertainment and activities. It is the furthest south of the three leisure parks on the A23 Purley Way road. It is also close to Purley town centre.
Past Fun Spots
When the park first opened, it had many entertainment places. One popular spot was City Limits. This was a large indoor entertainment centre. It had a restaurant, a sports bar, arcade games, and bowling lanes. City Limits later closed down.
Other places that used to be there included Gipsy Moth, a family pub. There was also a food court with different restaurants. These included Subway, BBQ Xpress, China Wok, and Karahi Cuisine. The Gipsy Moth building was taken down in 2018. This made space for new shops. In early 2019, it was announced that McDonald's and Nando's would open there.
Current Fun Spots
In 2010, it was announced that the park would get the first drive-through Costa Coffee. This coffee shop opened in 2015. On October 2, 2019, plans were shared for a new KFC restaurant. This KFC opened in late October 2019.
Today, you can find many popular places at the Colonnades. These include Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Nando's. There is also a Premier Inn hotel. For activities, you can visit Kidspace, an indoor adventure playground. Oxygen Freejumping is another fun spot for trampolining. If you like to stay active, there's a Nuffield Health & Fitness Centre. Across the road from the park, you can also find a T.G.I. Friday's restaurant. There is also a Hilton Hotel nearby.
