Oakwood Theme Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Oakwood Theme Park

Previously known as Oakwood Leisure Park Oakwood Coaster Country
Location	Oakwood Theme Park, Canaston Bridge, Narberth, Wales
Coordinates	51°46′41″N 4°48′25″W / 51.778°N 4.807°W / 51.778; -4.807
Status	Open
Opened	14 April 1987; 38 years ago (1987-04-14)
Owner	Aspro Parks
Slogan	Wales' Biggest Family Day Out
Operating season	Late March / Early April to Early November
Attractions
Total	30
Roller coasters	5
Water rides	4
Other rides	17

Oakwood Theme Park is a fun theme park located in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was once known as Oakwood Leisure Park or Oakwood Coaster Country.

The park first opened in the late 1980s. It was a small family park with BMX bikes, a wooden fort, a 3D cinema, go-karts, and a water chute ride. Over time, Oakwood added four big thrill rides. These included Megafobia (1996), Vertigo (1997), Drenched (2002), and Speed (2006). Speed was a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster with a very steep 97-degree drop. It was the first Euro-Fighter in the UK!

Megafobia is a famous wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International. It is 85-foot-tall (26 m). Many roller coaster fans think it is one of the best in Europe. In 2016, Megafobia celebrated 20 years of thrilling rides at Oakwood.

Park History

Oakwood Theme Park was first owned by the McNamara family. They were farmers in Pembrokeshire who decided to try something new in 1987. They spent a year planning the park before it opened.

Oakwood Park Railway

Oakwood has a special narrow gauge railway on site. It has a 15 in (381 mm) gauge track. This railway helps transport visitors between the theme park and the car park. Riding the train is included in your park ticket!

Before 2016, the railway used four diesel locomotives. Two looked like old American steam trains. The others were a standard diesel engine and a diesel railcar. Since 2016, only one diesel locomotive is used. The park uses open "Severn Lamb" style carriages in warm weather. Enclosed coaches, which used to be at the Liverpool Garden Festival, are used all year round.

Growing into a Theme Park (1996–2008)

In 1994, the park added the Snake River Falls water coaster. This brought in more visitors. Because of this success, the park decided to become a more exciting "thrill" theme park.

In 1996, Oakwood got its first wooden roller coaster, Megafobia. It cost £1.7 million to build. With Megafobia, the park welcomed 500,000 visitors in one season for the first time! Also in 1996, Oakwood started its yearly "After Dark" event. This meant late-night openings, fireworks, entertainment, and cheaper evening tickets.

More big rides were added in the following years:

• Vertigo, a sky swing, in 1997.
• Bounce, a shoot and drop tower, in 1999.
• Hydro (later called Drenched) in 2002.
• Speed: No Limits in 2006.

New Era for Oakwood (2009–Present)

In March 2008, a company called Aspro Ocio S.A. from Spain bought Oakwood Theme Park. Since then, the park has made many changes.

In 2010, Oakwood introduced a brand new logo. The old logo had a train stop shape around the name. The new logo features a blue corkscrew roller coaster section. The words "Oakwood" and "Theme Park" are in a box below it.

In late 2012, the park announced a five-year plan to invest in new attractions.

In 2013, the "Kidz World" area was completely changed into "Neverland". The park added several new rides, including:

• Skull Rock
• Crocodile Coaster
• Neverland Chase
• Jolly Roger
• Aerodrome
• London Taxi Ride
• Tink's Flying School (formerly Plane Crazy)
• Journey to Neverland
• The Lost Boy Adventure

Some children's rides were also moved to the old Plane Crazy area. This new section became "Circus Land".

Park Theming

Oakwood calls itself a "theme park." For a long time, the only truly themed area was a small section. This area now has "Brer Rabbit's Burrow" and "Spooky 3D." This part of the park used to be called "Jake's Town" and had a "wild-west" theme.

After the main ride, "Nutty Jake's Goldmine," closed, the area changed. It became "New Orleans." This section featured a "ghost train" called Voodoo Mansion (2000). It also had a children's "dark ride" called "Brer Rabbit's Burrow" (2001).

Voodoo Mansion was later renamed "Spooky 3D" in 2003. In 2012, the New Orleans area was changed back to a Wild West theme.

In summer 2013, a big new "Neverland" theme opened. This area is based on the story of Peter Pan. It opened on May 23, 2013. As part of this change, some children's rides were moved. They formed a second themed area called "Circus Land." This area is for younger children (under 8) and took over the old "Plane Crazy" spot.

In 2014, a local chocolate company, Wickedly Welsh Chocolate, opened a Willy Wonka-themed chocolate bar in the park.

Seasonal Events

Oakwood Theme Park changes its look and feel throughout the year for holidays and summer.

• Summer: In 1996, when Megafobia opened, Oakwood started its "after dark" late summer openings. This tradition continued until 2008 and then restarted in 2011.
• Halloween: Oakwood began annual "eerie evenings" in 2000. These events stopped for a few years but relaunched in 2008 during the day for the October half-term. In 2011, "Brer Rabbit's Burrow" was re-themed as "Scare Rabbit's Hollow" for ages 10+. A horror maze (with an extra charge) also opened nearby. For 2013, Oakwood launched its "Halloween Spooktacular" event. This event lasted five days and included:
  • "Spooky Live": This was "Spooky 3D" in the dark with live actors.
  • "Theatre of Nightmares": A scary walk-through maze with live actors and animals for ages 16+.
  • "The Ghost of Skull Rock" show: This show was in the new Neverland area for all ages. It featured Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and The Lost Boys.

The evening ended with a firework display in Neverland.

• Christmas: In 1995, Oakwood used to open its original children's area, Play Town, as a winter wonderland. They also had a Christmas pantomime show with minor celebrities. Even though it was popular, the park decided to stop its Christmas openings.

Rides and Attractions

Roller Coasters

Coaster	Picture	Opened	Manufacturer	Description
Creepy Crawler		2017	Pinfari	This coaster used to be at M&D's park. In 2017, it moved to Oakwood as part of the new Dahl Land. It was called Flight of the Giant Peach. In 2018, the theme was removed, and it became Creepy Crawler.
Crocodile Coaster		2013		A steel roller coaster for kids. It used to be at Camelot Theme Park.
Megafobia		1996	Custom Coasters International	A thrilling wooden roller coaster with a twister style layout.
Speed: No Limits		2006	Gerstlauer	A Euro-Fighter coaster. It once held the record for the world's steepest roller coaster. It was also the UK's first coaster with a drop that goes beyond vertical!
Treetops Rollercoaster		1989	Zierer	A family-friendly steel roller coaster with a figure-eight track.

Past Attractions

Images for kids

• 

  Megafobia, the famous wooden roller coaster.

• 

  The thrilling first drop of Speed.

• 

  Hydro, a popular water ride.