Beloved south coast theme park set to reopen after nearly two years
A former UK theme park has announced plans to reopen as an adventure park, two years after closing its doors.
Adventure Wonderland Theme Park in Bournemouth first opened in 1992 with Alice in Wonderland -themed rides and rollercoasters.
Rising costs forced the park to shut its outdoor attractions in 2022, before the family theme park temporarily 'closed for a restructure' at the end of 2023.
At the time, the park near Bournemouth Airport said: 'The current trading climate and steep increase in key costs across the board is not conducive to the existing theme park model.'
A formal planning application has now been submitted to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to improve the existing theme park facilities.
Adventure Wonderland's transformation into a smaller adventure park will feature a maze, mini-golf and a go-karting track among its attractions.
Park bosses also plan to reopen the cafe and education facility, replace some former ride areas with outdoor play spaces and repurpose existing buildings.
Organisations, including Diverse Abilities and Discovery Village, have operated out of the theme park since it closed two years ago.
A statement from the planning application said: 'The aim of this proposal is to create a site which is better adapted for use by the occupants of Merritown, Discovery Village and Diverse Abilities.
'All of these tenants want to create sustainable spaces which focus on creative outdoor spaces which are stimulating environments with outdoor play, sensory gardens, water play, and utilise the existing external spaces and buildings on site', reported the Bournemouth Echo.
Adventure Wonderland initially opened as a pick-your-own fruit farm, eventually welcoming around 180,000 visitors to its tea cups, log flume and 'Wild Thing' indoor play area in the year before it closed.
There is currently no confirmed reopening date, but the park announced hopes to start the 'new adventure in 2025' last September.
In the 2024 update, the park shared on Facebook that the former Adventure Wonderland site was 'undergoing an exciting redevelopment '.
It added: 'With the Alice in Wonderland maze at the heart, we are working on a lovely new concept with children's play areas, sensory and wildflower gardens and beautiful outdoor spaces for children and adults to enjoy quality time together.'
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