Crealy Theme Park & Resort, formerly Crealy Adventure Park & Resort, is Southwest England’s largest family Theme Park attraction and is home to over 60 rides, attractions, live shows and a zoo.[citation needed] Located just outside Exeter and set in over 100 acres of countryside the business also consists of a large lodge, glamping and camping park that includes themed accommodation with a variety of entertainment, sports and leisure facilities.
The land for Crealy Theme Park & Resort was bought from King’s College, Cambridge in 1982. Its first visitors arrived in 1988 when it was operating as a farm, coming to see the cows being milked using its state-of-the-art dairy unit. It officially opened in 1989 as a working farm, Crealy the Great Farm Adventure, the same year its restaurant and Treetops playground were opened.
In 1992, the name of the park changed to Crealy Country and more attractions were introduced, including quad bikes and the bumper boat lake.
In 1994, the cows were sold so that their barns could be used for undercover attractions. The next year, the Adventure Zone was opened.
In 1997, the Magical Kingdom (now Buddy Bear’s Kingdom) was opened.
In 2000 the park’s first rollercoaster was added ? a Vekoma Junior Coaster called Maximus. Further rollercoasters were added in 2014 and 2015. Its 2015 addition, Twister Rollercoaster, a spinning wild mouse, is the largest ride in the park.
Crealy currently has over 60 rides, attractions and live shows. These include thrill rides, rollercoasters, water rides, and indoor and outdoor play areas. There is also the Animal Barn, which houses zoo and farm animals.
In 2012, the park opened accommodation nearby at Crealy Meadows Caravan and Camping Park. Now known as Crealy Meadows, the site offers camping and caravan pitches, themed tents, and luxury lodges and glamping.
In February 2019, Crealy abandoned zero-hour contracts for its staff in favour of permanent roles. The park speculated that it was one of the first theme parks in the country to do this.