Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington World of Adventures

Photo: Jeremy Thompson · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Chessington World of Adventures is a 128-acre combined theme park, zoo, and resort complex located in Greater London, approximately 12 miles southwest of central London, which originated as a zoo in 1931 before the theme park component was added in 1987 as one of Britain's first hybrid animal-amusement facilities. Now operated by Merlin Entertainments, the venue encompasses over 40 rides, more than 1,000 zoo animals, and multiple themed lands, and ranks among Europe's most-visited parks with approximately 1.5 million annual visitors.