If you are looking to give (or receive) a gift with a difference this year then annual passes are a great thing to consider. Instead of filling your house with more toys and things that are barely looked at a season ticket to your favourite attraction or place to go in Essex will give provide hours of entertainment.
Preschoolers may want something physical to unwrap on Christmas morning, but older children will appreciate the excitement of future days out and you will all appreciate the happy memories. The prices vary across the memberships so there is an option for most budgets.
Ideas for Memberships, Annual Passes and Season Tickets for Family Attractions in Essex
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| Annual Passes make the perfect gift for Christmas |
1. Colchester Zoo Annual Pass (Colchester Zoological Society)
Colchester Zoo is a firm favourite among Essex families and for good reason. With over 150 species across it's a fantastic day out.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited entry for 12 months and as it’s open every day except for Christmas Day you really do get a whole years worth of entry.
- Discounts on animal experiences
- 10% discount in food outlets and the Outpost Gift Shop
- Free entry is to selected special events.
- Free entry into 9 other zoos, none of them are nearby though.
Cost
Current prices: Children 3 to 15 years £52, Adults £72.50
Family savings: If 3 of more passes are bought at the same time you get 15% off. Children age 0-2 can get a tiger club card which is free, but it's useful when bookings are needed.
Check out our tips for visiting Colchester Zoo here.
Visit Colchester Zoo website to buy membership.
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| Colchester Zoo is open all year round so you can make the most of your annual pass |
2. Adventure Island Annual Pass
For thrill seekers near Southend-on-Sea, Adventure Island's annual pass are a great buy.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited rides all season.
- Discounts on food and drink.
- Discounts at related attractions (eg Adventure Golf and Sealife Adventure).
- Extra credit in the arcades.
- While the outside area is closed in the winter months, the inside arcade and soft play (for up to age 10) is open all year.
Cost
It costs £60 per person for a pass. Last year they had a big discount during the winter months, but there is no guarantee this will be repeated.
If you will only be visiting with children under 120cm it’s worth noting that adults can accompany them on suitable rides for free so you would only need a season ticket for the child. You need your own season ticket to go on rides without them and to ride with children over 120cm.
Check out our review here.
Buy your season ticket here.
3. RHS Garden Hyde Hall Membership
For nature lovers, an RHS membership which includes access to Hyde Hall is perfect
Benefits include:
- Free entry to Hyde Hall and the 4 other RHS gardens.
- Individual adult membership allows entry for the member and a family guest or 2 children (4 for joint membership)
- Free entry to over 220 partner gardens for the member.
- Monthly magazine and personalised gardening advice.
- Reduced entry to RHS flower shows.
- Discounts on plants and garden accessories.
- RHS Hyde Hall is open all year and children will enjoy the play area.
Currently membership is £78 for single, or £118 joint (reduces to £58.50 or £88.50 for your first year if paid by direct debit.)
A Christmas gift membership comes with a gift pack and other additions and is the same as individual membership. This has the benefit of being valid from when the recipient activates it. It costs £74 (although an early bird price is £59).
Find out why children will enjoy RHS Hyde Hall with children here.
Find out more information about membership here.
4. Marsh Farm Annual Pass
Marsh Farm has animals, a large soft play, outdoor activities including role play and dinosaurs as well as great regular themed events.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited entry February to October
- Discounts on special events eg The Father Christmas Experience
- 10% off food and drink.
Cost
Membership is £8.99 per month per person over 6 months old (so £107.88 a year). They only have a monthly payment option, but it has a minimum of a year commitment.
Find out everything you need to know about visiting Marsh Farm here.
Buy tickets or membership on the website here.
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| Marsh Farm has a soft play, outside play areas, animals and more |
5. Audley End Miniature Railway Season Ticket
- Unlimited visits on standard entry days (ie not Easter, Christmas or Halloween)
- Visits must be booked in advance online and are subject to availability.
- Priority booking for special events (and as these tend to sell out so this means you can choose the best dates for you).
- 10% off in the gift shop and cafe
Cost
Children over 92cm and adults £40, children under 92cm £20, children under 1 year free.
Find out what to expect from a day out at Audley End Miniature Railway here.
Buy memberships here.
6. Call of the Wild Zoo Annual Pass
Call of the Wild Zoo (which took over the former Tropical Wings site) is a lovely small zoo which is constantly developing and investing in improvements.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited entry for 12 months
- 10% off in the gift shop and snack shack
Cost
Season ticket prices appear to be £31.98 for adults and £27.98 for under 16s.
Buy membership on their website here.
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| Call of the Wild Zoo is constantly improving and has lots of cute animals |
7. Barleylands Farm Park Annual Pass
Barleylands is a good blend of animals, education and play areas for children with a soft play, inside play areas and outside playgrounds.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited entry to the farm park (open 362 days a year)
- Early purchase and 20% off spooky nights, their super popular low bang family fireworks and Santa’s grotto tickets
- Bring a friend for free on your birthday
- 20% off parties
- 10% off in the play barn cafe and Barleylands Tiptree Tearoom
Cost
Individual membership is £80 for adults or children and £25 for under 2s. Family of 4 membership £270, so a £50 saving if you are buying for 4 people.
Read our review from visiting here.
Check out the membership options on their website here.
8. Old MacDonald's Farm Season Ticket
A great day out for toddlers and preschoolers this farm has animals, rides and lots of play areas.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited visits in season (February to October)
- Includes access to special events (excluding the Christmas event)
Cost
A season ticket currently costs adults £77.99, children (2 to 15) £79.99
Check out their website for more information.
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| Lots of play areas and animals at Old Macdonald's Farm |
9. Epping Ongar Railway Railcard
Largely volunteer run this railway has a combination of diesel and steam engines running on a section of track that used to be the Central line running out into Essex.
Benefits include:
- Whilst it's not a typical annual pass the railcards offer discounts so is a good option for people that like to go throughout the year to the none event days.
- A family railcard for 2 adults and up to 3 children saves you 1/3 on all day rover tickets bought.
- Not valid on halloween, Santa Special or other special events.
- There is also a residents railcard for those living in CM5 and CM16 which entitles the card holder to half price tickets for them and 3 guests.
Cost
Both railcards cost £12 for a year.
10. Leisure Centre Annual Passes
If you love swimming as a family then an annual pass to the Council leisure centres can work out a good option. They will normally give you access to multiple pools across the area and may include inflatable sessions too. Some areas have some great bonuses eg the Chelmsford Wellness Kids Membership includes ice skating and Colchester includes the leisure pool with flumes.
11. Explore Essex Explorer Pass
This season ticket is for the Essex Country Parks. Ok it is just a car parking ticket, but with the Country Parks including The Gruffalo Trail at Thorndon, The Stickman Trail at Weald, the brilliant play trail at Great Notley and more it will help support lots of brilliant days out.
Benefits include:
- Covers parking at 7 Essex Country Parks (Belhus Woods, Cudmore Grove, Danbury, Great Notley, Hadleigh, Thorndon and Weald)
- 10% discount at The Tiptree Tea Rooms at Cressing Temple Barns
- 10% discount at the main cafes at Weald, Belhus, Great Notley and Hadleigh Park
- Get a two for one sky ropes voucher.
- Includes 2 days free parking for a friend.
12. Clacton Pier Annual Pass
If you like rides and live to the North of Essex then an Annual Pass to Clacton Pier might be a good option. There are less rides than at Southend, but it's still fun for families.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited access to all rides and attractions on the pier (worth noting there are rides outside the Pier managed by a separate company and not included).
- 20% off attractions including: mini-golf, go karting, soft play and bowling.
- 20% off food and drinks from most outlets on the pier.
An annual pass is currently £55 per person
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| Clacton Pier annual pass gives you access to the rides |
13. Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside
A fun indoors place to visit for a couple of hours with young children outside Lakeside shopping centre.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited visits
- 10% off in cafe
- 10% discount in shop
- 10% off birthday parties
- 20% off photos
Cost
Child pass £39.99, Family £89.99 (one adult, 2 children) or £99.99 (2 adults, 2 children) or Child pass £39.99 alongside £19.99 for an adult pass.
You can read out review here.
Find out more about membership here.
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| Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside is loved by preschoolers |
14. Sealife Adventure Annual Pass (Southend-on-Sea)
This is an aquarium on Southend sea front with a range of animals too and it has a low cost membership option which is great for those who live nearby. it's worth noting this is not affiliated with the Merlin Sealife centres.
Benefits include:
- Unlimited entry to the zooquarium for 12 months
- 20% off at the gift shop
- 20% off at Three Shells Cafe and all Adventure Island family food outlets (eg the sit down places)
- 20% entry for friends or family visiting with you (both at Sealife Adventure and Adventure Island)
- 50% off animal encounter experiences
- 50% off Adventure Golf and Photo Souvenirs
Annual pass costs £18 per person (under 90cm are free). It can be bought in advance (as a gift) and runs for 12 months from when activated.
Read what you can expect from a visit here.
Find out more about their annual passes here.
15. Stubbers Adventure Centre
Stubbers is a great activity centre where you can do everything from kayaking to archery, climbing and more. While the water activities are seasonal they are open all year round.
Benefits:
- Covers entry all year round to the play area, trails, coffee shop and sand play (with paddling beach).
- 10% off all bookable activities including SMASH Camps and experiences.
- 10% off in the coffee shop.
- No prebooking required for general entry.
- Priority on special events and offers
Cost
You can get Family membership for £119 for one adult plus up to four guests or Individual membership for £48 for one adult plus one guest.
Find out what we thought of their Holiday Day Camps here.
Buy membership here.
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| Access the general areas at Stubbers all year round with membership |
16. Wyvernwood Annual Pass
This outdoors storyland with wizards and fairies makes a lovely day out and they have different themed adventures throughout the year.
Benefits:
- Includes year round entry (when open) including special events
- 10% off food and drink
- 10% off in the Treasure Trove (gift shop)
- No need to prebook entry
Cost:
SPECIAL 25% DISCOUNT FROM 18TH NOVEMBER TO 2ND DECEMBER (They often have offers on the annual pass so it's worth signing up to their mailing list or following their social media to catch these).
Full price annual passes cost £70 for adults and £80 for children.
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| Wyvernwood, near Colchester |
17. Soft Play
Most soft plays offer annual passes including Mayce Place (Chelmsford) , Kidspace (Romford) and Play360 (Basildon). They are a good option for visiting whatever the weather so you can get great value from these memberships.
18. A Cinema Pass
With an annual pass for the cinema you can catch all the films you want throughout the year. Sadly I can't see any for children, but if you are buying for someone 16 or older they could make a great gift.
- For 16 years plus only.
- 10% off snacks and drinks (going up to 25% after 3 months or with annual membership paid in advance).
- Price varies depending on the cinemas you want to use it at. Essex cinemas are £17.99 to £19.99 a month.
- 18 plus years only
- 10% off food and drink
- 25% off food at Pizza express
- £14.99 a month (or £17.99 if you want to use Luxe cinemas and posher seats)
Find out where all the cinemas are in Essex here.
19. Essex Wildlife Trust Membership
Support local conservation efforts while enjoying nature with an Essex Wildlife Trust membership. This is more of a charity donation than an annual pass that gives you access.
Benefits
- Free entry to all Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserves and Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves around the UK (although I’m pretty sure they are all free anyway)
- Quarterly magazine and what's on guide
- There is also a Watch membership for children which comes with a handbook, posters, children’s magazine, stickers and a badge.
- This membership is primarily a charity donation to support the work of the Wildlife Trust.
£48 individual. Family membership is from £72 a year, although you can donate more if you want
Watch membership for children costs £18 a year
20. English Heritage
While many of the Essex sites (like Hadleigh Castle) are free entry anyway, it does give you access to Audley End House and Gardens and Tilbury Fort.
Benefits:
- You can bring up to 6 children per adult
- Gives you free access to over 400 sites across the country and reduced price to many of the events.
- Free parking at most sites
- Supports the work the charity does preserving historic sites
Cost
Family membership for 1 adult and up to 6 children is £72 or £126 for 2 adults and up to 6 children.
You can sign up to membership here. and get 15% off until the end of the year with the code: EHAFF2024
21. National Trust
While there are limited National Trust properties in Essex it does cover visiting inside the house at Paycocke’s House and Garden, Bourne Mill and free parking at Hatfield Forest as well as nearby places like Sutton Hoo, Wimple Estate and Chartwell.
Benefits
- Free entry to National Trust properties across the country
Cost
Family memberships cost £99 for 1 adult and children or £159 for 2 adults and children. The number of children (or grandchildren) that can be added is unlimited, but they all must be named.
Junior membership is also available for £12 a year (but doesn’t include car parking) and under 5s go free.
Find out more about National Trust membership here.
22. Football Season Ticket
We might not have any premiership teams in Essex, but there is plenty of entertaining football to see across the county and many of these offer affordable season tickets (at least affordable compared to the big teams).
Cost
Prices vary depending on the team and the stand, but Colchester FC (Currently League 2) price for an adult and free under 11 starts at £267.83. Also worth checking out Southend United and Braintree Town are in the National League.
23. Essex County Cricket
The Essex County Cricket ground in in Chelmsford so membership can make a great gift for those that love cricket and live nearby.
Benefits
- A season ticket includes free entry to home LV= Insurance Country Championship games.
- Free entry to Metro Bank One Day Cup group stage games
- Priority book for some other games.
- Adult season tickets have some additional benefits.
Cost:
For the 2024 season Junior Tickets cost £15, youth (18-25) £85 and Adult £246
Investing in annual passes not only saves money in the long run but also encourages you to make the most of these fantastic Essex attractions throughout the year. Whether it's a quick after school visit to the zoo or a full day out during the holidays, having these passes makes it easy to create lasting family memories without worrying about the cost each time.
When choosing your annual passes, consider your family's interests, the age of your children and how often you're likely to visit. Some passes, like those for smaller attractions, might be more affordable and offer a more relaxed, less crowded experience. Others, like the larger zoos or adventure parks, might offer more variety but could be busier during peak times.
Also, don't forget to check if any of these attractions offer 'bring a friend for free' days or similar promotions. These can be great opportunities to introduce friends to your favourite spots and get even more value from your pass.
All details are accurate at the time of publishing based on the companies websites.
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