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Just to the north of Poitiers lies the "intellectual theme park" of
Futuroscope. This was the real reason we stayed in the area. Keeping costs down we opted for the
B&B(2) Hotelwhich is right next door to the B&B(1) but cheaper! It was basic but more than met our needs. We also found that we could walk to Futuroscope from there too, which was a bonus. Not that they wanted you to walk: there were no footpaths encouraging you to drive and pay 7 Euros to park for the day. We braved the traffic!!
On the website there were various deals offering packages with a hotel and the entrance ticket. We found that it was better value to book a hotel and pay for our entry at the gate. Even at 39 Euros each to go in, it worked out a better deal. Outside the park two giant mannequins greeted us. We went inside just minutes after the gates opened at 10am and naturally expected to go straight on to any attraction we wanted to visit. Sadly everyone was directed to the same two attractions meaning there were long queues. It was an inauspicious start to the day as we had
to wait for about half an hour to see what
Dynamic Vienne was all about. We were not disappointed as we flew through the air over the local region and sped through the streets in a racing car. In the digital world, nothing is impossible! It's even possible for a talking tree to be suffering from a cold and sneeze all over you. The first time was a shock, the second time was funny, the third time was just disgusting!!!!
That was the only time we queued all day. The attractions are spaced and timed so that you don't have a lot of waiting around. The first week of July would seem the perfect time to go as we're not sure how much standing around there would be at busier times of the year. Next for us was
Ultimate Wave Safari where we learned all about how waves are formed and how they combine together to make perfect waves for surfers. The gigantic IMAX screen made you feel you were actually in the water with the surfers and certainly made us realise how dangerous a sport it can be. This film is housed in a very futuristic glass building.
Indeed, the architecture and setting are a big part of the attraction. All of the buildings catch the eye and the outdoor water attractions for youngsters are beautifully designed. For the rest of the day we learned about how household waste is clogging up the oceans and rode jetskis whilst wielding lasers to zap the trash with. We flew with the birds above dolphins and whales in an amazing video which played out both in front of and below us. We travelled in 3D to Borneo and Kenya to learn about the work being done to save orphaned orangutans and elephants. We experienced the cold of the Andes as we flew with the early air postal service between Argentina and Chile, experiencing tragedy and triumph along the way. We were shrunk to a fraction of ourselves as we chased through an underground Labyrinth with
Arthur and the Minimoys. Finally we travelled back and forth in time between an archaeological dig and the sea monsters they uncovered, again in IMAX 3D. It was a great day and certainly exceeded expectations.
Having exhausted ourselves we left the park and walked back to our hotel, our hands being stamped with invisible
ink on our way out so we could return later for the night show. After a siesta, shower and dinner, we made our way back to find out that the invisible ink was truly invisible, even to the special light pen which was supposed to illuminate it! Thankfully they let us back in with no arguments. Good job too as the show was fabulous. I thought
Lady O was going to be a real singer taking part in a spectacular laser show but that's not quite how it turned out. First though, we were treated to the pre-show entertainment of a presenter asking multiple choice questions about the park and listening to hundreds of shrieking schoolkids saying "pick me, pick me!". It wasn't too bad really as we had bought a beer each and, as there was nobody to stop us taking our refreshments to our seats, we sat there and soaked up the atmosphere.
Once the show begin the initial disappointment of no live performer was swept away by a dramatic, sometimes dark and scary, tale of the world of colour being taken over by the dark before two heroines, Melody and Harmony, saved the day. It was
a feast of fountains, lights, lazers, music and fireworks and thoroughly entertaining even if the voice over was entirely in French. We got the gist! Anyway, it was all about the special effects and they were truly amazing.
So that was it for our day at Futuroscope. It was a brilliant day and we highly recommend it. There are attractions for younger kids but we didn't really look at them at all. They seemed to involve getting wet!!
Some advice if you are going. We found the best value in the restaurants around the park in
Buffalo Grill which are everywhere in France where people would stop along the motorway for the night. Inside the park, food and drink were reasonably priced. You could get a good burger for less than 5 Euros and beer, whilst expensive, was no more than it cost outside the park. There are plenty of picnic areas too, so you can take your own food with no hassle from security guards at all, unlike some other theme parks!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
An intellectual theme park
Interesting, thanks for sharing.