A Day Out at Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside

Ever since Jupiter brought home a Spongebob Squarepants video game to review, the kids have been really interested in this strange, underwater sponge. With requests of Krabby Patties and random singing of “Krusty Krab Pizza, is the Pizza, for You and MEEEEE” around the house, we thought it was time to take the kids to Nickelodeon Adventure at Lakeside! This place has a massive Spongebob Squarepants section, as well as a Paw Patrol area and a Teenage Ninja Turtles area, but whoever you take needs to really love one of these TV shows to make it worth while.

Paw Patrol Area

The first area we went into was the Paw Patrol area, which had a bunch of different vehicles from Paw Patrol, which were interactive but did not move. Robin, who loves Paw Patrol, was really interested in checking out each of these cars, turning buttons and powering them up! Several kids can fit in each one, and while they don’t move, they are quite fun to climb on and interact with! The Paw Patrol area also had a tower that can be climbed with a long slide coming out of it, which was circled and used over and over.

Spongebob Squarepants Area

The largest area of the three that were open was the Spongebob Squarepants area, which featured one major ride, one major game and a large amount of interactive features. The ride was Spongebob’s driving test, which included getting your picture taken, going to Ms. Puff’s boating school (which featured an instructions video that told the children how to ride the boats) then onto the boats themselves. The boats could then move around a large track that was set up just like Bikini Bottom! The big game within the area was Jelly Fishing, of course. Three people can use a little net to grab balls as they move around a small area, getting points as they go. This was something that Kai and Amelia played quite a bit, as it’s a quick and fun challenge.

The different interactive features around the area were the most exciting thing for Jupiter and I, as each area was from a scene from Spongebob Squarepants. Jupiter knows basically all of the episodes by heart, so she could explain what they were all from. These different features had interactive areas, where the kids would run in place, step on a piano, spin a flower or even row, which then lit up buildings, move characters around, spun flowers or, in Amelia’s favourite place, opened up Spongebob’s pineapple home and revealed a giant dance party with jelly fish and pop music. Though it may not look like a ride, the kids ran back and forth between the areas, playing with them all over and over.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Area

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle area of Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside was half closed when we went, as the soft play has been unable to open right now. Without the soft play, this area had a ride where the children needed to peddle while the vehicles moved in a circle – the harder they peddled the higher their seat would rise, bringing them well into the air. This was a cool idea, as it encouraged them to interact while riding the ride. There was also a 4D Ninja Turtle movie, acting as a ride with a height limit, where the mini-movie twisted our seats, blew air in our faces, whacked at our legs, and even hit our backs. It was an interesting movie, but it’s actually the only movie they ever show, so if you do come back again, it’s probably not worth watching the same movie again and again.

Slime Cafe & Other Areas

Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside does have a Slime Cafe, as they do not allow you to take in food and drink (thought people had taken in lunches and were eating them in this dinning area). The food is pretty standard and very expensive for what it is, we ended up paying what we paid in tickets to enter in food, which was very disappointing. The food is not themed in anyway and items we ordered didn’t come as the menu described – drink options listed on the menu not being given to us and hot dogs were missing crispy onions, which then came out after we asked in a large bowl. It’s just not worth it.

In between other areas, there was a Rugrats soft play, which was also closed, as well as a game from The Ren & Stimpy Show, where two people could sit in a seat, putting down a grabber which then could be filled with balls and dropped on a convener belt, which then tumbled out of a giant nose. Dora the Explorer also made an appearance, with an interactive game where the kids could stomp their feet to connect constellations, while using their hands to cast a star around, connecting the lines that are appearing.

You can also meet different characters from the TV shows featured there. On the day we went, Spongebob Squarepants was visiting, as well as Chase from Paw Patrol. The children were very excited to meet them! You are able to take your own pictures when your kids meet the characters, however, they also sell professional photos taken at the time. There is a large screen that lets you know who is going to be appearing and when, which is very handy.

The staff are also very helpful here, when we entered they told us who was appearing that day and even came and found us as we had said we were interested in seeing both, letting us know it was time. Throughout our time at Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside, the staff were just generally very excited and helpful, guiding Kai onto a new area or encouraging them to in whatever game they were playing.

Overall, we have mixed feelings about Nickelodeon Adventure Lakeside. The 4D movie should really change each week, at the very least, and there wasn’t that many big rides to do for the price. If you aren’t a fan of Spongebob Squarepants, a majority of this area wouldn’t be fun for you, so that’s another consideration. We will probably go again, just to check out the soft play, but it is quite an expensive day out.

You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!