Attractiepark Slagharen

Slagharen started in 1963 when Henk Bemboom put a few Shetland ponies in a field beside his cafe and charged for rides; it grew steadily, took on an American Western theme in the 1970s that it has kept, and is now a full amusement park with a resort of log cabins and a water park attached. The theming is saloon fronts, a steam train, a Mississippi paddle wheeler and a stage show, and the rides are mid-scale rather than record-breaking - a wooden-style coaster, a spinning coaster, water rides and a large children's section - with the ponies still there, which is the founding detail nobody has dropped. It is aimed at families with children up to about twelve and sits in a quiet corner of Overijssel with little around it, so most visitors stay in the accommodation on site rather than travelling in and out.

What you actually see

• A Western theme since the 1970s - saloon fronts, a steam train and a paddle wheeler.
• The founding ponies - still there, from the 1963 field that started it.
• Mid-scale rides - coasters and water rides rather than record-breaking machines.
• A resort of log cabins - accommodation and a water park on the site.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Honest expectations

It is for families with younger children - thrill-seekers should go to Walibi or Efteling. Seasonal opening. Busy in school holidays. It is remote, and there is little else nearby.

Nearby

Hardenberg is west; the German border is east.