Soft play & indoor play Blackpool
Somewhere dry when the forecast falls apart. Frames, ball pits, sensory rooms and bowling.
Blackpool now has enough indoor play to choose between, and the three split neatly by age. The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse under Sea Life on the promenade is the one for under 10s: six zones built round the Julia Donaldson books, from £12 a child and £5 an adult, booked in 15-minute entry slots. In term time a £9 adult and toddler ticket covers the under-threes.
Jungle World inside the Houndshill centre is the town-centre wet morning, with a slide it bills at 40 metres, trampolines and a mini zipline for 0 to 12s, though its prices only appear once you start booking. AirHop on Cornford Road is for the older ones: trampolines and airbags for 4 and up from £13.95 an hour, with its own soft play for 6 and under at £6.45. On term-time Tuesdays to Thursdays it does not open until 3pm.
The trampoline park on Cornford Road, formerly Ascent, with wall-to-wall trampolines and airbags for 4+ and a separate soft play for 6 and unders. In term time it does not open until 3pm Tuesday to Thursday.
Six play zones built around the Julia Donaldson books, tucked under Sea Life on the promenade. Aimed squarely at under 10s, with a wristbanded 90 minutes inside at busy times.
A big jungle soft play inside the Houndshill shopping centre, with a 40 metre slide, trampolines and a mini zipline for 0 to 12s. Handy for a town centre rainy day; the prices only appear when you book.
Two-tier soft play frame, low climbing wall, pirate ship, crawl tubes and a bouncy slide, plus Messy Monday and sensory sessions during the week.
Bigger than the average soft play: multi-level frame, a spooky room, an astro slide, a climbing wall, two mini bowling lanes and a slot racing track. The bowling is what makes it work when you have a toddler and a seven-year-old to keep happy at once.
Straightforward multi-level soft play with a café that adults can actually sit in. Nothing fancy, reliably works.
Soft play plus bowling under one roof, which solves the two-different-ages problem in a single trip. Ask for the barriers if anyone is under about six.
Council-run indoor play and sensory space. Quieter than commercial soft play, which suits some days better.
Funded holiday clubs with food included, ages 4 to 18, for families on benefits-related free school meals. Worth a look even if you assume you won't qualify.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.