Soft play & indoor play in Bolton

Bolton is better served than its neighbours, and the five barely overlap. Playtopia is the cheapest to bring adults to, at a pound a head. Party and Play at Westhoughton has an outdoor area, so a bright-but-cold morning is not wasted indoors. Amazonia, in the vaults under the Market Place, pairs a jungle frame with an 18-hole indoor golf course, £9 for both.

For bigger children there are two trampoline options. That Fun Place shares a building with Jump Xtreme, which makes it the fixture for a four-year-old and a ten-year-old who want opposite days out. AirVault on the Wingates estate at Westhoughton mixes trampolines with inflatables and has a term-time toddler morning at £5 for three hours.

Soft play & indoor play in Bolton

Amazonia

Bolton~30 min

★★★★☆4.2(465)

A jungle-themed play frame and an 18-hole indoor adventure golf course in the vaults under Bolton's Market Place. The play-and-golf combo is £9.

Play £5.50, adults £1.20IndoorsAges 1-14

Fun Valley Bolton

Bolton~35 min

★★★★☆4.4(788)

Indoor play centre on Blackburn Road with junior and toddler frames, a parent cafe and free parking. Two-hour sessions are £8 for ages 4 to 13, £7 for under-4s and £1.50 for adults. Closed Mondays in term time.

Ages 4 to 13 £8, under-4s £7, adults £1.50IndoorsAges 1-13

Playtopia

Bolton~35 min

★★★★★4.5(187)

Bolton's biggest recent soft play opening, with a sports court and a gym room alongside the frame. Adults are a pound, which is the number that decides where you go on a wet Tuesday.

£5.50 to £8.50 a child, adults £1IndoorsAges 1-12

AirVault Inflatable & Trampoline Park

Bolton~25 min

★★★★☆4.4(643)

Trampolines and inflatables under one roof on the Wingates Industrial Estate, with a covered sports court and a mezzanine cafe overlooking the lot. The term-time toddler morning is £5 for three hours.

From £9.95 an hour off-peakIndoorsAges 1-14

Party and Play Funhouse

Bolton~25 min

★★★★☆4.1(910)

An independent at Westhoughton with an outdoor play area as well as the indoor frame, go karts on top, and a baby sensory room for the under ones. Free parking.

£11.45 a child off-peak, £13.45 peakIndoorsAges 0-12

That Fun Place at Jump Xtreme

Bolton~35 min

★★★★☆4.3(1,000)

The soft play bolted onto Bolton's big trampoline park, so the four-year-old and the eleven-year-old can both be occupied in the same building. Over 115 trampolines next door.

Book online - price not listedIndoorsAges 1-11

Soft play & indoor play elsewhere in the North West

Giggles Play Mill

Warrington~10 min

★★★★☆4.2(164)

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.

£6.75 a child, adults freeIndoorsAges 4-8

Jellybeans Play Centre

Warrington~15 min

★★★★☆4.3(504)

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.

£6 off-peak, £12 at weekends and half termsIndoorsAges 4-9

Fun2b

Warrington~10 min

★★★★☆4.2(200)

Straightforward multi-level soft play with a café that adults can actually sit in. Nothing fancy, reliably works.

Session priceIndoorsAges 4-8

Tenpin Warrington

Warrington~10 min

★★★★☆4.2(1,663)

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.

Per game / sessionIndoorsAges 4-11

Play & Sensory Centre

Warrington~10 min

★★★★★4.5(16)

A council-run play centre in Woolston built for disabled children and adults and anyone with additional needs, with a sea-themed soft play, a calm zone, a pre-school area and a full sensory room with a hoist. Sessions are booked in advance.

Price not listedIndoorsAges 4-8

Holiday Clubs (HAF)

St HelensIn town

★★★★★5.0(17)

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.

Free if eligibleIndoorsSchool holidaysAges 4-11