Soft play & indoor play in Bury

Radcliffe is where the value is. Jungle Mayhem and Funtastic sit five minutes apart, both charge around six pounds a child, and Jungle Mayhem lets adults in free while Funtastic refuses to put its prices up at weekends or in the school holidays. For a family of four in August that is the difference between a cheap morning and a proper spend.

Bury town itself has the two newer independents. Imagination Bay in Woodstreet Mill has gone for indoor sand, role play and craft rather than another climbing frame, which suits imaginative four-year-olds and bores nine-year-olds. Little Luxe is small, calm and built around inclusive play, with a sensory room to retreat into. Both run fixed sessions you have to book.

Soft play & indoor play in Bury

Funtastic Play Centre

Bury~35 min

★★★★☆4.2(320)

The long-standing Radcliffe centre, with a multi-tier frame, a proper toddler section and a home-cooked cafe. £5.50 a child on weekdays, and one adult per child gets in free.

£5.50 weekdays, £6.50 weekends, £7 holidaysIndoorsAges 0-11

Imagination Bay Adventure Play

Bury~40 min

★★★★☆3.9(173)

Beach-themed play in a converted mill: indoor sand, role play, a craft corner and a dance floor rather than the usual three-storey frame. Timed two-hour sessions and no walk-ins.

£7.95 + VAT a child, adults £1 + VATIndoorsAges 1-11

Jungle Mayhem

Bury~35 min

★★★★☆4.1(520)

Radcliffe's jungle-themed centre: a four-lane slide, a ball pool with suction tubes, a sports zone and a disco room. Adults get in for nothing, which is rarer than it should be.

£6 a child, adults freeIndoorsAges 0-11

Little Luxe Soft Play

Bury~40 min

★★★★★4.9(28)

A small independent built around inclusive play, with a multi-sensory calming room off the main floor. The one to try if a big noisy centre has gone badly before.

Book online - price not listedIndoorsAges 0-8

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