Soft play & indoor play in Liverpool

Liverpool's indoor play is spread round the city rather than bunched in the middle, so pick by postcode as much as by age. Imagine That! in Wavertree is the biggest single day, three floors of frames, role play rooms and science shows, and the one that justifies a drive. Yellow Sub at Brunswick Business Park, the old institution, has closed to reopen as Monkey Town, so it drops off this page until it does. Jungle Fun above Belle Vale Shopping Centre is the old-school one: a tall frame, a toddler area, free parking outside, and the first adult in for £1.50.

Trampolines cover the older end, though not where the name suggests. Flip Out's city-centre site in Clayton Square has no trampolines at all: it is three floors of toddler soft play, a ninja playground, bumper cars and a roller rink, and its term-time hours are eccentric, so check before you drive. Jump Inc at Hunts Cross is the big one in the south, 40,000 square feet with a Jump Tower and slides. The park recommends the 90-minute session at £19.45, but the hour is £10.99, and most primary-age legs are finished after sixty minutes anyway.

Soft play & indoor play in Liverpool

Frankie + Lola's Liverpool

Liverpool~25 min

★★★★☆4.4(170)

A jungle-themed soft play and cafe at the ASDA in Hunts Cross. Walk-up only, adults go in free, and the cafe takes its coffee more seriously than most.

Children £6.99 off peak, £9.95 peak; adults freeIndoorsAges 1-8

Jungle Fun

Liverpool~25 min

★★★★☆4.4(785)

A proper old-school multi-level soft play above Belle Vale Shopping Centre, 19 years in and recently refurbished. Free parking, cheap adult entry, a separate toddler area and 1 hour 45 minute sessions.

£8.50 off-peak, £10 peak, adults £1.50IndoorsAges 0-11

Flip Out Liverpool

Liverpool~35 min

★★★★☆4.1(388)

A three-floor indoor adventure park in Clayton Square Shopping Centre, and despite the name it has no trampolines: toddler soft play, a ninja playground, a ball pit, interactive football, laser quest, bumper cars and a roller rink, all on one ticket. Sessions are timed, book ahead.

From £9.95 off-peak, £13.95 weekendsIndoorsAges 1-11

Imagine That!

Liverpool~30 min

★★★★★4.6(1,182)

A warehouse of hands-on pretend in Wavertree: a child-sized village with a diner and car wash, an art zone where they paint a real car, water play, and a slime pot to take home. The child ticket stings, but under-tens get a full session out of it.

Kids about £20, adults £8.95IndoorsAges 1-10

Jump Inc Liverpool

Liverpool~25 min

★★★★★4.7(488)

A 40,000 sq ft trampoline and adventure park at Hunts Cross, run by AirHop. Toddler Takeover is the bargain; the 60-minute Open Jump is the cheapest way in for bigger kids, and parents watch for free.

From £10.99 an hour, spectators freeIndoorsAges 1-14

Slimeville Liverpool

Liverpool~35 min

★★★★★4.6(132)

Slime making, projection games and a small soft play zone in a Duke Street unit, sold as 90 minute sessions. Pricier than a soft play, and the one indoor option in town where the mess is the point.

£23.90 for one child and one adultIndoorsAges 3-12

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