Soft play & indoor play in Liverpool

For years Liverpool's answer here was Imagine That!, the three-floor play-and-discovery warehouse in Wavertree that does role play rooms and science shows as well as frames. It is still the biggest single day of the three, and the one that justifies a drive.

The other two split the city between them. Yellow Sub at Brunswick Business Park is the institution: a twenty-foot submarine in the middle of the frame, a helter skelter, a football pitch, open 9.30 to 6 every single day with walk-in entry from £5.45. Flip Out in the city centre covers the older end, trampolines and a ninja playground alongside its toddler soft play, though its term-time hours are eccentric, so check before you drive.

Soft play & indoor play in Liverpool

Yellow Sub

Liverpool~35 min

★★★★☆4.0(806)

Liverpool's most Liverpool soft play: a twenty-foot yellow submarine in the middle of the frame, a helter skelter, an astra slide and a football pitch, ten minutes from the Albert Dock. Open 9.30 to 6 every day.

From £5.45 off peak, babies £1.95IndoorsAges 1-12

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

Flip Out Liverpool

Liverpool~35 min

★★★★☆4.1(388)

The city-centre trampoline park's family floor: toddler soft play, a ninja playground, interactive football and a ball pit alongside the main arenas. Sessions are timed, book ahead.

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.

Session priceIndoorsAges 4-8

Jellybeans Play Centre

Warrington~15 min

★★★★☆4.1(641)

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.

Session priceIndoorsAges 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)

Council-run indoor play and sensory space. Quieter than commercial soft play, which suits some days better.

Low costIndoorsAges 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