Meadows Leisure Centre
A 25 metre five lane pool and a 12.5 metre learner pool in Maghull, with a changing village of family cubicles instead of a shared bench and a fight. The library is in the same building, so a swim and a book run is one stop.
Days out with the kids in Maghull
2 places in Maghull, Merseyside. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
2 in Maghull2 indoor
No sense dressing Maghull up: it is a leisure centre, and that is it. Meadows has a 25 metre five lane main pool and a 12.5 metre learner pool, and the changing village runs to family cubicles, a real improvement when you are getting more than one child dry and dressed. Adults £7.30, juniors £4.70. Good swim, not a day out.
Places in Maghull
The Fun Factor
Maghull's big multi-tiered soft play, with separate baby, toddler and junior zones and a four-lane astra slide that the older ones make a beeline for. Term-time weekdays are the cheap slot.
What’s on in Maghull
2 dated events coming up.
Maghull Christmas tree lights switch-on (opens in a new tab)
Maghull Square
20 Nov. Friday 20 November, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Maghull Town Council switches on the Christmas tree lights in Maghull Square on Friday 20 November, 5.30pm to 6.30pm. A short community evening, so wrap up and get there for the start.
Written by us
Santa's Grotto at Sefton Meadows (opens in a new tab)
Sefton Meadows Garden Centre, Sefton Lane, Maghull
21 Nov to 24 Dec. Daily, 21 November to 24 December (10am to 5pm, Sundays to 4pm)
A garden centre grotto: through the winter wonderland to Father Christmas, with Breakfast with Santa in Rosie's Restaurant and a 4D VR sleigh ride if you want to make a morning of it. Handy on a wet Saturday, but the price only shows once you are in the booking system, and tickets are online only.
Written by us
Also worth the drive
Not in Maghull, but close enough for a day out.
World of Glass
Free to get in and better than it sounds: hands-on stations on glass, lenses and fibre optics, a Victorian street and the old Tank House, with live glassblowing around midday and 2pm for a small extra charge. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Sherdley Park
St Helens' biggest park. Play areas, open space and a walled garden, and it costs nothing.
Dream, Sutton Manor
A 20-metre white head rising out of a reclaimed colliery, with woodland trails around it. Genuinely strange and memorable for kids, and a short walk rather than a hike.
Sankey Valley Park
A green corridor of canal towpath and parkland running from St Helens down towards Warrington. Flat, traffic-free and ideal if the bikes or scooters are coming.
Holiday Clubs (HAF)
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.
Family & Friends Playcentre
A small play centre in the old Prescot Gospel Hall built for under-fives, with a role-play street, a soft play house with slides and a ball pool, and a baby corner. Weekday mornings only, closed Tuesdays, and adults go in free.
Knowsley Safari
Drive through the reserve from the car, then the sea lion and birds of prey shows. Reviews are split on value, and several warn that families expect a full zoo and find fewer headline animals, so set expectations first.
World Museum, Liverpool
Five floors, free, and it covers three things small children reliably love: giant dinosaurs, an aquarium and a space gallery. The best wet-weather day within half an hour.
What’s on near you, every Friday
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.