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.
Days out with the kids in St Helens
9 places in St Helens, Merseyside, 6 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
9 in St Helens6 free5 indoor
St Helens does not charge much for a childhood. World of Glass is free to get into, indoors and better than it sounds, with interactive science pitched at younger children; the live glassblowing demonstration is the one paid part, £5 an adult and £3.50 a child, and they will still be talking about it at tea. Dream at Sutton Manor is the strange one: a 20-metre white head rising out of a reclaimed colliery, reached by a short walk that is genuinely uphill, and worth it for the face-to-face moment at the top.
The parks do the rest of the work. Taylor Park has a lake, woodland walks and rowing boats in summer, Sherdley is the biggest, and Sankey Valley's flat, traffic-free towpath runs towards Warrington and was made for bikes and scooters. The council's funded holiday clubs include food for eligible families - worth a look even if you assume you won't qualify. Days out in St Helens with kids are mostly a choice between free green spaces, which is a good problem.
Places in St Helens
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.
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.
Sherdley Park
St Helens' biggest park. Play areas, open space and a walled garden, and it costs nothing.
Taylor Park
St Helens' Victorian park with a lake, woodland walks, a decent playground and rowing boats in summer. The reliable local hour that becomes an afternoon.
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.
North West Museum of Road Transport
A volunteer-run museum of old buses, fire engines, cars and motorbikes in St Helens' 1881 tram depot. Weekends only, adults £7.50 and up to four accompanied children free, which makes it one of the cheaper rainy Saturdays in the borough.
Willowbees Adventure Play
St Helens Council's own soft play, inside the Newton-le-Willows leisure centre: a 7.4 metre frame with three slides, a baby area, a children's library and a Costa in the cafe. Two hours for £6.50 on a weekday.
Crazy Club at Superbowl UK St Helens
The soft play inside St Helens' bowling alley: a main frame for 4 to 12s with a giant slide and aerial gliders, a gated toddler frame, and bowling and an arcade on the other side of the wall for when the older one gets bored.
What’s on in St Helens
4 dated events coming up, 1 of them this weekend.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (half-term pantomime) (opens in a new tab)
St Helens Theatre Royal
until 1 Nov. 24 and 25 October at 12pm and 6pm, then daily at 1pm to 1 November
A circus-themed half-term panto, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, at St Helens Theatre Royal from 24 October to 1 November. Two shows on the first weekend, then a 1pm matinee daily. A family ticket for four is £103.
Written by us
From The Ground Comes Light (opens in a new tab)
BrewDog Stadium, St Helens
5 Nov. Thursday 5 November, 5pm to 8pm
Saints' fire, light and fireworks show inside the rugby stadium, which means a proper view from the stands and a hard 8pm finish. It has sold out before. No parking at the ground, but the council's town centre car parks are free that evening.
Written by us
The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan (opens in a new tab)
St Helens Theatre Royal
28 Nov to 10 Jan. Selected dates, 28 November to 10 January
St Helens Theatre Royal's Christmas panto is Peter Pan, with The Chase's Mark Labbett as Captain Hook and Flavia Cacace as Tinkerbell. Runs 28 November to 10 January. Some weekday mornings are already sold out.
Written by us
Christmas Santa weekend at the North West Museum of Road Transport
North West Museum of Road Transport, Hall Street, St Helens
5 Dec to 6 Dec. Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, 10am to 4pm
Santa sits in a grotto bus (extra charge), there are Christmas crafts and a ride on the museum's Christmas bus, plus free face painting, children's entertainment and the model railways. A small, volunteer-run Christmas day out.
Written by us
Also worth the drive
Not in St Helens, but close enough for a day out.
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.
Speke Hall
A Tudor hall with woodland walks, a maze and a natural play area in the grounds. Free if you have National Trust membership, and the indoor house is a good rain fallback.
Formby Beach & Pinewoods
Huge sand dunes, a proper beach and red squirrels in the pinewoods behind it. The dunes alone will occupy them for an hour. Free entry if you have National Trust membership.
Bubbles World of Play
One of the biggest indoor soft plays in the UK, by its own account: more than 30 themed zones, giant slides, ball cannons and a role play mini city on the New Brighton seafront. School-day tickets are £8.50 and let you stay all day.
Museum of Liverpool
The city's story with an overhead railway carriage to climb aboard and Little Liverpool, a dedicated hands-on gallery for under-6s. Free, on the waterfront, and the window views are half the fun.
Merseyside Maritime Museum
Closed. The Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum next door are shut for essential maintenance ahead of a major redevelopment that National Museums Liverpool says is subject to funding, and no reopening date is published. The Albert Dock around them is still worth the walk, and the city's other national museums are free and open.
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.