Botanic Gardens, Churchtown
Victorian gardens with an aviary, a lake, a fernery and a good playground, in Southport's prettiest village corner. Free, open every day of the year, and old-fashioned in the way that quietly suits small children.
Adventure Coast Southport
- Cost
- Free entry, pay per ride
- Ages
- 3 to 12
- Where
- Southport, Merseyside
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
The park formerly known as Southport Pleasureland relaunched for 2026 as Adventure Coast, and the big change is the money. Entry is free, and rides are pay as you go from £2, loaded on a £2 reusable card that each person needs, so a toddler who only wants three goes on the carousel no longer costs the same as a coaster-obsessed ten year old. Unlimited wristbands exist at £36 but sell in limited daily numbers.
The rides are grouped into themed lands: Viking Landing and Steampunk Bay for the thrill rides, Pirate Cove for the middle years, Cartoon Boardwalk for classic fairground stuff that suits the smallest. Add the beach and Marine Lake over the road and Southport still makes an old-fashioned full seaside day. Two car parks on site, picnics welcome, dogs on leads.
It is a traditional seaside funfair, not Alton Towers, and it is better once you accept that. Windswept, a bit loud, chips in the air. The kids will not notice the difference.
What it costs: Entry is free. Rides are paid for from a £2 reusable admission card, one per person, and cost £2 to £7 each; topping up £30 adds 10 bonus points and £40 adds 20. Unlimited wristbands are £36, released in limited numbers between 11am and midday. Cards could be reused through the 2026 season, which has now ended.
Know before you go
- The pay-as-you-go card is the budget saver: agree a top-up amount before you go through the gate and let the kids ration their own rides.
- The main park has closed for the 2026 season and reopens in 2027. Viking Golf and the Lakeside Miniature Railway open in the October half term alongside some Halloween activities, with dates still to be announced, so check the website before making the drive.
Worth knowing: Height limits apply on the bigger rides.
Seasonal: Main park closed for the 2026 season, reopening in 2027. Viking Golf and the Lakeside Miniature Railway open in October half term. Check before travelling.
Looking for more days out in Southport?
Sending it to the group chat?
What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.1 across 4,171 Google reviews.
Read all 4,171 reviews on Google - filter by star rating thereFrom Adventure Coast Southport’s own Instagram
Short videos the venue posted itself, newest first. Each one plays from Instagram only when you tap it.
Plays from Instagram, which can set its own cookies once it loads. Or watch it on Instagram.
Plays from Instagram, which can set its own cookies once it loads. Or watch it on Instagram.
Also in Southport
Southport Model Railway Village
A one and a half acre miniature Lancashire with one of the biggest garden railway systems in the UK, aimed squarely at the under-8s. Open late April to late September, and the trains stop if the weather turns nasty.
King's Gardens
Seventeen acres of restored Victorian seafront gardens with the Venetian Bridge over Marine Lake, boat hire, and the Tree Top Towers playground. Free, flat and right on the Promenade, so it slots around anything else you are doing in Southport.
Playtown
Southport's main play centre, on Ocean Plaza by the marine lake, with a big frame and a drop slide. Priced by age band, so babies are almost free.
Kinderworld Playbarn
A nursery playbarn on Bispham Road that opens to the public on weekday mornings, pre-booked. Small, quiet and aimed squarely at the under fives.
Dunes Splash World
Southport's indoor waterpark on the seafront: flumes, a wave machine, a lazy river and a proper toddler splash zone, all at 29 degrees. Open weekends year-round and daily in the Sefton holidays.
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.