Bubbles World of Play
Billed as the UK's biggest soft play. A long drive for soft play, but it's the one that turns a rainy day into an actual event, and the seafront is right there.
Birkenhead Priory & St Mary's Tower
Wirral, Merseyside
Medieval ruins hemmed in by a shipyard, with cranes over the chapter house roof. That is the setting, and it is the best thing about the place. There has been a monastery here since the twelfth century, which makes the Priory the oldest building still standing on Merseyside. It is free to go in, the tours are free, and there is free parking in its own car park.
For children the pull is St Mary's Tower. You climb it. At the top you get the shipyard, the Mersey and the Liverpool waterfront laid out below, which is a much better sell than the ruins themselves. Downstairs there is a chapter house, a crypt and the HMS Conway memorial, and enough uneven ground to keep a five year old occupied for the twenty minutes the adults want to read the boards.
The opening pattern needs writing down. Wednesday to Friday it does not open until 1pm in summer or midday in winter. Weekends it opens at 10am. Mondays, Tuesdays and bank holidays it is shut altogether. There are toilets, picnic space, cold drinks and snacks on site, and dogs on leads are fine.
Know before you go
- Weekday opening does not start until midday or 1pm depending on the season, so a Wednesday morning trip fails. Weekends open at 10am.
- The tower is the bit children remember, and it is stairs the whole way, so decide who is staying down with the small one.
- It is closed on bank holidays, which is precisely when you would think of going. Check which season's hours are running.
Worth knowing: Ground level is uneven but flat. The tower is stairs only, so somebody stays at the bottom with the pushchair.
Seasonal: Longer hours April to October. Check before travelling.
Looking for more museums & science near Wirral?
Also in Wirral
Eureka! Science + Discovery
A hands-on science centre built precisely for this age group - walk-through lungs and a supersize brain in the new Bodies gallery, inventions to test, and the ferry stop is literally outside. Entry converts to an annual pass, which changes the maths entirely.
New Brighton Seafront
Beach, marine lake, Fort Perch Rock at the river mouth, and the driftwood Black Pearl pirate ship built from beach findings that children treat as the best playground on Merseyside. Chips on the front to finish.
Ness Botanic Gardens
University of Liverpool's gardens above the Dee estuary: family trails, a wildflower meadow, a good playground and views across to Wales. Quieter than the National Trust circuit and better value.
Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston
Britain's first country park: a clifftop path above the Dee, a beach for fossicking below, and a visitor centre with bird hides. Wild-feeling without being remote.
Church Farm
A small, friendly Wirral farm park with animal handling most days, a maize maze in late summer, and Thurstaston Common and the beach five minutes away for a two-stop day.