Zip World Manchester
Treetop nets, high ropes and forest tubing in the woods of Heaton Park, and it is outdoors, not indoors. The cheap one is Treetot Nets: an hour bouncing on nets in the trees for ages 1 to 5, from £5, with a grown-up joining in.
Chorlton Water Park
- Cost
- Free, free parking
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Where
- Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
A local nature reserve beside the Mersey where the lake does the heavy lifting: a flat, buggy-friendly lap of about a mile, swans and ducks working the water, a pond with a dipping platform, and well-surfaced paths that link straight onto the Trans Pennine Trail if anyone brought a bike or scooter.
The playground earns the trip on its own: a big climbing frame with slides and nets, a zip line, a sand area with buckets and pulleys, and sensory panels and textured surfaces designed so children with additional needs are not watching from the side. Parking is free at the end of Maitland Avenue, with toilets at the car park and a small cafe for refreshments.
The catch is popularity. It sits just off the M60 and half of south Manchester has the same idea on the first warm Saturday, so the car park can be full by mid-morning.
What it costs: Everything is free, including the car park.
Know before you go
- The free car park at the end of Maitland Avenue fills fast on sunny weekends - arrive early.
- Toilets are by the car park, so make everyone go before you set off round the lake.
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What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.6 across 3,690 Google reviews.
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