World of Glass
Free, indoors and better than it sounds: interactive science aimed at younger children, glassblowing demos, a picnic area and a small playground outside.
Crazy Club at Superbowl UK St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
Superbowl UK's St Helens branch on Linkway West is a bowling alley with a proper soft play attached. Crazy Club's main frame is for 4 to 12s, with a giant slide, aerial gliders, a racing track, biff bash bags and roller squeezers. Toddlers get their own smaller frame with obstacles and a little slide, and the gates are magnetically locked.
The website does not publish standard soft play prices, so check when you book. What it does list is a set of weekday toddler sessions: morning clubs from 9 to 11 with up to two hours of play and a free tea or coffee for the adult, and a Little Lunch Club from 12 to 2, Monday to Thursday. Children's meals are cooked to order.
The real advantage is everything else in the building. Ten-pin bowling, an arcade and pool tables sit next door, so a mixed-age family can split up and meet back for food without getting back in the car.
What it costs: Prices are not shown on the website. Weekday toddler clubs run up to two hours and include extras such as a free toddler breakfast or squash and a free tea or coffee for the adult.
Know before you go
- The weekday toddler mornings (9 to 11am, pre-booking essential) and the Monday to Thursday Little Lunch Club (12 to 2pm) are the value options, with food or a free hot drink for the grown-up folded in.
- The building opens at 9am every day, so this is an early-start rainy day that can turn into a game of bowling once the little one is done.
Worth knowing: Main frame 4 to 12; separate toddler frame.
Looking for more soft play & indoor play near St Helens?
Also in St Helens
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Dream, Sutton Manor
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Sankey Valley Park
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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.
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.
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