Witton Country Park
Blackburn's biggest green space: 480 acres with adventure playgrounds, woodland trails and a visitor centre in the old Victorian stables. Free in, free to park, and it absorbs a whole afternoon without anyone asking for money.
Funtazia
Blackburn, Lancashire
Lancashire's biggest at 24,000 square feet, and it long ago stopped being a soft play centre in the normal sense. Go karts, bumper cars, laser tag and interactive football sit alongside three-storey climbing frames, ball pools and swings, which means it keeps eight and nine-year-olds interested rather than losing them at the door.
Prices split hard between peak and off peak. A term-time weekday is £8.95 for a child, weekends and school holidays £11.50, adults £2 throughout, and booking online takes 10% off. For a family of four in the holidays you are looking at about £27 before anyone mentions the cafe.
The cafe does halal food and outside food is not allowed, so plan for spending there. It shuts on Tuesdays. Sessions are timed slots rather than turn-up-and-stay, which is the detail most people miss.
What it costs: Off peak (term-time weekdays) £8.95 for 1 to 12s, £6 for 6 to 11 months and 13 to 17s. Peak £11.50 and £7.50. Adults £2. Under 6 months free. 10% off booking online.
Know before you go
- Closed on Tuesdays. It catches people out every half term.
- Sessions are fixed slots of 90 minutes to two hours, not all-day entry, so check which one you have booked before you plan lunch around it.
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