Walton Hall & Gardens
The reliable default: gardens, a children's zoo, a big playground and plenty of room to run. Pay for parking, nothing else.
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
Holmes Chapel, Cheshire
The Lovell Telescope is one of the largest steerable radio telescopes on Earth, and no photograph prepares you for standing under it. The First Light Pavilion tells the story; the new Curious Titans exhibition and the arboretum do the hands-on and the running-about respectively.
Time the visit around the dish moving if you can - when it turns, conversation stops. Best from about six up, though the grounds work for anyone.
Know before you go
- Time your visit around the telescope moving if you can - when it turns, everyone stops.
Looking for more days out in Holmes Chapel?
What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.6 across 3,246 Google reviews.
Read all 3,246 reviews on Google - filter by star rating thereNearest to Holmes Chapel
Jungle Parc
High ropes and treetop courses in the grounds at Walton Hall. Reviewers rate the value, but frame it as one for the bigger, braver kids.
Gulliver's World
A theme park deliberately built for ages 2 to 13 rather than teenagers, so both of them can ride most of it. The classic full-day option on your doorstep.
Apple Jacks Adventure Farm
Farm animals, outdoor play and indoor barns, so a wet forecast doesn't cancel the day. Well matched to the 3-8 age range.
Giggles Play Mill
Two-tier soft play frame, low climbing wall, pirate ship, crawl tubes and a bouncy slide, plus Messy Monday and sensory sessions during the week.
Jellybeans Play Centre
Bigger than the average soft play: multi-level frame, a spooky room, an astro slide, a climbing wall, two mini bowling lanes and a slot racing track. The bowling is what makes it work when you have a toddler and a seven-year-old to keep happy at once.
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.