Brockholes Nature Reserve
A nature reserve with a visitor village that floats on the lake - genuinely floats. Easy flat trails, hides, a good playground and free family crafts through the summer holidays.
Jump Maniax Preston
Preston, Lancashire
The late finish is the thing. Term time it runs 11am to 7pm Monday to Thursday with last entry at 6pm, to 9pm on Fridays, and 10am to 8pm at weekends. In the school holidays it opens at 10am on weekdays with last entry at 7pm. Four o'clock on a dark February afternoon is exactly when you need somewhere like this, and it is one of the few places in Preston that is open.
Inside it is the full indoor play package: soft play frames, slides, inflatables, a separate toddler section for the ones who would be trampled elsewhere, and a bank of arcade machines for the age that has stopped climbing. Fishwick Park is close enough to central Preston to be easy and far enough out to have parking.
Pricing is the annoying part. Nothing is on the public pages, and the standard pass, family saver and various promotions are only priced once you are inside the booking flow. The site does advertise a buy one hour get one hour free deal, and a Toddler Time offer that admits one adult free. Work out what you are paying at home.
Know before you go
- Nothing is priced on the website. Go into the booking system at the kitchen table, not at the front desk.
- There is a Toddler Time session that admits one adult free. That is the one to aim for with a two year old.
Looking for more soft play & indoor play near Preston?
Also in Preston
The Harris
Preston's museum, gallery and library reopened in September 2025 after a £19m rebuild, and it is still free. A proper children's library, changing exhibitions and a cafe under one Grade I listed roof on the Flag Market.
Ribble Steam Railway & Museum
Steam trains along Preston's dockside with a museum shed full of engines, a playground and a tea room all on one ticket that covers all-day travel. A Saturday railway, so check the calendar before you promise anyone a train.
Avenham & Miller Parks
Two Victorian parks joined at the hip beside the Ribble: a Japanese rock garden, a riverside cafe, a playground sited between the two, and the Easter egg rolling hill. Preston's best free afternoon.
Wild Discovery
The small zoo inside Ribby Hall Village, open to anyone and not just people staying there. Meerkats, otters, wallabies, porcupines and an exotic house, done in an easy couple of hours.
Rascals Play Centre
Preston's big indoor centre at Bamber Bridge, minutes off the M6, with a sports court, a disco room and a quieter SEN session on Tuesday evenings.