Botanic Gardens, Churchtown
Victorian gardens with an aviary, boating lake, fernery and a good playground, in Southport's prettiest village corner. Old-fashioned in the way that quietly suits small children.
King's Gardens
Southport, Merseyside
Southport's showpiece gardens, opened by George V in 1913 and given a £5 million restoration that finished in 2014. The result is that rare thing, a Victorian park that actually works for children: the Venetian Bridge arching over Marine Lake, pedalos for hire from the lake ticket office, crazy golf, and Tree Top Towers, an adventure playground with slides, climbing structures and a wire tunnel that is up with the best in the region.
It is all free to walk in and flat enough for scooters and buggies end to end. Boats and golf cost extra, and on a windy day the seafront takes no prisoners, so pack accordingly. Pay and display parking sits along the Promenade and the town centre is a few minutes on foot.
The Grade II listed shelters and the fernery are the clue that this was once serious Victorian showing off. Your children will not care, but the bridge photograph is obligatory.
Know before you go
- Do the Venetian Bridge and a lap of Marine Lake first, then release them into Tree Top Towers - once they are in the playground you will not get them out for the scenery.
- The Model Railway Village sits within the gardens and is a solid add-on for under-eights, but it charges and keeps its own season.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Southport?
Also in Southport
Adventure Coast Southport
Pleasureland with a new name and a new deal: free entry, rides from £1 pay as you go. The seaside funfair is now Adventure Coast, split into themed lands from pirate cove to steampunk thrill rides, and you only pay for what your kids actually ride.
Southport Model Railway Village
A one and a half acre miniature Lancashire with one of the biggest garden railway systems in the UK, aimed squarely at the under-8s. Open late April to late September, and the trains stop if the weather turns nasty.