Botanic Gardens, Churchtown
Victorian gardens with an aviary, a lake, a fernery and a good playground, in Southport's prettiest village corner. Free, open every day of the year, and old-fashioned in the way that quietly suits small children.
King's Gardens
- Cost
- Free entry
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Where
- Southport, Merseyside
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
Southport's showpiece gardens, opened by George V in 1913 and restored with a £5.5 million Parks for People award from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sefton Council in 2012. 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.
What it costs: The gardens are free. Boat hire, crazy golf and the Model Railway Village next door all charge separately.
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.
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Also in Southport
Adventure Coast Southport
Pleasureland with a new name and a new deal: free entry and pay-as-you-go rides from £2. 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. The main park has closed for 2026 and reopens in 2027.
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.
Playtown
Southport's main play centre, on Ocean Plaza by the marine lake, with a big frame and a drop slide. Priced by age band, so babies are almost free.
Kinderworld Playbarn
A nursery playbarn on Bispham Road that opens to the public on weekday mornings, pre-booked. Small, quiet and aimed squarely at the under fives.
Dunes Splash World
Southport's indoor waterpark on the seafront: flumes, a wave machine, a lazy river and a proper toddler splash zone, all at 29 degrees. Open weekends year-round and daily in the Sefton holidays.
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