Liverpool, Merseyside
Climbing towers, jumping pillows, go-karts and an indoor barn beside the Mersey promenade - the venue Liverpool parents keep naming when asked what actually works.
Book holiday sessions ahead. The promenade outside is the cooldown: flat, wide and pointed at the water.
What it costs: Child £9 off peak, £19 at peak times. Adult £4.50 off peak, £9.50 peak. Peak covers weekends, school holidays, bank holidays and event days. Park open 10am to 6pm in summer and 10am to 5pm in winter, with last entry 45 minutes before close.
Fancy dress, a dance floor and party music a fortnight before the main event, with the usual park rides included. The warm-up for Ottersghoul later in the month.
The toddler-sized Halloween week: a ghost train, a craft workshop and a not-too-scary show with Jack and Sally, pitched at children still too small for the main event.
Jack Skellington's Halloween Town takes over the park for half term: a 25-minute live show six times a day, a pumpkin parade twice daily, and the go-karts, soft play and adventure golf included. Marshmallow toasting, Trick or Treat Street and the VR ride cost extra.
A Christmas experience at Otterspool running on selected dates from 28 November through to Christmas Eve, including both November and December weekends plus 21 to 24 December. Popular weekend slots sell out early, so booking ahead is worth doing.
Seasonal: Halloween weeks in October. Check before travelling.
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@familydaydiaries Looking for things to do in Liverpool with the kids? These are a few places that are always a hit with us - including Otterspool Adventure and a walk along Otterspool Prom.
Five floors, free, and it covers three things small children reliably love: giant dinosaurs, an aquarium and a space gallery. The best wet-weather day within half an hour.
A Tudor hall with woodland walks, a maze and a natural play area in the grounds. Free if you have National Trust membership, and the indoor house is a good rain fallback.
The city's story with an overhead railway carriage to climb aboard and Little Liverpool, a dedicated hands-on gallery for under-6s. Free, on the waterfront, and the window views are half the fun.
Closed until 2028. The Maritime and International Slavery Museums shut in early 2025 for a full redevelopment. The Albert Dock around them is still worth the walk, and the city's other national museums remain free and open.
The famous ferry across the Mersey run as a 50-minute sightseeing loop with commentary, and the honest truth is kids love the boat more than any museum. Hop off at Seacombe for Eureka! next door.
South Liverpool's favourite park: lake, playground, ancient trees and the Storybarn, The Reader's hands-on storytelling space in the old coach house. The neolithic Calder Stones are older than Stonehenge, which is a good fact to deploy.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.