Paradise Island has two 18-hole adventure golf courses next to the Odeon at the Trafford Centre, spread over two levels and 16,500 square feet, all of it indoors. That is what earns it a place on a wet Saturday. The courses are paradise themed, and there is a 19th hole at the end that gives you a shot at a free game, which keeps the losers quiet for a minute.
One course costs £11.50 for adults, £9.25 for ages 5 to 16 and £6 for under-5s, or £37.50 for a family of four. Two courses are £16.25, £13.25 and £8.50, or £53 for the family. Under-5s go free with a paying adult on weekdays from noon to 5pm outside school holidays, which makes a toddler round cheap. It opens 10am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, 11pm Fridays and Saturdays, 9pm Sundays.
The deals are worth the bother. Weekdays before noon, out of the holidays, Early Bird gives two courses for the price of one. An Odeon Trafford Centre cinema ticket gets the same two-for-one for seven days, on weekdays and on Sundays after 4pm. NAMCO Funscape's Family Activity Day bundles a round here with bowling. Pre-booking is advised and hours can change in school holidays, so ring 0161 202 9544 if it matters.
What it costs: One course: under-5s £6, ages 5 to 16 £9.25, adults £11.50, family of 4 £37.50. Two courses: £8.50, £13.25, £16.25, family £53. Under-5s free with a paying adult on weekdays noon to 5pm, not in school holidays. Early Bird two courses for the price of one, weekdays before noon, not in school or bank holidays.
Looking for more adventure & rides near Trafford?
Sending it to the group chat?
★★★★★ 4.2 across 1,115 Google reviews.
Read all 1,115 reviews on Google - filter by star rating there
War told through people's stories in a building designed to feel like a shattered globe. The hourly Big Picture Show projections fill the whole gallery and stop everyone mid-step. Heavy themes, handled well, and better for the top end of primary.
Two rides, a 4D cinema, build zones and Manchester's skyline done in miniature bricks. Squarely aimed at 3 to 10, and it knows it: adults can only visit with a child.
Ocean tunnel, rays, seahorses and rockpool touch sessions, sized for smaller legs - you can do the whole thing in a morning and pair it with Legoland next door.
Real snow all year round at the venue Manchester still calls Chill Factore. Over-fours get the Snow Park with sledging, Downhill Donuts and an ice slide at weekends and in the school holidays; older kids can learn to ski or board on the UK's longest indoor real snow slope.
Home to what it bills as the UK's largest indoor play frame, with laser tag, ValoJump trampolines, a racing simulator and a zip wire that crosses the entire building. Older primary kids do not age out of this one.
A Georgian house in a deer park where the fallow deer wander right past you, with one of the UK's largest winter gardens for the cold months. The house shuts for the winter after 1 November; the park and gardens stay open.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.