Southport, Merseyside
Victorian gardens in Southport's prettiest corner: an aviary, boating lake, fernery and a strong playground, maintained by people who clearly love it.
It is the gentler alternative to the pier-end of Southport - old-fashioned in exactly the way that suits the under-8s.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near 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.
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.
Seventeen acres of restored Victorian seafront gardens with the Venetian Bridge over Marine Lake, boat hire, and the Tree Top Towers playground. Free, flat and right on the Promenade, so it slots around anything else you are doing in Southport.