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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.