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.
Southport Model Railway Village
- Cost
- Adults £8.50, kids £6.50, under-3s free
- Ages
- 1 to 8
- Where
- Southport, Merseyside
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
Closed until spring. The 2026 season ended on 27 September and 2027 dates are not published yet. Check the official site before you set off.
Tiny cottages, a tiny church, a tiny town, and model trains looping through the lot: one of the largest 45mm garden railway systems in the UK, spread over one and a half acres of Kings Gardens on Southport promenade. The buildings are modelled on southwest Lancashire, which is a nice touch adults notice and children ignore completely.
The owners say their core visitors are aged one to eight, and that is honest. A toddler will do slow laps for ages; a ten-year-old will be finished in twenty minutes. At £8.50 an adult and £6.50 a child it is priced as an add-on to a Southport day rather than the whole day, and Kings Gardens obligingly provides the rest.
The 2026 season ran from 25 April to 27 September, with September down to weekends only, so it is now closed until next spring and the 2027 dates are not published yet. It is entirely outdoors and weather-dependent, so save it for a decent day.
What it costs: Adults £8.50, children £6.50, under-3s free, family ticket (2+2) £25. Card or contactless preferred.
Know before you go
- In season it opens 10.30am till 5pm with last entry at 4pm, but the days vary (September was weekends only), so check the website's calendar before setting off, and be aware trains do not run in heavy rain or high winds.
- It sits in Kings Gardens, so the adventure playground, crazy golf and carousel nearby stretch it into a proper seaside afternoon.
Worth knowing: Pitched at roughly ages 1-8; older kids will be done quickly.
Seasonal: Late April to late September. Check before travelling.
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