Warrington's default family day for a century, and it has not earned retirement yet. The gardens are free, the children's zoo is free, the playground is one of the borough's best, and the parkland absorbs any amount of running.
Start at the zoo - peacocks, goats, small mammals - while everyone is fresh, then let the playground take over. Parking is the only cost. Jungle Parc's high ropes sit in the same grounds when older kids need something with adrenaline in it.
What it costs: Entry to the gardens is free. Parking is £4 on weekdays and £5 at weekends and on bank holidays, with three hours free for blue badge holders. The children's zoo is open daily 10.30am to 4.15pm, last entry 4pm. Jungle Parc high ropes are ticketed separately and must be booked in advance.
Run by Warrington Disability Partnership and built to be fully accessible: Santa, a present and a puzzle trail for £14 a child, adults £2, with festive crafts on the side. Photos are on sale on the day. The gardens, children's zoo and playground are right there, so it can be the start of a longer afternoon.
A ranger-led Christmas session at Walton Hall's children's zoo for ages 3 to 5 on Monday 30 November, 10.30am to 12pm. Animal encounters and a bauble craft. £15, with one adult per child.
A 45-minute guided tour of the children's zoo, then a cardboard bauble to decorate and hang on the zoo's Christmas tree. Only one adult per child, because space is tight. For three to five year olds there is a longer Tiny Tots Christmas Zoo Adventure on Monday 30 November, also £15.
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Treetop rope courses in the woods at Walton Hall Gardens. The Warrington site runs the Adventurer course, built for children from age 4 with a minimum height of 1.05m, with over 60 activities at different heights. Children £19; supervising adults walking below go free.
A theme park deliberately built for ages 2 to 13 rather than teenagers, so both of them can ride most of it. The classic full-day option on your doorstep.
An adventure farm off Stretton Road built for 4 to 12s: tractor trailer rides, zip wires, drop slides, jumping pillows, roller skating and a tent full of inflatables. Despite the name there are no animals to see, and in October it turns into Spooky World's daytime Fun-By-Day.
Two-tier soft play frame, low climbing wall, pirate ship, crawl tubes and a bouncy slide, plus Messy Monday and sensory sessions during the week.
Bigger than the average soft play: multi-level frame, a spooky room, an astro slide, a climbing wall, two mini bowling lanes and a slot racing track. The bowling is what makes it work when you have a toddler and a seven-year-old to keep happy at once.
Straightforward multi-level soft play with a café that adults can actually sit in. Nothing fancy, reliably works.
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