We visited Northumberland Zoo with the 3 of us on a Sunday and spent a few hours there. It is a…read morelovely small zoo that has some unique animals, though, whether it is a snow leopard or the Livingstone bats. The zoo is well maintained with friendly staff and decent catering. Well worth the visit.

Now called Northumberland Zoo. This is a family run zoo and everyone is very friendly. They still…read morehave the farm side but also snow leopards, a monkey house, raccoons, lynx, scottish wild cats, an arctic fox and more. Value for money with a cafe and soft play for the kids. Well worth a visit!

Funky Farm is a large softplay centre situated on the outskirts of Northallerton. Its a large…read moresoftplay with a dedicated area for babies and toddlers, a netted football / basketball area, a big (and very scary for us wimps of mothers) slide, several ball pits, soft stairs you name it - it is in there! The equipment is clean and in good repair and whether my 2.5yr old son is there or my 8 year old nephew - there is something for both of them! Peppered around the room are numerous coin slot type rides (which generally the kids play on without them moving!), some fake tattoo machines, bouncy ball machines and a teddy grabber. All extra expense but I've heard a thousand times Mums & Dads tell their little ones that it's broken Darling so most of us get away with not handing over the pennies! The food is impressive - everything from chips and chicken nuggets, veggie chilli and rice, hot panini's fish fingers - HUGE baguettes, salads, home made soups and a large choice of drinks, icecreams and sweet cakes etc. They do have some gluten free items available too. The food is somewhat on the pricey side but of a high quality and very decent portions. There are three toilets, one being a disabled / baby changing room and these are kept clean and tidy. Funky Farm also caters for themed parties and although I've never attended one I have been there when they have been on and they seem well organised and a lot of fun! Opening times are 10am - 6pm Tuesday - Sunday. There is plenty of private parking for patrons.

The Forbidden Corner is one of our favourite days out. It is an attraction that appeals to all…read moremembers of the family, with so many hidden surprises to uncover. You must pre-book your tickets because availability is limited in order to help prevent the attraction from getting overcrowded. You can discover a whole lot more about what's on offer at The Forbidden Corner on Attractions Near Me - https://www.attractionsnearme.co.uk/places/activities/the-forbidden-corner/

A quirky, creepy, corner, hidden away in deepest darkest Yorkshire? I'm sure you're wondering what…read morethis is all about? The Forbidden Corner takes twisted imagination, and turns it into genuine childlike wonder. It's a take on traditional country gardens, walled around the outside, with some interesting things on the inside. Within the twists and turns, there's lots to see, including bears playing cards, frogs on a fountain, a talking crow, and so much more. I'm not going to go into more detail there at risk of spoiling the surprise. So, why should you go? You should go if you want to rekindle your childhood sense of whimsy, of discovering hidden things, of exploring, of secret passageways and concealed paths. You're bound to find something here that makes you smile! There's both a café and a restaurant on site. The café serves the usual sandwiches, pies and pasties, wholes the restaurant has a more extensive menu. You can also take picnic, but can't eat it inside - there is a picnic area outside, and your ticket let's you go in and out as many times as you want. To go, you have to book in advance and pick a time slot. There isn't a limit on how long you can stay in, just when you can enter. I'd suggest booking as soon as you can, and picking out an early time. We spent about five hours, and that felt like a good length of time to be there. I'll be going back in the future - it was great fun, and well worth the trip.

I have been to Blue Reef a couple of times and have always enjoyed it. It is a great day out for…read moreadults and children alike. There is plenty to see and activities for the kids. There are guides who appear to be very knowledgeable about the sealife at the centre. There is a vast array of different sealife including sharks, seahorses and loads of others. This is a fairly cheap and decent day out, especially if you have one of the promotional leaflets where you can get a child's place free with a full paying adult. Definitely one of the better aquariums I have been to!

I've been visiting here ever since I was a child. It's a fun day trip with lots of exciting…read moreinformation to see. There is also a small cafe and gift shop (somewhat pricey!) however, there are several fish and chip shops, ice cream shops and other small cafes nearby if you wish to eat some place else. Overall, a great day out for the kids and family

I took my 2 kids for a day-trip to Diggerland, from Glasgow. My 14 year old son loved it but as…read morethere's nothing for teenage girls, my daughter hated it. They should have a reduced price for entry only £17 for everyone (even if you don't go on anything ) is a bit much. That aside, the people of Northumberland are the nicest people I've ever come across. I got lost around the villages and had to ask for directions many times and they couldn't have been more helpful. Diggerland should have more signage in the surrounding countryside ( best views ever, though! ). The staff at Diggerland were helpful and polite also. I'll go again but with just my son.

Diggerland is located in Langley Parknot far from Durham City…read more It offers both Children and Adults the chance to drive real life dump trucks, mini diggers and full size diggers in their purpose built site. Everything is very safe and there is strict supervision at all times. There is also static displays and competitions for children. They also have a cafe and a shop. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with the whole concept. Driving about in farm machinery isn't my cup of tea and it wasn't very exciting at all. You're better off spending your money elsewhere!

Namco Funscape sits within the Yellow Mall of intu Metrocentre - it's brilliant! Takes you back to…read morethose awkward teen years when you still couldn't quite go into the pub without it being bloomin' obvious you were nowhere near old enough (kids, just don't do it) and needed somewhere to entertain you and your mates. There's loads to do to while away some time, it's got penny arcades, dodgems, those funny machines where you dance on the floorpads in (or out) time to some god-awful Europop tune, air-hockey, pool tables, a bar and (my personal fave) ten-pin bowling. Which is where this review now ventures. Now, I like bowling and Newcastle has a few bowling alleys dotted around, sadly the XS up at Longbenton is no more and there's still one in Fenham which looks like it has seen better days. Lane7 is good if you're after swish U-S-of-A style atmosphere, but it's string bowling (pins dangle on strings) which just ain't quite the same. So, if you're after that authentic bowling experience, I'd recommend you head over to Namco. 18 lanes of proper bowling fun, 8 of which are partitioned off into 'The Lounge', you can now bowl in your own shoes (flat soled only, sorry ladies) which is a slightly bizarre experience, but one you get used to. They still have a stock of actual bowling shoes, just in case. It's always very well maintained here, the balls are returned to the racks in size order so you're not taking ages hunting for the right weight, the lanes are in great condition and (so far) I've never had the pin-setter go wonky and breakdown. You also get lane service for drinks, keeps you nicely refreshed as you chalk up another strike. Some great offers to be had, such as on Wednesday and Sunday evenings when you can get 3 games for £6 (after 6pm). So pull on those retro shirts and pants, get yourself down and prove that you're 'The Dude' or 'Kingpin' after all.

By far the best soft play area in the town. It is very cheap and is huge. The soft play equipment…read moreused to be Puddle Lane on Botchergate but they relocated it to Denton Holme with a new name, so it has been around for years and is very well loved by myself and my daughter. You can have a children's patrty here which is great value for money and the kids just love it. There is a seating area for the parent's to sit and have a natter and a cuppa and they also sell decent snacks for the children. If your child is younger you have to go in the soft play aswell to look after them which is fab although you are not allowed to bounce on the bouncy castle but you can go down the slides and things. All in all a great place on a wet day or as a special treat.

One of the oldest, but for my money, one of the best soft play areas in Carlisle. The staff are…read morefriendly, and there's a spacious area for parents. The food and drinks are reasonably priced. it has the usual slides, and swings, but has a massive bouncy castle. They do children's parties. Only minor drawback is that if you are driving, it's disc parking roundabout so you could be limited by that.

I visited Big Sheep Little Cow while staying in the area on a family holiday…read more This is a great attraction with lots to keep the kids and adults entertained. There is an excellent indoor play area, some outdoor play areas with go karts and ride on trikes..., and of course a huge selection of farm animals for your little ones to learn about. There is a cafe serving lunches and refreshments, and a party area upstairs. It cost us £24 for two adults and my three year old to access the playbarn and go on the farm tour, and my one year old went free. You can pay less just to access the playbarn, without going on the farm tour. This seems to be a great spot for parent and toddler meet ups. The farm tour was really excellent - lasting around an hour, with the opportunity to hold/pet mice, rats, Guinea pigs, and hedgehogs in the indoor small animal section. We then moved outside and saw goats, llama, pigs, donkeys, Shetland Ponies, sheep, chickens and ducks. There was lots of opportunities for the little ones to interact with the animals such as brushing the pig, sitting on the Shetland pony and feeding the hungry lambs. We all had a great day out at Big Sheep Little Cow and my three year old in particular got to try out new things through interacting with the farm animals. Special mention to all the lovely staff we came across - everyone was so friendly, and we all left smiling!

Fabulous place for kids and animal soppy adults. For the entrance fee you get a tour of the animals…read more- usually lambs, calves, a pig you can wash, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, chickens etc.If you visit at the right time you can feed the lambs and or calves. You can also pay a little more and use their indoor play barn (adults can go on the equipment too!) with a death slide etc. They have a decent cafe and at peak times the tractor ride and go-karts are open. A great day out - or party destination. Dry or wet weather.

My daughter has been here on a few occassions now, and has thoroughly enjoyed herself every time…read more There's a lot to do, friendly staff and good value for money. I would certainly recommend the place to anyone wanting a fun day out for their children.

FANTASTIC FOR THE KIDSMy girls for a few hours to play and they absolutely loved it. All indoors,…read moreall safe and padded with lots for the children to do. Would highly recommend!!