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.

It is free entry to this excellent community resource. Lots of animals to see and also willow…read morestructures, vegetable gardens, herb garden, farmyard art structures and a small cafe. Events are often organised at weekends.

This is a fantastic local resource and just a wonderful place to visit and get away from it all for…read morea few hours with family and friends or on your own. The Farm has an large selection of animals to see and wonderful views from footpaths and walks long and short. The refreshments in the Cafe are very reasonable prices and the best quality.

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!!

This is a really good facility in our region, although to be honest, they could make a lot more of…read moreit! It's basically an ordinary farm, but the public are allowed to go round and see all the animals - for a fee of course! It's council run, so the fee isn't too bad, actually. As you enter there is a little shop where you pay your entrance fee and can buy little souvenirs, and also some little bags of food for the goats. The first bit you come to after the shop is a pond and a load of ducks and geese. Beware, if you start to feed this lot they won't ever let you leave in fact they will follow you in quite a menacing way! It's a bit scary, especially if you've ever seen any Alfred Hitchcock films you know what I mean! The farm also has pigs, sheep, horses, donkeys, cows, etc. Depending on the time of year you might be lucky enough to see tiny little lambs, which are really cute. Then go back a few months later and find them actually quite scary and intimidating things with gigantic horns and an evil glint in the eye! There are also, of course, the goats. They are so cute, and will eat everything. They loved the little bags of food we'd bought so much that they not only ate the food, they ate the paper bag, too. There was nothing we could do to stop them! There is also a little play area for the children, with swings and a few other things. You can happily while away a few hours here, especially if the weather is nice. Often they have special events on, like once we went and they would actually let you have a go at milking a cow. Other events have been children's things like making Halloween masks, or making bat boxes. You usually have to book in advance for these events. All in all, it's a nice place and the children really seem to enjoy it - but I do feel it's under-used, and the council could make it so much more if they actually tried.

Located in the old Frank Wappitts church, this is the place to be if your between 3 and 10 years…read moreold. My 2 girls love it here and so do me and my hubby. Kiki's Kabin is on the outskirts of North Shields bordering Tynemouth. There is no where to park, so you have to park in the neighbouring streets if you can or in North Shields town centre and walk up. The place is very secuirty concious, they take yours and the childrens details as you go in. You can only get in or out if the staff release the gates so no chance of your little one excaping on their own. on exit they also check you details. So someone going in with 1 child cannot leave with 2. there is a small cafe serving hot and cold drinks and a range of snacks. Nothing fancy just food you would expect kids to eat such as nuggets and sarnies - but the prices are good and my kids eat it so I'm happy. The play area is over 3 floors. Starting on the ground floor for the younger children. There is a soft play area and a racing car track. There is an entrance to a climbing zone which leads to some 'fast' slides as I was told by my 4 year old. The next floor caters for older children and as I have a 1 and 4 year old I'm not too sure what happens here. On the top floor there is a bouncy castle which can be hired for private parties as well. there are lots of tables and chairs on the ground floor for parents to sit and watch. Last time we went, toddler time was Tuesday and Thursday. You can stay all day and the toddlers get free juice and biscuits. It's great as all of the bigger kids are at school and the toddlers get the run of the place. Kiki's is really packed on a staurday and during school holidays so I'd recommend going during the week and in term time if you can.

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.

Indoor Play Centre for all ages... Great way to spend a couple of hours or a full day with plenty…read moreof activities to keep your little ones entertained including weekday bouncy castle, pottery painting, laser tag, mini go-karts, climbing wall customer café with free car park and wifi. Based in the seaside towns of Whitby and Scarborough featuring Separate baby, toddler and junior areas with the areas BIGGEST slides!!! Plus fantastic value birthday parties and term time offers!