The Norfolk Wildlife Trust has its own nature reserve and centre located in the Broads, on a strip…read moreof marshy land between Ranworth Broad and Malthouse Broad, in the village of Ranworth. There is a half mile boardwalk through the reserve, with illustrated information boards throughout, explaining the plant and animal life. On the edge of Ranworth Broad itself, the Trust has a small centre with a viewing platform and a shop providing information and selling books, souvenirs and items for children (all related to wildlife). It also sells tea and coffee (from a machine) and ice creams. They also run a limited number of boat trips from the jetty next to the Broad. The boardwalk is suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs. The car park is situated five minutes' walk away at Ranworth Staithe (behind the pub car park). There are no toilets at the Wildlife Centre.

Ranworth Broad is one of our favourite broads to visit. It is one of the nature reserves looked…read moreafter by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. There is a quad shaped grassy area where the boats moor up and a little shop where you can buy ice-creams and such like too. However, the best bit about this broad is that there is a floating visitor centre a short walk from here. To get to it you can either go along the wooden boardwalk which has interesting details on the landscape you pass over or, at certain times of year, you can go by boat. Just buy a ticket from the shop and they will take you across. This is a lovely trip, where you get up close to the coots and moorhens bobbing about on the water. The visitor centre itself has got some interesting displays and gift items for sale downstairs. There is a circular staircase up to the top floor from which you can gaze out through the windows across the broad. Binoculars are supplied too. There is also a children's area with paper and crayons, and a huge wooden butterfly puzzle. They can add their pictures to the wall where other children have pinned theirs up. Ranworth Broad is a delight and should appeal to families and birdwatchers alike.

The new 'kids club' which offers seats for a pound is very popular with my kids…read more Well done for trying something new.

Great cinema, reasonably priced with lots of leg room…read more Staff are friendly, popcorn was nice, though cinema could have been cleaner, ideally situated by the sea. Often have quite a few older films to see as well as a few up to date films which is great, not a very busy cinema but very easy to spot.

Very nice gym, friendly staff. I used the outdoor track. It…read morewas very nice. They have a great looking climbing wall and a nice cafe. The locker rooms could be updated.

There seems to be quite a few negative reviews for the Sportspark, which surprises me somewhat as…read moreit's probably the best sports centre I've used. I was a regular user of the gym, on a £30 per month Gold Membership, which entitled me to use whenever I wanted it. I mainly use the running machines, of which there are 10-12, as well as cross trainers (same again) and rowing machines. I found I could get in after work and get on a machine mostly as soon as I arrived, which isn't too shoddy considering it's a well used gym. I also liked to use the weights machines, which if you chose tactically could provide a good workout. Sure, it gets busy, but compared to some London gyms I've been to where I've paid £40+ per month, it's positively breezy. As well as the gym, the Sportspark has a fantastic climbing wall, two 25m (or sometimes 1 50m) swimming pools, indoor games areas for badminton etc, a martial arts and dance studio, an amazing gymnastics facility, an outdoor athletics area and outdoor games area, squash courts and a neat little cafe/bar. Prices are good if you're a member and they often run introduction courses to activities which are particularly good value. There's also the popular free circuit training on a Monday and Tuesday lunchtime which is a fantastic little workout! I've used quite the place quite a bit, having used the gym and pool regularly, as well as going on squash and climbing courses (as well as subsequently using these facilities independently), done Taekwondo with the Saracens club, played badminton with friends, done athletics with the Circuit training people and I'm currently doing a gymnastics course at their new gymnasium (!). I've found the staff are courteous and eager to help, the wet and dry locker rooms have been clean every time I've used them and in general I've grown to love the place. I'm sorry that some people have had bad experiences, but in terms of value for money and facilities available, the Sportspark is amazing and I love that it's just a short cycle from my home.

This is a good place for family entertainment within Lowestoft. Situated just off Whapload Road,…read moreit's near the town centre and has ample private parking. As well as the lanes, there is a small jungle gym for younger children, a pool table, and some machines. There is also a cafe which sells 'greasy spoon' type food and drinks. They also have a bar in a separate part of the bowling alley. The atmosphere is always quite nice in there, and it does get busy. It's best to book, especially at the weekends. They also do parties for children (Including food), and take group bookings.

You sometimes forget about this when you live so close!…read more A good day out with plenty to do, although it would be nice for locals to be able to buy and "Annual Pass" like we do for Legoland.

Just 10 minutes south of Great Yarmouth, Pleasurewood Hills is a great day out, especially if you…read morehave children. Covering over 50 acres it is Suffolks biggest theme park. The park includes plenty of different restaurants and cafes to suit all tastes from Porkys Pantry where you can grab yourself a bacon roll or a hot dog to The Railway Tearooms where you can enjoy afternoon tea with scones! The prices of food throughout the park are also quite reasonable too. There is an entrance fee to the park but you can leave the park and re enter at any time of the day as long as you get your hand stamped as you are leaving. Children under 1 metre tall can enter the park for free. Children between 1 metre and 1.4metres is £11.75. Children over 1.4metres and Adults is £14.00. Senior Citizens £9.50 Though you can also purchase a family ticket for 4 people for £47.00. Although you can book online and save more money if you purchase your tickets beforehand. With over 30 rides, regular entertainment shows throughout the day it will take you a while to get bored! The park does operate a no dogs policy throughout the park (except guide dogs). Wheelchair access. Picnic Areas. Free Parking. Cash Machines Cash Back When entering the park only. For further information on opening times the contact details for Pleasurewood Hills are: Leisure Way, Corton, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 5DZ

This restored Victorian garden is like a secret treasure hidden in the city centre. Step inside and…read moreyou're in another time and place. The sound of running water, the fountains and 'ruins', planting on various levels and in varied styles make this a charming place to wander around or simply sit and enjoy. This is somewhere very special to spend a relaxing hour.

A beautiful and remarkably well hidden garden, this is a lovely place to visit and spend an hour or…read moreso. The Plantation Garden is also a surprisingly good place to bring kids - it's pushchair accessible and great for hide and seek. There are a few steep slopes and a fountain, so younger children might need close supervision. The Garden is normally unstaffed (payment of the entry fee is by way of an honesty box) but on Sunday afternoons volunteers are usually there to serve tea and cake.

When we visited the Norfolk Broads we came across this park in Oulton Broad near Lowestoft. It is a…read morelarge park that fronts the broads and is a great place to sit and watch the world go by. When we were there there was sailing going on and lots of Broads boats going up and down. There is a large children's play area which was very well equipped. There is a bandstand and during the summer concerts are held on Sundays. There are toilet facilities and there is a cafe. There is a lock at one end which opens to let boats com from the sea to the Broads and if you are lucky enough to be when that happens it is very interesting. There is a pub, The Wherry just outside the park which is great for an evening drink.

A fantastic park for adults and children, with a lovely play park, lots of lush grass to burn…read moreenergy on. A bandstand for music lovers. Buy some nuts and feed the many squirrels which bound about the park and if your lucky they feed from your hand .

Not too far from Southwold, Tobys Walks is a picnic area with a difference. The wide open…read moregrasslands of most similar British spots is missing here - what you have instead is dirt and gorse, and plenty of it. That may sound like the last place you want to have a picnic, but trust me, it's fantastic. If you have youngish children, they (and you!) can run riot around the place, and there are plenty of natural hollowed out sections in the gorse that make perfect hiding places. I spent many, many a day over there with my Dad and my brothers when I was young and can't wait to take my son there too when he's older. Especially worth a trip to at night, park up in the car park and shine your headlights over the top of the walks, then go down for a game of night time hide 'n' seek, spookiness abounds. The reason it is so spooky is because of how the place got its name. Legend has it that Toby Gill was a black drummer in the army, specifically in Sir Robert Rich's 4th Dragoon Regiment, in the late 18th Century. They were stationed in East Anglia to try and combat the local smugglers. Toby, or Tobias to give him his full name, was apparently a pleasant man, but had a tendency to be a bit of a fighter when he got drunk. Indeed, he'd been barred from a lot of the local pubs. One night in June, 1750, Anne Blakemore, a woman from nearby Walberswick was supposedly murdered, and a drunk Toby was found next to her body. He was imprisoned in Ipswich gaol and tried at Bury, where he was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. He was then subjected to gibbetting (the dead body is left to hang on a gallows with nails or chains for weeks after the execution). The ghost of Toby is said to roam the walks as the crossroads where he was hanged is right next to them (where the Walberswick Road meets the A12 now). Apparently, you can often see him driving a coach drawn by four black horses. Further analysis of the historical records paints a rather different picture, but whenever I went there when I was young my head was filled with the ghost story my Grandad had told me, and that's the best mind to be in to visit the Walks.

I used to love this place as a kid, it seemed fitting 25 years later to start visiting with my own…read morechildren so we made a suprise visit with my grandmother who at 93 had never expected to see the place again after taking me and my sister there regularly on route to oulton broads. We were devasted on arrival to find a locked gate and an overgrown entrance , i went and looked and found we could walk inside around the gate and so we all went for a look and an explore. Rubbish in the no longer maintained bins suggested people do still visit tobys walks, and aside from being deserted and some of the trails being overgrown a bit all the memories came flooding back. We enjoyed a picnic whilst there and took our rubbish away with us. What a beautiful amazing place, so much fun my kids didnt want to leave and neither did i! What a waste of such an amazing place, suffolk council should be ashamed , we should be taking our kids to places like this. Other than nowhere to park other than outside the locked gate and also a noisy motorcross meeting going on opposite tobys walks on the sunday we visited i would recommend a visit to anyone. Also sadly the sign for tobies walks has been deleted , all i can say is im gutted and hope tobys walks doesnt end up in a dusty corner of history. Surely it could have been kept open with the minimal amount of maintanance.