This well used playground caters for wobbly toddlers to busy pre-teens…read more As soon as you walk into this playground you are met by a wind up 'sound' machine, which laughs and gurgles and whirs at you The colourful play equipment is full of clever detail. The small slide has wheels, embossed numbers, slidey handles and binoculars integrated into its neat structure. There are four swings, one 'nest style' for the littlens. There is also a large slide, miniature climbing wall and pole for biggens and several spinny objects for both age groups (spin fast for large, spin slow for small). Grange Gardens playground is surfaced with rubber to save bruised knees. Top tip: If you have an under 5 and want to avoid the boisterous older crowd, choose term times before 3.30 for your visit

A lovely walk in the park!…read more We came here just to walk around on our last afternoon in Cardiff. We were tired of the Arcades and shopping. We wanted some natural scenery. This was a lovely walk. There was a cute cafe we popped into for a cup of tea on our walk.

We love walking through this park. Bute Park was originally part of the Cardiff Castle grounds…read more It is a spot of peaceful tranquility along the River Taff. There are a couple cafes in the park for drinks or a snack. It really is a beautiful place to stroll and enjoy the trees.

As others have said, this is a lovely, almost hidden park, with a small area of formal gardens with…read morea pond and fountain, complete with a statue of Peter Pan, wild woodland areas and a large playing-field area. It has wonderful views from the top across the lower Ely valley towards Llandough, as well as some amazing mature trees. It is one of the city's oldest parks, given to the city by Charles Thompson in 1911. Perfect for a short walk or a lazy summer afternoon picnic.

Although there are a whole lot of parks in and around the Cardiff area, Thompson's Park in Canton…read morein somewhat unique. Most others offer wide stretches of grass, the odd flowered border and playgrounds. Thompson's Park is smaller than most, and has a particularly quaint feeling. This park is landscaped well, and combined areas of woodland in the heart of the city, with fountains (including the famous Peter Pan statue), duck ponds, winding stairs and a wide grassy area on its higher level. On this field I took part in many school sports days in my time. Never won anything though. Thompson's Park is small and compact, but large enough to take you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It's like a lost garden in a city wilderness.

Anderson fields is a green space in the heart of Adamsdown that has recently been liberally…read moresprinkled with beautiful alien fun-structures. These new structures include alternative football goals, some small grassy hills and totem sculptures, added to what was before an open, flat space with not a lot to do. When I visited Anderson fields there were kids sitting chatting on a 'skeletal boat' structure, a young mum and her toddler walking, some boys playing football, two men sitting in a seating pod listening to a radio and Brian, an artist in residence, carving totems. This landscaped oasis was designed by artists, with the help of school children from the neighbouring Adamsdown Primary. It was designed to be used by the under 14's in particular. The playground is full of practical art to play on and sit on and slide down, all built from quality, natural materials such as oak and steel. Judging by my recent visit the new space is being well used and enjoyed by all.

Dispenser gardens isn't the best of green spaces I've seen, but it certainly serves the local…read morecommunity very well and is always buzzing with kids. The gardens consist of a two small colourful, wood chipped playgrounds, some seating and a football area with goals. There are also some mature trees and a small Victorian hut. The space has certainly benefitted from the recent facelift given to around 40 of Cardiff's green spaces earlier this year and is a lot perkier than the last time I visited it.

Alphabet Zoo is a indoor play zone for children, along the line of Scallywags or other centres…read more This is quite a small area, but it is packed with fun things to do, and is resoundingly bright and cheerful. The staff here were lovely, and there was quite clearly a community of mothers who all got along well as their children played together. I think there's also a free hot drink for parents, but please don't hold me to that one! I spoke to one mother, and she said she's been in the ball pit and around the walkways and slides with her children, which certainly sounds like a lot of fun to me! Few places allow parent interaction in this way, and I think I'd just end up too jealous of the kids if that was the case. This is a great fun space for kids, and is open every day of the week. It's situated just off Penarth Road, and can be a little bit of a devil to find as there's no signing: if you're travelling towards Penarth, out of Cardiff centre, the turning you want is on the left opposite Dream Beds. Have fun!

Victoria Park is, apparently, one of the most popular parks in the UK. I can understand why. This…read morepark is full of flowers (beware, hay-fever sufferers), trees, winding paths and grassy areas. This is a fantastic place to bring children on a sunny summer day. Victoria Park is probably most famous for its spectacular playground and massive shallow paddling pool (in the summer). Imagine ice creams and picnics and children splashing water everywhere. Good times. There are also a number of summer events that go on in this park. Summer Fetes and Scout/Guide events, face painting and throwing wet sponges at teachers. There is also a bandstand and a cafe. The only thing wrong with this park is its popularity, as it does manage to get heavingly busy on hot days. You've been warned. I have lovely memories from Victoria Park, so could you!

A lovely traditional park, covering nearly 20 acres, situated just west of Canton, on Cowbridge…read moreRoad. It has been awarded a prestigious 'Green Flag' award and attracts over 600,000 visitors a year. It was founded in 1897 and contains a mixture of traditional flower beds, mature trees, a paddling pool, bandstand, children's playground, tennis courts, a 5-a-side football pitch, and open lawns. There's a cafe, toilets and a park-keeper's lodge - one of the few left in the UK where the keeper lives on site. The park used to have animals in a small zoo (my mother used to visit them in the early 1930s), most famously Billy the Seal; caught accidentally by a local fishing boat in 1912, he was donated to the park, living there until 1939. After he died, he was found to be female! She is commemorated by a life-size statue in the park. A great place for families and children, as well as for a quiet stroll.

There is so much to do and see in Roath Park that each activity almost warrants its own category…read more One of the things to do is take you kids to the playground. A few words of warning though - if you go at the obvious times your kid may have to wait for a go of a swing or a slide as it gets pretty popular. My advice is to go there on a sunny weekday afternoon rather than a weekend and you're child is guaranteed the run fo the place. There is a variety of swings, a big slide built into the banking, a small slide, climbing frames, roundabouts all you need to keep you occupied for an hour or so, sorry I meant all you need to keep you children occupied - I didn't have a go on any of them honestly!

Such a cute park! I had tons of fun with my aunt and 2 younger cousins on the pedal boats (word to…read morethe wise : AVOID the algae, we ended up getting trapped and had to get a friendly couple to push us out XD). The boat is also quite a workout, we ended up getting lazy and making the 8 year old and the 12 year old pedal, classic haha! Lovely place to walk around, had a playground for the kiddies. Very enjoyable hour or so spent here.