As far as soft play goes, my toddler is pretty easy to please. If she has room to run about and…read morestuff to climb on, it's A-OK for her. I'm a bit more picky. I'd like room to sit down and a cup of tea and to know that my daughter can run off and I don't have to be right beside her. Adventure Castle is great for this. The toddler area is set apart from the big climbing frames and the rule for keeping the bigger kids out of it is enforced, so I don't have to worry that my kid is going to be kicked in the head by some rowdy eight-year-old boy that's using toddler toys for karate practice. There are tables and chairs set up around the room as well so you can keep an eye on the kids but still be able to have a chat with others. There's a lovely cafe as well with all sorts of cold and hot drinks and snacks for both adults and kids. So far Adventure Castle hasn't got up it's own butt and starting charging ridiculous money to get in like a few other soft play places I know...I think it cost me £2 entry and my daughter was free since she's under 2 years old. Not a bad price for a morning out!

This place is pretty good. It has quite an extensive softplay frame. There are various sections for…read morechildren of different size and age.

Adorable zoo about an hour to hour and a half from Central London. If you have the time and a car I…read moredefinitely recommend this zoo over the ZSL zoo. Every exhibit has multiple viewpoints here. There were plenty of opportunities to easily see all the animals here. The enclosures were extremely well kept and I think all had an indoor and outdoor area for the animals. There are multiple play areas throughout for kids here too. My kids also enjoyed the animatronic dinosaurs here (very cute). Food here was reasonably priced but we ate outside the park. Parking was free. They offer a lot of different animal interactions here. The prices for all were pretty high but for a special gift I'm sure they are totally worth it. You can also buy carrots to feed the animals in the petting zoo.

Overall great day out for the family ! I would say 50% animals 50% outdoor play for the kids (with…read moresome indoor) I did find some of the cages quite small for the animals but one of my only criticisms! There were a few extras while you were there so take additional money but to be expected at these places! ( it's set up for packed lunches which is great for families ) There is a good choice of animals to see and you can buy food which a good selection of animals to feed! They also had a lots of showing through out the day and I got to stroke a snake :). The park had a good layout where you can easily walk around and find where you are going plus you get a handy map! There have an indoor soft play at the entrance which is good and bad! Means the kids want to go these straight away instead of seeing the animals and you don't pass on the way out! The soft play was great for all ages and served your average drinks and food - one thing I will say which was disappointing was they charged me for a bit of milk for my baby! I always pay my way but this is the first place that have ever charged me for milk! Worth a visit and tickets are not expensive - look out for groupon deals!

There's loads to see and do here. I personally wouldn't put this place in the "zoo" bracket though…read more You get to feed animals such as goats, sheep, etc. You can walk around in rabbit and guinea pig pens. If your lucky you can stroke or hold them too. There are several excellent playgrounds for children of different ages. There's a soft play area as well. Other animals include, huskies, horses, ponies, meerkats, tortoises, turkeys, snakes and more. You also get to ride on a tractor to a nearby cow milking barn (Sorry don't know the correct terminology). It's quite educational for kids. There's quite a large cafe here too. All in all it's a good day out. I personally think that it's pretty expensive. £35 plus for a family of four would definitely make me think twice before coming back.

Loads of different animals to meet there's Jason the Cow, Barbara the Pig, Posh Spice the sheep…read more Pigs, goats, chickens, tortoises, small mammals and tons of sheep. There's a play center for kids and a tractor ride to watch cows being milked. And it's in the gorgeous setting of Lea Valley Park.

This place is the go-karting real deal. It has been a popular go-karting track for many many…read moreyears. What I especially love about this place, is that when most places insist that a large groups books together, individual people can book to go on the track. Also they cater for ages from just three years old with tiny go-karts, to all different stages until adulthood. So younger people get to see and be around the same environment as hard core racers. This place really is for professional serious would be racing drivers, it is not just a fun place for stag do's. Cleverly though younger people do go on a different track. The track for older children and adults is really big, it seems to be much bigger than most indoor tracks. The track for younger children is smalle, but perfectly fine and definitely not too small. The staff are friendly, helpful and it is professional and well run. The only massive headache is their website which has an appalling booking system, first time I just could not work it and had to call to do my booking over the phone. This place is a massive recommendation if you want to go go-karting for your children or as an adult. We travel quite long distance to come here and believe it is definitely worth it.

From the owner: Boasting a truly magnificent venue located in the South East and close to London, Rye House is sure…read moreto deliver a fabulous fun day out that will deliver beyond your every expectation! Experience the ultimate thrills of high speed karting on one of the UK's oldest and most respected circuits in the industry! With the likes of Lewis Hamilton using the demanding track as a means of taking his first driving steps, we deliver all the excitement of a world-class racing circuit and bring out the 'driving force' in you. A fantastic one-stop- shop leisure venue for individuals, family or friends for adults or juniors looking to indulge in the fun of either go-karting, laser combat, rye-assic adventure park, special occasions, birthday parties, corporate days out, team building, stag/hen do's.

In an age where municipal swimming pools are just not high on the agenda of local authorities…read more(unlike the immediate post-war era, right through to the early 80s) it is good to see such a relatively modern pool. It is part of a bigger leisure centre that has a good range of facilities. The swimming pool has a large, main pool and a smaller 'learner' pool. Both of these were, when built, and still are, fairly state of the art - they are stainless steel in construction rather than the old tile types built all those years ago. As a result they stay cleaner and are easier to maintain. The psychological effect of this is immeasurable (for me, anyway). One of the things that puts me off public pools is hygiene, and while no suitable advances have been made in the field of changing rooms the pool itself feels so much cleaner for being made of stainless steel. The changing rooms aren't that bad here either. There are a lot of them and they vary in size, from single person ones, to slightly larger ones that you and a toddler could easily occupy, then there's the family / disabled large size cubicles. The lockers take a refundable 50p coin and are all of a good size and seem to be cleaned fairly regularly. There are adequate shower facilities for entering and exiting the pool (much better than those foot-troughs you got at older pools - eugh!), and baby changing tables along with a big mirror and hairdryers for girls and vain men! Bizarrely, the temperature at the pool seems to vary quite a bit between visits - sometimes it is pretty chilly, and others nice and warm. The learner pool is obviously a lot warmer than the main pool for the little ones. They have a range of plastic toys in the learner pool too, which makes a Saturday morning swim with the kids a little more fun! There is a strict timetable for the pool which can be downloaded from their website, and is worth checking before you visit. There are a range of activities and sessions in the pools, including laned swims, scuba diving, adult only sessions, fun swim (with inflatables etc.) and swimming lessons. The main pool also has a small seating section alongside so if you don't feel like swimming with your kids you can sit and watch! After you've swam you'll probably feel hungry, so head up to the café upstairs and grab a bite to eat - all reasonably priced and an OK variety of foods. As I said at the beginning of the review, most new pools built are private ones at gyms or health clubs, so for a pool of this quality to be built 'for the people' is a good thing, and if you live in the surrounding area you won't find a better pool for a good few miles.