Eaton park is one of the best green spaces in Norwich. It is great for sports and has pitch and…read moreputt, tennis, bowls and croquet areas. There are also flat playing fields for more informal ball games and running around. All the paths are smooth and flat and are ideal for children to ride their bikes on in a safe environment away from roads. My children's favourite part is of course the play area which is all built over sand so don't forget to bring your buckets and spades with you too! As well as spending a great deal of time here we also like to play games of Hide and Seek in and around the Rose Garden and try and spot fish and frogs in the Lily Pond. Be warned if you have very young children as this is not fenced off. There is also a model steam railway (open Sundays only in the summer) and a model yacht pond. The focal point of the park is the bandstand in the centre of the park. A small coffee shop and toilet facilities are also to be found near here. We always enjoy our time here and of course it's free!

Great forest for family fun! Many different things to do and enjoy all day Lots of different play…read morestructures spread out threw the forest, bike riding trails, hiking/ walking trails, Go Ape activities, picnic areas, and open fields, tons of parking, bathrooms available, cafe shop for cup of coffee or hot meal. Plenty to choose from

We often come here from Norwich for a day out as there is so much to do…read more First, there are some lovely walks in this beautiful, mostly pine forest. With our small children we tend to take the route that includes all the fantastic wooden play sculptures. This means every few hundred yards or so you come across a wooden rabbit, bird, squirrel and so on designed to be explored with slides, fireman poles, ladders etc This keeps them going all the way round and they have a lot of fun. There are also some fantastic cycle routes available, different trails according to the level of difficulty. If you are a seasoned mountain biker you may wish to bring your own bike, on the other hand if you just want to have a taste of what it is like there are bikes available for hire by the hour or longer. We hired some once with a kids trailer fixed to the back of the bike and our girls loved it! There is a lovely open grassy area near the High Lodge Visitor Centre where you can play your own ball games too. We have been with a large party before and had a great day here using that area, hiring the barbecues to cook our lunch on and exploring the adjacent adventure play area. The centre itself has a gift shop and largish restaurant if you don't feel like bringing a picnic. There is a small charge of £6 to enter Thetford Forest if you park at High Lodge. Well worth it when you consider a family can have a brilliant day out for that amount!

Newly remodelled and busy with lots of kids. Toddler area is fenced. Jesus Green stretches around…read morefor good running and playing. There's a skate park nearby too. Daddy need to play too? The Fort St. George pub is just down river.

A great place to spend a beautiful sunny spring day! I'm amazed that I've been living in London for…read more3 years and somehow managed not to find this place until now even though I've driven to Stansted at least half a dozen times. D'oh! Parking costs a £5 for the day and about half that if you're arriving after 5pm. It's free for National Trust members. Don't worry if you've forgotten your sticker, just show them your card at the gate and you'll be issued with a little paper ticket. There are at least 3 car parks I can think of off the top of my head. One right at the entrance, one near the lake and one by the cafe. I'd drive right in and stop by the cafe as it offers the most central location, allowing easy access to all parts of the forest. There are lots of trails, open fields as well as forested areas so a bit of everything. I saw quite a few signs of bushcraft so if you're into that then this is a great place to put in some shelter building practice.

A great day out, couldn't recommend it highly enough…read more Lots for kids of all ages to do here, there's a large lake for fishing, an area for feeding geese and ducks, loads of tree's to climb, plenty of wildlife, and best of all LOADS OF SPACE! Great to ride to and around on a bike, the cafe does a great range of homemade pies that really are worth the trip alone. There's numerous sturdy picnic benches that seat up to 8, and at easter/xmas that do a little treasure hunt for the young uns, which my lot love. Get down there pronto, but if you are going to drive, please have the decency to pay to enter the car park. For years there have been loads of people parking on the road and entering for free, so finally double yello lines have been painted on. Sad but necessary.

What an incredible park! Tons of features for various aged children, be careful with water lover…read morechildren,the water feature is on even when it's quite cold and is not activated by a button, it's just on.

Holywells park has a long, rich heritage, dating back 1000s of years. In the 1750s, Thomas…read moreGainsborough painted the area that was to become Holywells Park - in fact the pools he depicted are still there today. The modern history of the park really starts with the Cobbold family, who owned the land and used the water from the natural springs to make beer. In the 1930s they donated the land to the people of Ipswich. Today the 67 acres are a mixture of parkland, fields, ponds, brooks and woodland. There is also an impressive play area (named after the ship Discovery that sailed to N America and founded Jamestown). The various footpaths through the woods and the parks are great places to walk dogs (in fact, if your dog is well behaved, the park is ideal to let dogs off their leads) and you can sometimes find it hard to believe that you are only a few minutes from the centre of Ipswich.

Beautiful scenery throughout this part provides a wonderful place to walk, ride bikes, or walk…read moredogs. The extensive space is filled with a variety of plant and animal life along with remnants of the estate.

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.

Best park around. Has a little cafe with excellent and bacon baps (ham on a bun) for a walk around…read morethe park. It has swans, geese, ducks, seagulls and coots that you can feed. A former quarry, if you're lucky you can spy a kingfisher or a heron. Bathrooms and parking are here, with playground for kids if you have any.

5 hectares of lakes, riverbank and meadows to explore, close to the historic market town of Oundle…read more With three way marked waterside trails, numerous picnic spots, a wealth of wildlife and facilities, Barnwell Country Park is a great place for a family day out.

This is exactly what it says on the packet - a maze. It is a maze made of bushes, some are very…read morenarrow and we just managed to get the pushchair through. It took us about 40 minutes to find the centre. Do not got if you are claustrophobic, have a double buggy or need the toilet. Amazing.

There is not alot here. It is basically just a maze made out of bushes…read more There are facilities for a picnic, but it is not an all day activity. I would say maximum of 2 hours if you are having a picnic. There are not many directions on the road, and on hitchin road, you are almost upon it before you realise you are there.