MNHQ needs your best "visitor attractions for children in the UK"

The Deep in Hull - for the underwater glass lift, the Saw Fish and HUGE nurse sharks! Excellent for rainy days.

Chester Zoo for the batcave, meercats and the elephants. There are lots of picnic areas as well as decent cafes, a monorail to get a zoo overview (or for tired little feet to get back to the exit) and a water boat ride.

Forbidden Corner in Yorkshire Dales www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/ For all round spookiness.

The Yorkshire Museum in York - another good rainy day visit.

Cannon Hall near Barnsley. Children's farm, adventure playground, acres of green for ball games and picnics, a little stream full of ducklings in the spring, and an old House with a Country Life museum.

Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh - brilliant, told the story of earth from the beginning of the planet. Really enjoyed it, as did the DSes and DS2 was only 5 when we took him.

Blair Drummond Safari park. Well typical safari park really but great fun

National Museum of Childhood on the Royal Mile (that's in Edinburgh for those who didn't know) it's free and a great way to spend an hour or two, includes toys going back over 100 years and a few that any MNetter who goes is bound to recognise

The Secret Bunker, near st Andrews. More for older (as in over5) chidlren, but really fascinating place

kelvingrove - it's free and lots to see

My DC loved the Yorkshire Sculpture Park even though it was a wet, cold rainy day. It really inspired them.

Forbidden Corner in N. Yorks is also good. Very quirky and unexpected.

Leeds Castle - fabulous and probably one of my favorite places ever!

also Dinosaur Park in Norfolk is a great day out

No one mentioned Eurika in Halifax? Never been myself, but my sister raves about it.

Bedgebury Pinetum-has a lovely adventure playground set in the woods and very uncommercialised.

Snibston Discovery park in Coalville.

Built on a disused mine, is free for under fives, very hands- on and educational. Great outdoor play area

Keeps my 3 DC's who are 9/4/2 happy all day.

Another vote for Moors Valley, Nr Ringwood, Dorset. Fab Fab

DD loves going there and can easily spend all day - we take a picnic and she is over the moon with the playground, the woodland trail and then the steam railway....

Bird World in Surrey. We have always had a fantastic day out there.

The Natural History Museum has to be up there with the best of them, my boys love it.

Another vote also for Imperial War Museum North. We were there the other day. We all got a lot from it.

Oh and longleat.. if you dont do everthing on one visit you can go back and do the rest another day!

Kew Gardens - although adults pay £12.50 I think,children under 16 are free and it's fantastic there - lots of things put on during school holidays as well as the Climbers and Creepers adventure play area, nice places to eat and great gift shop at White Peaks..

glasgow science centre
dynamic earth - edinburgh
blairdrummond safari park
oban sea life centre
falkirk wheel
there are some fantastic country parks around as well that have petting zoos, play areas, walks, visitor centres, cafe/tearooms

Moores Valley in Dorset, all you pay is parking.. unless you have brave oldser children who want to try the assault course?

The 3 gullivers land places. - matlock bath, milton keynes and warrington, they're in.

here

REALLY great for smaller kids and very VERY good value for money.

Blue Planet Aquarium, Ellesmere Port: kids love fish, there's lots of fish...

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry: knobs to twiddle, things to blow up, mess to make, things to crash, trains and space ships to ride on, dinosaur and Dr Who exhibitions to be terrified by. Oh and history of the industrial revolution to make your parents feel smug.

The dungeons in Edinburgh. Just don't take anyone under 6 cos they'll crap themselves.

Alnwick Castle and Garden. Bloody brilliant - Harry Potter moments, dress up as a knight, do scary puzzles, watch owls eating small mammals, discover a whole load of info about how to poison people with plants from your garden (note to self: don't let 8 year old take notes in the poison garden), ride Tonka trucks through fountains and get very wet in fountain maze... You can buy a week long pass and keep going back if you're on holiday...

Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire: Barefoot walk, fantastic play area, woodland walk, hobbit houses, ice-cream parlour and mahooosive amount of consumer options for Mummy and Daddy to be a whole lot poorer...

Imperial War Museum North.

The handling sessions where they let children handle the exhibits really bring alive the concept of war to children. It's an excellent way of removing the myth for small boys that war is in any glamourous.

Also lots of space to run off energy, even on a wet day!

chester zoo. my lot love it there