City of Bath - recommendations please

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Hi all, anyone in Bath or who had been there want to recommend some family friendly restaurants and activities for me, DH and two DCs (10 and 9). It will be our first time visiting.

Have had a look online obviously so we'll be doing all the obvious visits. We're going at the end of January for a weekend.

Thanks 🙂

Anyone?

If you get dry weather the outdoor adventure golf is good fun and beautiful location
www.exceltennisbath.co.uk/adventure-golf

Posted too soon! The outdoor golf is very central indeed, just at victoria park, and a nice way to spend an hour or so.

Otherwise it's just nice to mooch around Bath, go to the market, fudge shop, see the Baths depending on budget.

Mr B's Emporium is a magnificent bookshop with a great kids' section.

Enjoy!

Thanks so much @GoodVibesHere that sounds great, we're probably not picking the best time of year to go but we all need a bit of a break.

The golf is definitely something the kids will love, looking forward to the mooching too!!

The public kids playground at Victoria park is fantastic although your kids may be a bit old. I live in Bath and my friend has a 9 year old- I will ask her for some suggestions . There are some fantastic parks if they like walks etc , the American museum on edge of town is really interesting

Restaurant wise- Boston bean on Alfred st is great with kids and does great breakfasts plus all day mains (very popular) , as is Bills, the Stables, Acqua is really nice (in an old church) Graze is lovely - all depends on your budget really as we have 'all ' the main chains including the Ivy plus lots of nice independent ones.

Mr B's Emporium
The Baths (so much more to see than I thought!)
The Scallop Shell for fish and chips (it wins national prizes and is packed nightly - does other fancier fish etc but the fish and chips is what most people eat)
The Oven for authentic neapolitan pizza. They are Italian, and make a point of not doing pasta because like a good authentic Italian pizzeria, their specialty is pizza, not a mixture.
The Herd for steak.

There is a lovely kids theatre too called 'the Egg'

My kids liked the Toot Bus tour. We stopped off at the playgrounds at Victoria Park. They also really enjoyed the Baths.

Well the skyline walk is nice to do but may be a bit long. Great views of Bath.

I've lived just outside and worked in Bath for 20 years and I'm struggling. There are the usual museums and the one in the Royal Crescent is nice but may be a bit too grown up (ie dull) for children. There are the usual chain restaurants, and a constant change of others that come and go. Few seem to last long. The Cosy Club has been there for a few years and is OK and the Ivy franchise seems popular but I haven't been myself.

The Thermae Bath Spa is closing next week until 27th Jan but if you are visiting after that it should be open.

We always headed into Bristol ( and still do).

Current show until Feb is for under 4s which wouldn't be suitable for the OPs children.

Ah thanks for all of these suggestions everyone, I really appreciate it!
@Elphame we had thought of spending a day in Bristol would you recommend it for the kids? We love York and Edinburgh so we're hoping for the same vibe with Bath, kids are big history buffs so I'm hoping they enjoy the trip.

If you get the train from Bath to Bristol I’d go to St Mary Redcliffe (they do a kids trail) as it’s just by the station. Then walk over the bridge towards M Shed and The Matthew and SS Great Britain. Lots of nice places to eat there (Wapping Wharf). Then the other side of the Harbourside is Millennium Sq with the Aquarium and We The Curious.

Loads of museums in Bath though!

Oh if they like history they will dnjoy Bath. My kids loved walking around the royal crescent, they took lots of photos of the beautiful houses, and we enjoyed having a quick look at the eye-watering prices in the estate agent window!

Very much so - try the SS Great Britain or the M Shed. Plenty usually going on around the Harbourside too. I don't think "We the Curious" (awful name!) has reopened yet after the fire last year but if it has that would be great.

Totally off the wall, but the tours of the Victorian Arnos Vale Cemetery are fascinating too. They are guided by volunteers who tell the stories of some of the people interred there - some sad, some macabre, some scurrilous and some just plain funny!

St Nicholas Market is good for a browse ( no bargains though) and there are plenty of street food style eateries there too.

Just be careful in Bristol if you drive in. It has a brand new clean air zone which is very strict and not that wellmarked.... It would be wise to check your car is OK online first. Bath has one too but private cars are exempt. Not so in Bristol unfortunately.

I go a at least once a month for a few days with work, it's a fantastic little city.

There is the Jane Austin tour near Charlotte St, the Thai Balcony restaurant is top notch and the Roman baths obviously.

Plenty of themed walking tours, spooky etc and boat tours on the Avon up to the weir on the Poulteney Bridge.

There is a good walk up to the top of the hill with great views some good pubs The Salamander and the Raven spring to mind with lots of shops and kid friendly restaurants.

Have a look at the visit Bath website, that should help.

I prefer Bath to Bristol for all kinds of reasons to live in but I do admit if it's stuff for kids to do then Bristol has a lot more obvious attractions and def worth popping over to . (It's only 12 miles) . So it's definitely worth going to the experimtareum place by the docks, plus the SS Great Britain in Bristol . A lot of the pleasure in Bath is lovely surrounding countryside and hills, lovely buildings, nice cafes, interesting little museums, beautiful parks , lovely arcades and alleyways - not always a great fit with kids that want 'stuff to do' - but obviously depends on the specific kids.

Love bath but have to say went to ss Great Britain recently and it was really good. If you then walk along the water there are great places to eat and the odd Mars house , think that is what it is called which is fun to look at.

We go to the Roman Baths (I would book this), the American Museum (there is a regular bus from the station, you need a full half day), the Egg theatre if something is on, the Fashion Museum (but think it is currently closed), the Holborne Museum, and we eat at either the Real Italian Pizza company or the Boston tea party. Victoria Park, shopping (The Corridor is nice) and fudge shops also go down well.

The mini golf by the park is also fun!