Midweek school day out from Manchester

[ZenNudist]

School is shut one day this week. Dh is entertainer to 10yo DS who loves theme parks but open to other non-theme park suggestions.

I've said Alton Towers (he's to short for the major rides). It will be quieter right?

Dh suggested a ryanair flight to Dublin on Tuesday night. (Not theme park!) Has also joked about phantasialand. Could make it a 2 day trip.

Harry potter in Watford might be a good call.

What would you do with a free random day not mobbed out like weekends and holidays.?

Where do you live?

The Crocky Trail in Cheshire is fun, and it’s not too far either. Kind of depends on the weather but is also fun when muddy

Manchester! (See title...)

@PiggieWig I've always wanted to go to crocky trail. I would like to do it all together...

Oh, well I recommend for a day you’re all free then!
Lego land at the Trafford Centre, food and cinema? Or is that a bit dull?
Chill Factore is ace too but also on your
doorstep.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is tacky but fun.
The Sandcastle Water Park is great fun.
Alton Towers could be a good shout.
Gullivers World (Warrington) tends to have smaller rides, though I forget what age my kids grew out of it.

Harry Potter booking now for June so no good.

Phantasialand is not open yet (plus it's in cologne but we love it)

Thorpe Park is 3.5 hours away (but could stay over) BUT has a lot of good rides over 1.4m and he's just under that.

Alton towers looking like a cheap good bet. If its raining they can switch to water park.

I kind of feel like a trip to Dublin would be really cool...

Xpost!

Did sandcastle in February most recently so would probably go somewhere different. Gullibers definitely not going to float DHs boat. I think DS is too small for the big one at the pleasure Beach and some of the rides are older than I am!

There's a waterpark in Stoke that I took my daughter and her friend to on a teacher training day. Bumped into other school parents and nobody else!! Can't remember what it's called though but it's not that far

Dublin does sound cool. What would they do there?
London is always a good day out too - so much to do.

I kind of feel like a trip to Dublin would be really cool...

It would! Excellent boasting potential when DC returns to school. (Though Cork is more exciting than Dublin. Or was, about 25 years ago …)

DH has limited imagination. I just found very cheap flights to Paris that fit his timings, and he said "what would we do"...😶

I think I'm more excited than he is by the prospect of a free day. I love planning a treat trip. Random day in Paris is my idea of heaven.

No idea what they'd do in Dublin and I'm not letting them go for a day in Belfast as I really want to do that!

@postitnot that waterpark is a good call. I will ask DS1 for a review as he has been and is a waterpark connoisseur (it's DS2 who has the day off).

Flamingo land is brilliant for kids that age

Chester zoo
Knowsley safari park
Blackpool pleasure beach
Zip world

A tour round old Trafford and IWM north - all at Salford quays

Have you been to Trentham Gardens and the monkey forest? Thats a good day out if dry/sunny. About an hour away.

Go ape at rivington
football museum
crystal maze or the cube

Prob quite expensive last minute but we had a great trip to Legoland Billund (Denmark) last year flying from Manchester. You need 3 days ideally though.
big hit with the 10yo. It’s right by the airport. Lego house is better than Legoland. There’s a water park too.

We did Dublin from manchester when my children were small. We stayed overnight. We went to the natural history museum, the giant themed park and a tour bus ride. They loved it.

ive been planning to do belfast for a day in summer and go to the titanic museum.

last year i had a random day off and return flights to iceland were under £100, but people advised me
a slight delay with the journey into the city could potentially wreck it. Hopefully o can do an overnight instead this year.

Cork flights can be roughly the same as dublin.

my teen dd wants to ho to Derry because of the Derry girls.

Thanks for suggestions. I think Stoke Waterworld inches it though I gave flamingo land a look (lots of >1.4m rides).

I also saw cheap flights to Bilund but timings were wrong. It's a definite consideration for my longer theme park jaunts abroad. Not sure my 13yo thrill seeker would agree but he'd probably love the water park.

@TheBottomsOfMyTrousersAreRolled I really want to take them to the titanic museum. I also fancied a giant's causeway trip starting in Belfast . I'm pretty sure I'd love Ireland and have hardly been because it's so close to home!