help! Friends staying with their 3 year old - North West area

[mogwai]

Friends staying for three days between xmas and new year. They have children aged 3.5 and 15 months. We have a baby of six months.

We've previously been to Blue Planet Aquarium , Formby squirrel reserve, local zoo.

I got some paints in case it's wet. Went to have a look at the "under 5s" section and Manchester's Science and Industry museum, but didn't think much of it.

Any ideas? Any soft play areas with a section for parents serving nice coffee/food?

We are in the North West

head over heals in chorlton without a doubt fab play place with very good bit for under 5s and fab fab restaurant...

Where are you? these are all liverpool things:

TATE Liverpool, plenty of running around space and lovely restaurant, all v baby friendly

March of the Penguins film at The FACT Centre

Liverpool Museum has handling collections and a teeny aquarium

Farmer Teds near Lydiate is lots of fun, the food's horrid, but the farm things are good and there's a soft play, and brilliant farm shop

where in Chorlton is Head over Heels?

And can you tell me more about the FACT centre? Where is it? What's the penguin thing?

Thanks so much for the fast responses!

i used to work at fact ,- art galleries, cinema, cafe and bar

going to see penguin film tommorrow with my 15 mo ds, will report back

chester zoo is fabarooni and just round the corner from blue planet (or was that the zoo you meant when you said local zoo?)

I meant a small local zoo

I have some half price tickets for Chester Zoo, go there about twice a year but have never been there with these particular friends.

I suppose it would be an option provided it's not freezing cold or really wet?

Trafford Centre has a soft play (presume you want Manchester rather than Liverpool soft play).

if you are in Manchester, the science museum is great for small kids. not just the under 5's section but the big aeroplane room, etc. trains, sewers. my under 5's have been quite often.

the Manchester city art gallery is surprisingly toddler friendly, we've had some great mornings there. they have an interactive gallery which toddlers can play in for ages. and often other bits where they can do dressing up or drawing.

The Manchester Museum on Oxford Rd is also good. dinosaur skeletons, mummies and live snakes and insects upstairs.

Head over Heels is near Safeway in Chorlton. on the road to Unicorn wholefoods (which everyone seems to know). it's often heaving. half the toddlers I know are going there this morning. go first thing. about 10am.

Wythenshawe Park is great for toddlers. it has a farm open 11-3 in winter. also an indoor "safari walk" with budgies, waterfalls, fish and a small cafe. very good for a toddler walk on a wet cold day outside.

whale around in stockport is fantastic pirate themed soft play with seperate areas for babies,toddlers and older ones although they can all play in the bigger area. the parents part is right in the centre of all the sections and its very easy to watch over your kiddiewinks.

funizuz in cheadle is a nice soft play place, not as nice as whalearound. it really depends where u r.

have a look at netmums for things to do in your local area, thats prob the best place for REALLY local things to do

lots of soft play places i can help with in stockport area

Do lots of tram trips- this 32 year old was excited by them so a 3.5 year old might be too.

Some more (can you tell i have 3 small children and have spent a lot of wet winter days in the area?)

Ashton under Mersey Canal Museum is really good. it won a guardian child-friendly museum prize. it has all sorts of things they can play with. model trains and boats. a real canal to ride in. dressing up and making things corner.

Tatton park has a lovely playground and a farm. can be bitter at new year, i recall being snowed on and being the only people there. also cafes and a stately home but we haven't been inside the house.

small zoos. if you want a trek, Colwyn Bay Zoo is an hour away and is small and very lovely. but probably a bit far to go.

Poynton garden centre, in the Stockport area. has a miniature train you can ride on. and paint-a-pot activity type things.

Heaton Park has a brilliant adventure park and a farm centre with cows/pigs/donkeys/rabbits etc.

Has a cafe. Not sure what the food is like as I only get a coffee to keep me upright when I go.

dd1 LOVES it there and it is free to get in etc.

the garden centre!! YES! thats fab this time of year! little miniture railway that goes to Santas grotto and if u go a bit further up the road that brookside garden centre is on u get to poynton pool which (usually) has ducks/geese if they haven't flown off to warmer climes. U can go feed the ducks.

theres Lyme park too with a fab park and deer(if u can see them )

really does depend where u r tho in nw and how far u r willing to travle and how much u would like to pay!!

jsut remembered....our fave is Yorkshire Sculpture Park, its just outside Wakefield, practically on the Mway junction.

indoor art galleries, excellent cafe, and if the weathers fine is just magic

Depends how far east you want to come but Eureka in Halifax is fab.

Don't know how far into Cheshire you are but there's a really nice play centre in Frodsham on the way to Kingsley called CoCo's Playbarn. Its in the Lady Heyes Craft centre so there are things for the adults to look at too. They do serve food in play barn (like tea shop stuff)etc and best of all ITS CLEAN (and doesn't smell of wee!!) .

Thanks for all your replies.

I do know Frodsham, and the Lady Heyes place, but hadn't thought of the playbarn. The Head over heels thing is also looking good and perhaps the Science and Industry museum.