Wisley with 5yo

[aliphil]

Is this a good idea? My mother will be staying with us over her birthday, mainly to help me out as DH is away and I have a lot on. I was thinking of going to Wisley for the day as I think DM would love it, but would 5yo DD be bored?

maybe...
We used to go there all the time as kids, but I am one of three so we played together, played a lot of hide and seek, playing with walkie-talkies etc...
Does she normally like walks?

MyDCs loves Wisley at this age, especially the glass house. There are often child centred activities on in the learning centre, like planting seeds and such like.

There’s a great wild play area too. Lovely cafe.

Can you picnic there? I was wondering about saving on lunch and treating DM to afternoon tea.

DD has mixed opinions on walks, but if they can end in play areas it's usually a safe bet. Plus she adores DM so a day out with her should go down well.

Yes lots of people picnic there. Quite a lot picnic on the green near the cafe and you see lots of kids running about there.

If you think you might want to go again, have a look at annual membership as individual membership allows you take in one other adult or 2 children. I think there’s no charge for children under 5. There are often membership discounts and the last time I looked you could order membership through Tesco club card.

If it's a good day try to get there earlyish as you might have a long walk from the far end of the car park.

There is a play area there and den building and lots of room to picnic. If the weather is good then a nice day out.

Pick up a family trail at the Garden Entrance. Each trail gives children things to spot, ideas of great places to explore and fun things to do in the garden.
On leaving the glasshouse, there's a path that leads past the lake and up towards the jubilee arboretum and children’s play area.
When we visit Wisley we tend to eat at the Glasshouse Cafe. They do a good deal on Children's lunch bags, any 4 items and a drink for about £5. There's a selection of sandwiches, pots of cut up sausages, cakes, biscuits, fruit and veggies, yogurts and more for children to pick their 4 items from and they can help themselves to cutlery and carry it all to the checkout in a paper bag. Maybe a picnic would be marginally cheaper but the option to sit indoors is handy if the weather is too hot or cold/wet. The cafe is conveniently situated near to the toilets and Glasshouse and there's a large open space for children to roam and play should you be engrossed in grown up conversation and enjoying your coffee far too much.