Places to go in Staffordshire with a 2 year old

[janjas]

We are heading down that way next week for our holidays. We are staying near Cheadle. Can anybody recommend anything to do that will entertain a 2 year old? Thankyou.

Hello janjas

These may be a bit far out and I am sure some Cheadle people will have better ideas but for now I recommend

Stoke City Farm

Trentham Gardens has a retail village area as well as a Barefoot Walk (might be a bit cold now though) and a lake to walk round.

The Brampton My DD loves the soft play area (Cheeky Monkeys) and the outdoor part too.

Hope you have a good time in Staffordshire

Not sure how close it is but Drayton Manor has a Thomas World theme park, in Staffs I think.

Monkey World? also at Trentham.

Cheadle is close to Cheshire so you could be at Stockley Farm in about 40 mins, or the Wheelock Farm shop which has a gorgeous play area with ride ons and its only £1.

Blue Planet is over at Ellesmere Port and will take about an hours drive but is great for toddlers and has a little outdoor play area and an area where kids can stroke the fish.

Gullivers World at Warrington, very easy to get to.

Tatton Park has Home Farm, wonderful play areas, (though a lot of it is aimed at over two years), brilliant gardens, and midweek you will have the place to yourselves.

Viewing area at Manchester airport used to fascinate my toddlers!

If you head over to Derbyshire the Heights of Abraham is pretty impressive with a cable car ride over the main road and lots of caves to explore.

Hope you have a lovely time.

All of the above/below. Potteries museum in Hanley is surprisingly brilliant for little kids: lots of toys, activities, stuff at their level.

Trentham is excellent - loads to do. worth paying to go in the Italian gardens bit to use the play area.

Some of the Potteries museums have pot throwing, painting etc.

Ceramica in Burslem is nicely-interactive also.

Alton Towers obv: still lots to do and look at with little kids...

further afield, also try over towards Chester: Beeston Castle is fantastic, but a steep climb. Take a picnic and enjoy the views. Chester Zoo and the Crocky Trail and Chester town centre all excellent also.

I second Wheelock Farm, we discovered it last week, and Trentham is a great day out with a picnic.

Stapeley Water Gardens ? Haven't tried it myself but keep meaning to.

Biddulph Grange country park is great for exploring, and gREENWAY Bank country park too - we regularly walk dogs and toddlers round there.

Another brilliant but slightly eccentric place to visit (especially if you go up to Tatton, Manchester airport etc) is the Willow Pool Garden centre/architectural antiques/tea room in Lymm...

It is mad but great for little kids to explore: crazy junk and ducks and eating cake in outdoor huts!

Cannock Chase is lovely for a muddy puddles walk, nice visitor centre IIRC.

Stapely is interesting but slightly panic-inducing with a toddler (lots of, er, pools!) but some good fish.

Actually Bridgemere garden centre is also OK if a little dull - it has a play area, a 'train' and a 'mountain', as well as some 'show gardens' to run around if you like that sort of thing.

But don't bother with Conkers for a 2yo DC - very little to do at that age apart from walk around the lake which you can do for free elsewhere.

DISCLAIMER - Conkers legal people - good for other age groups though

Rudyard Lake and Tittesworth (sp?) (other side of Leek) are great - nice walks, boat on Rudyard, if you like walking you can visit the Roaches. If you like tearooms etc, you can pop over to Buxton...

You could do the potteries bus tour. OK the 2 year old might not be interested in the factory shops, but might enjoy the bus!

cannock chase -wonderful
Trentham gardens - great
Amerton farm - near Stafford - totally brill

Staffordshire really is the "forgotten county"

To quote my Mother who lives there (it really is beautiful

Enjoy

Oh yea !! Duh. Blonde.

Bridgmere nice but plants vvvvv expensive

I live in Mow Cop which is a nice place to visist on the way to somewhere else, to see the Folly.

Love the tips on Potteries museum, and I was only driving past Ceramica earlier thinking it might be worth a visit. Thanks for this thread janjas !

There is also a sensory place over in Macclesfied called JJ's but you have to pre book I think. Thats great for the kids.

That's it's Silk Cut - Amerton Farm, I was trying to remember the name. It's lovely there, DCs can feed goats and sit on tractors and...fanfare...see Hedwig's (Harry Potter's owl) real-life sister in the aviary!!!!! Brilliant

OK this is gonna sound really sad, but we went to this a few years ago and it was fantastic fun. 2 might be a tad too young with all the bangs but...

The battle of Blore Heath, Blore heath farm. Think it is next weekend 20/21 September...

On road into Market Drayton. People dressed up in wars of the roses costumes, fighting, roasting pigs, showing you round their remarkably well equipped tents. Quite good fun.

(Cheadle in Staffs is a different place to Cheadle near Cheshire.)

Some great recommendations on this thread.

Battle Of Blore Heath reenactment details here This weekend!

Drayton Manor is near tamworth, sea life centre at birmingham. Go banana's (soft play) in Burntwood my nearly 2yo loves it there when visiting his dad. Lichfield is quite nice not loasd in the way of shops but the cathedral is very xlose to city xcentre next to a lake so can feed ducks too...

thankyou everybody for all your suggestions. Got loads of ideas now! xxx