Wet day on the Isle of Wight with kids?

[MyCatIsInCharge]

We finally booked a week on the Isle of Wight in August. There seems to be loads to do with kids, but most of what I’ve found so far is outdoor options.

Does anyone have any good suggestions for wet weather activities just in case? I think I saw a steam train mentioned, though DC1 (6) is obsessed with transport and would happily just ride the train. DC2 (2.5) is a little more feral….

Shanklin seafront complex
Butterfly World
Dinosaur Isle
Fort Victoria Model Railway
There are also various indoor play centres dotted around the island

Second Dinosaur Isle

Osborne House

Bus museum, imo the steam railway is a bit of a rip off my kids were happy just to ride on the island line.

The roman fort is mostly inside, has a cafe and is interesting to see.

If your ds is transport obsessed, have you thought about taking the hovercraft from Ryde to Plymouth and back? I think it's the only year round passenger hovercraft service in the world. It only takes 10mins each way and and when we did it about half the people onboard went to Plymouth and were on the next return "flight" back 😂i am not particularly interested, but it felt like nothing else, particularly at the beginning when you feel the bags underneath inflate! It's all indoors.

Thanks everyone! I did Google soft play and swimming but was lacking imagination beyond that.

@BoothsChristmasBrochure , that is a genius suggestion! Although I’m hoping you mean Portsmouth unless it’s some kind of rocket…😂

Ha yes I was about to come on and say Portsmouth. Not sure that's entertaining though and is pricey.

Amazon world is mostly indoor if you like zoo type things, or there's a cinema in Newport that do cheap kids films sometimes? The dinosaur museum is mostly indoors too I think. YY to the steam railway - or even just the normal line between Shanklin and Ryde is old fashioned carriages. In Ryde there's a bowling alley and laser thing, or a lovely paint a pot if your DC are into that kind of thing. I'll keep thinking - many a damp caravan holiday spend on the Isle of Wight with DC...

IoW Steam Railway gets brilliant reviews & we used to go several times each year. I think you can still use clubcard vouchers, unless it's over the bank holiday weekend when they put on a huge steam show. There is a playground, cafe Train Story activity centre/museum & the train ride itself.

Tapnells Farm gets good reviews, but I'm not sure how much they have indoors. We always used to stick on a coat & go to Shanklin for crazy golf.

DH works in Gosport and there is the Explosions museum, the Submarine museum and a skating rink (all of which have got DDs excited to visit him, we live in Yorkshire....)

I was going to suggest Tapnell park farm - lots of the activities are inside, so great for a rainy day.

If you get the hovercraft to Portsmouth there is big new soft play called Exploria which is walking distance from the terminal

Ha! Yep. Portsmouth. I blame my poor South Coast geography on the fact I live on the opposite site of the country 😅 Plymouth would be more exciting though!

My sons were very disappointed that we didn’t visit the Museum of Poo on our last IOW trip.

There is a transport (mainly buses) museum in Ryde.

I was massively sick on a holiday to the IofW o out 20 years ago. I can't even read the name without feeling nauseous. It's so weird

I still don't understand why the Waltzing Waters shut. It was brilliant

You can get the normal train which is actually old London underground stock and then go onto the steam train. You could get the hovercraft over to Portsmouth and the catamaran back. The model railway at Fort Victoria is great. There's also a cafe on the pier in Yarmouth where you can watch the ferries come and go.

Not a great fan of the Dinosaur museum or Robin Hill, the zoo was OK but I think the Amazonworld thing was better. Tapnall farm was great but pricey - but along with most things on the island you get a 7 day ticket so can go back more than once.

Amazon World was a surprisingly brilliant little zoo with plenty indoors, and you can do it on Clubcard vouchers.