Birthday weekend ideas

[bluebell8329]

Does anyone have any ideas for a weekend away for a family of four. My daughter will be 13 in January and looking to take her away for the weekend somewhere. My other daughter will be 9. The only place I can think of is possibly Edinburgh/Chester as there is the zoo there. We're from the North East so looking for somewhere not too far away.

Not sure if this is the right thread but grateful of any advice. x

What does she like doing? Shopping - Leeds, Manchester.
More historic. York you can do a chocolate tour.
Seaside - Scarborough, slots and chip shop tea.

She likes history, wildlife and shopping. She's hard to pleas sometimes.,

x

I’m from Edinburgh. The zoo is rubbish tbh, on a very, very steep hill and prohibitively expensive to get in. There are better things to do in town but they’re mostly history based. One thing to note is the pubs are very strict about children, you need to order food, not be in sight of the bar and out by 8pm.

I go on a lot of city breaks and it’s evident that my home town is one of the most expensive places in the world.

So Edinburgh might be off the cards then............

Liverpool? Great for shopping, close to Chester Zoo but if the weather is awful you also have Knowsley Safari Park nearby. Several museums to cover her line of history as well.

Ooh this could be a good shout, not somewhere we've been before either. x

Haha yes. York is my go to for a UK city break, it’s pricey too but there’s more accessibility for dc. The Jorvik Centre and Castle Museum are brilliant, good walking tours too.

And agree about Liverpool, it’s a fantastic city.

If you went to Leeds you could visit the museums and art gallery at the top of town and then go shopping and eat out. Maybe be a show. There’s a wildlife/butterfly park at Roundhay.

I'm going to fight the corner for Edinburgh! The zoo isn't that bad, ok it's on a hill but everywhere in Edinburgh is on a hill! And the kids aren't little so should be fine getting around for the day. It's not as big as Chester but it's also very manageable to see everything in a day.
The city is steeped in history, if the weather isn't good and you don't fancy the zoo then you have no end of museums, a palace, a castle, the royal yacht, walking tours, art galleries, Dynamic Earth, Camera Obscura....I think it's a great city for a weekend with kids. If the weather is nice you can even get the bus to the beach or walk up an extinct volcano!

I’m a bit jaded cause I’ve lived here my entire life and you make some good points but the zoo is utter pants and don’t get me started on Dynamic Earth, truly awful.

i quite like Dynamic Earth!! I think the main problem with going to any zoo in January is that it's going to cold, and potentially gloomy, and a lot of the animals tend to hide away indoors.

Another vote for Liverpool, loads to see and do, Chester Zoo or Knowsley Safari park both great but different.
Liverpool has loads of history too, a few nice beaches for a winter walk?
Williamson Tunnels
Plenty of museums
Western approaches a ww2 underground control room
https://liverpoolwarmuseum.co.uk
My top recommendation for something different is the Watersports centre do a very nice sedate trip around the docks in a Rigid Inflatable boat, its very good, but at the end of the trip if you are up for it they take the boat to a dock with no speed limit and run it flat out its fantastic.
https://liverpoolwatersports.org.uk

How about Leeds as you say she likes history and shopping?
There's the Royal Armouries Museum that's free to get in, and full of history. Then there's The Light shopping centre and Trinity shopping centre. Or if you're feeling fancy or rich, a wander round the Victoria Leeds arcade 🙂