Ainsdale Beach
The one Sefton beach with RNLI lifeguards, on duty daily from late March to mid September, and the one where you can still drive onto the sand. Blue Flag, and backed by the Ainsdale dunes.
Days out with the kids in the North West
367 places and 177 dated events across Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. 51 of the events cost nothing, and 154 of the places work in the rain.
What’s near you today?
Free days out
Places that cost nothing to get into. Some still charge for parking, which we say on each one.
Alexandra Park
Oldham's Victorian showpiece, 72 acres built by out-of-work cotton spinners. Lake, duck pond, cafe on the water, seven free tennis courts and a playground with a proper accessible section.
Ashton Gardens
St Annes' restored Victorian gardens a street back from the seafront: rose beds, a galleon climbing frame in the play area and the Pavilion tea room. The calm half of a beach day.
Astbury Mere Country Park
A flooded sand quarry ten minutes' walk from Congleton town centre, now fourteen hectares of water, woodland and wildflower meadow with a flat mile long path round it. There is no playground.
Astley Hall & Park
A startling glass-fronted Tudor hall in a free park with woodland play trails, a walled garden and a pets corner. Chorley's pride, and rightly so.
Avenham & Miller Parks
Two Victorian parks joined at the hip beside the Ribble: a Japanese rock garden, a riverside cafe, a playground sited between the two, and the Easter egg rolling hill. Preston's best free afternoon.
New on kidzdays
Every day out →The latest places we have added and written up.
Otterspool Adventure
An adventure play park by the Mersey promenade - climbing frames, jumping pillows, go-karts and an indoor barn - that keeps coming up when Liverpool parents list what actually works. Walk it off on the prom afterwards.
Stanney Woods Local Nature Reserve
Twenty two hectares of ancient oak and birch woodland with a small free car park, level compacted paths and no gradient steeper than 1 in 10, so prams and wheelchairs manage it. No toilets, and the gates shut at five.
Hatchmere Nature Reserve
Thirteen hectares of open mere, fen and wet woodland at the north end of Delamere Forest, free and open at any hour. Grebes, reed buntings and a dozen dragonfly species. No toilets, no cafe, roadside parking only.
Victoria Park, Waterloo
Waterloo's big multi-use park, with a skate park tucked in the corner by the railway line and sport pitches across the rest. Sefton list play facilities too, but check before you promise a playground.
Rimrose Valley Country Park
A long country park running south from Crosby between the Leeds and Liverpool canal and the railway: paths, meadows, reedbeds and the Brookvale nature reserve with its boardwalks. Free, open, no charge to park.
Coronation Park
One of Sefton's seven Green Flag parks, in the middle of Crosby, with a play area, tennis courts and a model boating lake. Small, well kept, free, and about as low effort as a Saturday morning gets.
When it rains
All indoor options →154 of the 367 places on kidzdays work with a bad forecast. This is the North West, so we take that seriously.
Apple Jacks Adventure Farm
Farm animals, outdoor play and indoor barns, so a wet forecast doesn't cancel the day. Well matched to the 3-8 age range.
Giggles Play Mill
Two-tier soft play frame, low climbing wall, pirate ship, crawl tubes and a bouncy slide, plus Messy Monday and sensory sessions during the week.
Jellybeans Play Centre
Bigger than the average soft play: multi-level frame, a spooky room, an astro slide, a climbing wall, two mini bowling lanes and a slot racing track. The bowling is what makes it work when you have a toddler and a seven-year-old to keep happy at once.
Fun2b
Straightforward multi-level soft play with a café that adults can actually sit in. Nothing fancy, reliably works.
On this weekend
All 177 events →85 things running on Saturday and Sunday, collected from the libraries, museums, theatres and nature reserves that run them.
Wandering Wolves trail (opens in a new tab)
Little Moreton Hall, Congleton · Holmes Chapel
until 1 Nov. Daily with entry
A wolf-pack sculpture trail around the wonkiest Tudor house in England. Cross the moat, count the wolves, and let the hall's crooked floors do the entertaining.
Written by us
Bodies at Eureka! Science + Discovery
Eureka!, Seacombe Ferry Terminal · Wirral
until 6 Dec. Daily in the holidays, 10am to 4pm
Walk through a pair of giant lungs, meet a supersize brain and follow the digestive system to its logical conclusion. New gallery, runs to December.
Written by us
Children's Crafts- Standish Library (opens on Wigan Libraries)
Standish Library · Wigan
until 2 Oct. Every Friday, 3.15pm
Join us for our free craft activity sessions.
Listed by Wigan Libraries · collected 21 Aug
Children's Lego Club - Marsh Green Library (opens on Wigan Libraries)
Marsh Green Library · Wigan
until 2 Oct. Every Friday, 3.30pm
Children's Lego Club - Encouraging children to use their imaginations to create, using Lego.
Listed by Wigan Libraries · collected 21 Aug
Craft Club - Ashton Library (opens on Wigan Libraries)
Ashton In Makerfield Library · Wigan
until 2 Oct. Every Friday, 3.30pm
Runs on 7 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Listed by Wigan Libraries · collected 21 Aug
Little Possibilites Stay and Play (opens on Wigan Libraries)
Wigan Libraries
until 2 Oct. Every Friday, 10.30am
Runs on 7 dates. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Listed by Wigan Libraries · collected 21 Aug
Get the weekly roundup
One email a week with what’s on near you that weekend, new places we’ve written up, and the stuff that books out fast. Tell us your kids’ ages and what they love, and the email only carries things that fit.