HUNDREDS of trampolines and indoor fairgrounds are the perfect ways to burn off steam when the weather is moody.
We’ve rounded five of the best indoor playgrounds across the UK, loved by families.
The Playhive in Stockeld Park
The Playhive at Stockeld Park in North Yorkshire, describes itself as “one of Europe’s largest and most original indoor playgrounds”.
The unique play centre has lots to inspire the imagination, from planes to submarines, huge slides and interactive games.
Jet in space on a huge spaceship, or a rocket with wooden walkways, ladders and nets.
Elsewhere, a jungle-themed area has a climbing wall in the shape of a gorilla, and an under-the-sea zone with a huge whale to play on.
With so much to do, it’s no surprise that one parent wrote on Tripadvisor that the Playhive is the best place for “rainy day fun”.
Open during the weekends between 9.30amand 5.30pm, tickets are £13.50pp for an hour and a half in the indoor play park.
All day entry for the Playhive (an hour and a half slot), and the Adventure Park start from £23.50pp.
From October 25 to November 2, there’s a Halloween event where the park is open all day, with tickets from £13pp.
During the Halloween event, kids can take a tractor ride and pick their own pumpkin, and explore the adventure playgrounds in the Enchanted Forest.
Take a look around the Monster Maze, enjoy Zombie Laser sessions, adventure through the Playhive, ride the Flying Stocksman.
Play Factore, Manchester
Play Factore is the ‘UK’s largest indoor family entertainment arena for parties and play’, and better yet, it’s open every day of the week between 10am and 6pm.
Inside is the tallest standing indoor slide in the UK, an indoor laser tag arena, interactive ValoJump trampolines and a zip wire.
Other facilities include a built-in football pitch, racing simulator, or for the smaller children, there’s a specially designed play area for toddlers.
The big red slide inside Play Factore is the tallest indoor slide in the country and is 131feet high.
Inside the arcade are retro games as well as air hockey, whack-a-mole and even racing bikes.
General admission tickets into Play Factore for kids aged between 5-16 range between £16.95-£20.95.
Children aged between six and 11 years old can enter from £3.95, and tickets for adults are £5.25.
You have to book into a session which is between 10am-12pm, 12.30pm-3pm and 3.30pm-6pm – which you can do online.
Riverside Hub, Northamptonshire
Riverside Hub just outside of Northampton is often described as being ‘every parent’s dream’ because it literally has everything for a family day out.
Think soft play, sensory rooms, go-karting, laser tag, room for role-play and the largest playframe in the UK.
The playframe is one of the most popular attractions and is set across various heights with nets for climbing and big slides for coming back down.
Inside is also a beanstalk climbing wall, or smaller oak tree suitable for smaller children, or beginners.
There are also areas just for toddlers which have a ball pool, activity wall and dolphin carousel.
Entry is £7.95 for adults, £16.95 for children between four and 17, and £13.96 for little ones aged between one and three. Babies under 12 months old can enter for £6.
You can save money by visiting during off-peak times, which is before 2PM on Monday to Friday, or get 40 per cent off if you visit after 2PM Monday to Thursday.
The Riverside Hub is open from Monday to Friday between 10am and 6.30pm.
On Saturdays, it’s open between 9.15AM and 7.30PM, and on Sunday it opens at the same time, but closes one hour earlier.
Woodlands, Devon
There’s plenty to do at Woodlands considering that it’s Devon’s largest theme park.
When it rains, it boasts a huge indoor area five floors of adventure play with slides, rope bridges, swings and even rides.
Inside is a Ferris Wheel ride, a drop tower and another where children will be on small submarines.
For thrills, there’s a six-lane racing slide called Barracuda, or there’s another that drops 40 feet.
The Ice Palace is an area for smaller children with soft play, ball pools and slides.
On the middle floor is Rays Diner which serves snacks, and hot and cold drinks.
Plus, when the rain stops, families can head back out to ride the tornado toboggan run, drive the buggies and zoom down the rapid waterslide.
Tickets for Woodlands theme park start from £16.50 per person, with offers for families and money off depending on peak or off-peak timings.
Flip Out, Leeds
There are 33 Flip Outs in the UK, but the one in Leeds is the biggest, and it’s just opened.
The entire site is 100,000 square feet and filled with 150 trampolines and 14 other attractions, like an enormous inflatable obstacle course with a climbing wall and slide.
Kids can also explore a multi-storey Ninja Playground, a drift bike arena, roller disco, soft play, arcade area, or even play a game of dodgeball.
There’s a zipline which travels from one side of the trampoline arena to the other.
Inside is a dedicated ‘Slide World’, which as the name suggests, means it’s filled with slides.
For kids seeking thrills, there’s the space-themed Laser Quest, and for smaller children, there’s a toddler soft play area.
After building up an appetite, visitors can take a seat and get a bite to eat from burgers, nachos, hot dogs, pizza, toasties, cold drinks and hot drinks – even cocktails, beer and wine for the adults.
A standard ticket for Flip Out with access to Slide World and all the attractions starts from £16.95 – there are discounts and family passes available too.
One writer visited Riverside Hub in Northamptonshire with her three sons…
Catherine Lofthouse visited the Riverside Hub in Northamptonshire with her family – and gave Sun Travel her verdict…
“As seasoned soft play samplers, my boys thought they had seen it all – until I took them to family favourite Riverside Hub in Northampton to check out the UK’s largest playframe, set over four floors.
“You know you’re onto a winner when your tween’s eyes light up in wonder and you hardly see your children from the moment you arrive until home time.
“With three boys aged between five and 12, it can sometimes be difficult to find somewhere that has enough to keep all ages happy as the older two are getting a bit big for soft play, but that certainly wasn’t a problem here.
“Laser tag, crazy golf, two climbing poles, go-karts and even arcade machines all included in the price. The main issue is keeping an eye on all your children as they head off in opposite directions to make the most of everything on offer.
“While the youngest was taking a spin on the carousel, my middle son was clambering up the two 10m climbing poles, one in the shape of an oak tree and the other a beanstalk, in the centre of the hub.
“There’s a mezzanine floor with extra seating that’s perfect for cheering your little climbers on as they get to the top. And you’ll also find a fantasy village playground up there for youngsters to enjoy.
“Downstairs, my sons really loved being able to take on the free arcade machines that would be pay per play elsewhere. And the go-karts were a big hit too, with short queue times despite how busy the venue was.
“Riverside Hub was certainly a revelation and lived up to its reputation. We will be back!”
For more child’s play, here’s a huge indoor playground that only opened in the UK last year has oak tree slides & castle play fort.
And for the adult’s, Sun Travel tried out the new UK indoor playground where children are banned – it was like being back in primary school.