Summer Fun in Portsmouth for Kids
Summer is around the corner and the long summer holidays which strike fear into parents' hearts. It's good to prepare early for the longs weeks with no school to keep the little ones busy. Day trips are one way to fill the day. A good selection of garden toys is another. Here's a quick round up of places to visit in Portsmouth on sunny and not so sunny days.
Day trips need not be expensive, indeed in the long summer holidays, the more cheap or free activities that you can come up with, the better. The Portsmouth libraries usually carry a calendar with activities by day and locations and cost. The City Museum usually runs free activities on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the month of August. Another popular destination is the new splash pool on the sea front. The splash pool was opened at the end of summer 2010 and is an ideal spot on a hot summer day when parents are looking for a safe place for some water fun. Canoe Lake is a popular venue for free fun – when the sun is out, the grass is covered with picnicking families with dad's playing football and cricket with their children. The lake itself usually offers pedalos and water walking. The Natural History Museum is adjacent to Canoe Lake and has free entry. In the summer months the butterfly house has a fascinating range of butterflies and moths fluttering about. Bransbury Park is a popular destination on Sunday's during British Summer Time as the local Portsmouth Model Engineering Society has a model steam railway setup and available for train rides for a token sum. On a rainy day, the city offers a number of softplay centers including "Krazy Kaves", "Pirate Pete's" and "Fuzzy Ed's Funhouse". The sea front has a huge range of activities for all types of weather. The Pyramids fun pools are an all year round winner, as are the amusement arcades on South Parade pier and Clarence Pier. Clarence Pier in fact, has a novel claim to fame, as an early episode of Mr Bean was filmed on location at the pier. The Blue Reef centre is also situated along the sea front. It's worth buying an annual pass to Blue Reef for the use you get out of it during the summer months alone. The outside area at Blue Reef features an ever popular splash pool and sandpits.
It is probably a good idea to stock up on your back garden toys too. Every self respecting family needs at least one of the following: a functional paddling pool, water pistols, a trampoline, bikes, wooden bikes and ride-ons for toddlers.
Don't forget a handful of Computer games, DVDs and books for when it rains too!
Day trips need not be expensive, indeed in the long summer holidays, the more cheap or free activities that you can come up with, the better. The Portsmouth libraries usually carry a calendar with activities by day and locations and cost. The City Museum usually runs free activities on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the month of August. Another popular destination is the new splash pool on the sea front. The splash pool was opened at the end of summer 2010 and is an ideal spot on a hot summer day when parents are looking for a safe place for some water fun. Canoe Lake is a popular venue for free fun – when the sun is out, the grass is covered with picnicking families with dad's playing football and cricket with their children. The lake itself usually offers pedalos and water walking. The Natural History Museum is adjacent to Canoe Lake and has free entry. In the summer months the butterfly house has a fascinating range of butterflies and moths fluttering about. Bransbury Park is a popular destination on Sunday's during British Summer Time as the local Portsmouth Model Engineering Society has a model steam railway setup and available for train rides for a token sum. On a rainy day, the city offers a number of softplay centers including "Krazy Kaves", "Pirate Pete's" and "Fuzzy Ed's Funhouse". The sea front has a huge range of activities for all types of weather. The Pyramids fun pools are an all year round winner, as are the amusement arcades on South Parade pier and Clarence Pier. Clarence Pier in fact, has a novel claim to fame, as an early episode of Mr Bean was filmed on location at the pier. The Blue Reef centre is also situated along the sea front. It's worth buying an annual pass to Blue Reef for the use you get out of it during the summer months alone. The outside area at Blue Reef features an ever popular splash pool and sandpits.
It is probably a good idea to stock up on your back garden toys too. Every self respecting family needs at least one of the following: a functional paddling pool, water pistols, a trampoline, bikes, wooden bikes and ride-ons for toddlers.
Don't forget a handful of Computer games, DVDs and books for when it rains too!