Summer round up :: Our favourite family places to visit

It’s getting close to back to school time, and I’ve really loved having Reuben back at home with us, enjoying the family days out that we have had. I thought, as there are still a couple of weeks left to get out and about, I would round up our favourite family places to visit so far in the hope it gives you all some last minute inspiration.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster

We love it here, and had so much fun when we visited over summer. It’s a brilliant park that has great places to stop and play, so many animals to see and learn about and great cafes and restaurants or picnic areas a plenty if you are feeling like A La Carte! Why not check out my guide to visiting zoos before you go, it’s one of our favourite things to do so I’ve jotted down my tips for making the most of it on the blog.

Honeysuckle Farm, Hornsea

This is hands down my FAVOURITE petting zoo/ play farm. It’s really reasonable to get in, but once you are there it is HUGE, with so many places to play, hay bale barns to run around in, animals galore to pet and meet and two giant koi ponds where you can stand over grates and feed the fish through the floor. It is always a must for us during any holiday time or even on a warm weekend in spring. There is a cafe, but we always take a pack up because there is so much to see and do.

Flamingo land, Kirby Misperton Nr Pickering

We are pass holders here so it is really economical for us to visit, even if only for a few hours, but be warned it gets very expensive if you don’t have a pass. I look forward to visiting all the time, we even go after school sometimes, but for a full family day out its great. Arriving early is a must to skip the big ques and try to make sure you plan the day to get to see all of the shows and things. The sand play area in the dinosaur play section is great and there are a surprising number of rides for tiddlers to join in on. If you are planning. To eat sandwiches or light bites for lunch avoid the costa cafe and take your own – it’s always crammed and so expensive. I can highly recommend both the country house pub and the tea rooms style restaurant, or if a snack is more your style there are tonnes of places to grab a hot dog on the move. Make sure you go to see Clive the sea lion during your visit, he’s so funny and the bond between him and his trainer (who is lovely to chat to afterwards about all things sea lion) is clearly visible.

Dalby Forest, Nr Pickering

I know I talk about it a lot on here, but man the good times we have had at Dalby have been so awesome and so many. Dalby forest lends itself to a full day out with a BBQ or picnic in one of their secluded areas or the massive, refurbed play area or a scenic bike ride, hike, jaunt around the lake or even an exploration on Adderstone. It’s so huge (and I mean huge, it covers more or less 30 miles) and it’s a paradise for people looking for a fun, cheap day out that isn’t going to be reliant on age or height.

Sheffield Butterly Centre, Sheffield

Finally we have this place. It’s packed full of sights for kids with the crocs being a firm favourite with my boys. There is a great mix of play areas, including a water park area so take your little ones a change of clothes or swimwear and towels. I love that there are plenty of indoor places if the weather is a bit rubbish and a good mix of birds to feel wowed by as well as tropical animals too.

I hope you feel inspired to give one of these places a visit before your kids go back to school. It really is so much fun to have days out and if you make a memory box your kids will be able to share their experiences when they go back to school.

H x