Fun days out for the whole family

With the school holidays almost upon us, thoughts are turning to ways of keeping the kids entertained during the summer months. From organised activities to adventures and outings, whatever your budget, make the most of your time together with fun-filled family days out.  

Here's some suggestions for things to do with the family.

Get out and about in the great outdoors

In glorious weather, what better way to spend the day than enjoying a sunny day at the seaside? While teenagers lounge on their towels reading the latest John Green book, curious toddlers can get creative with sandcastles. You are never to old to paddle in the sea, jumping over the waves and feeling the sand beneath your feet. Enjoy some candy floss, a cone of chips or an ice cream on the promenade and relive those sunny days from your own childhood holidays.

You could check out nearby nature trails, beauty spots or picturesque parks. You could enjoy a relaxing day with kite flying and a family picnic or get more energetic with a cycle ride followed by a play in an adventure playground. Kids love feeding the ducks, climbing trees, building dens or searching for mini-beasts.  If you are on a budget, days out in the great outdoors can be practically cost free yet so much fun. Fresh air and exercise is great for tiring out the little ones!

Discover cultural delights on your doorstep

When the British weather is at its best, the UK offers a wealth of outdoor entertainment. From heritage events at historical hotspots to treetop adventures to festivals, you can enjoy family fun in the sun. If the weather fails to deliver you can still have fun by heading off to enjoy an indoor activity. From museums with interactive activities to stately homes and spectacular castles, children of all ages can explore the culture and history of the UK while avoiding the rain!

Great value days out

Look for discounts and promotions that can allow you and the family to visit places for less – there are plenty of these advertised over the summer months.  Don't forget to check the offers available from Tesco Clubcard for some bargain days.

Investing in annual membership for certain attractions or organisations can be a great investment if you intend to visit numerous locations throughout the year. Merlin Entertainments – who own Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland and Alton Towers as well as Warwick Castle, the Dungeons and the SeaLife Centres – offer great value season passes giving you year round entry to all their attractions plus discounts on food, gifts and hotel stays. 

You can also get membership for places like the National Trust to enjoy access to over 500 special places of interest such as historic houses, castles, forests, woodland, beaches and nature reserves. You get to experience history firsthand, which children love!

Enjoy high octane entertainment

For thrill seeking families, there is an abundance of family fun venues across the length and breadth of the country for big days out.  From theme parks to safari parks and zoos, there is so much choice. We recently visited Chester Zoo and can highly recommend it as a great family day out for animal enthusiasts.

Alton Towers remains our favourite theme park. Older children can enjoy the excitement of the rollercoasters and the big rides, while little ones play in the new CBeebies Land with mum or dad!  There are also acres of beautiful gardens to explore if you want a quiet moment away from the crowds.  The SeaLife Centre and the Ice Age 4D cinema are all-weather attractions you can visit while you are there too. The all day dining plan is a great value idea allowing families to eat and drink all day for one inclusive price.  It's a great treat for a special occasion.

Film lovers can head to the Leavesden film studios and enjoy the magic of the epic story of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter, which has become the most successful film series of all time and the Harry Potter tour takes you behind the scenes to discover its secrets.

From the Great Hall to the shop front of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, this unique walking tour takes in the remarkable sets that helped to recreate the magic on the silver screen. The extraordinary animatronics, special effects and power of the green screen uncover how some of the most spectacular scenes evolved. Visitors can also view an amazing, hand-crafted replica of Hogwarts Castle, alongside many models, renowned artefacts and much-loved characters and creatures. Families who are potty about Potter will love this magical, fun-filled family day out. It's on our list of places to go this summer!

Whatever you choose to do this summer, I hope you have a fantastic time making lots of special memories with the family.

A Family Day Out at Chester Zoo

On Saturday, with the shine shining, we set off for a family day out at Chester Zoo courtesy of Superbreak.  Superbreak offer pre-bookable fast track ticket and hotel packages so you can enjoy a brilliant day out at one of the UK's top attractions knowing you have a comfy hotel room waiting for you.  Perfect for a sunny weekend or for the summer holidays!

Chester Zoo is easily accessible from Jct 14 of the M56 or Jct 12 of the M53, and is set in 110 acres of landscaped grounds.  It is home to a range of over 400 rare, endangered and exotic species of animals, which are housed in large enclosures.  There are some great exhibits including the Realm of the Red Ape where you can see the family of Orang-Utans at play.  There is also a monorail and waterbus for anyone wanting a more leisurely way to get around and see the 11,000+ animals.

With our Superbreak ticket we were able to jump the queues at the ticket kiosks and head straight into the zoo.  Armed with our map we were ready for our zoo adventure.

As soon as you arrive through the gates, you can see just how well maintained, spacious and modern the zoo is.  There are lots of open spaces, beautifully landscaped areas and well kept animal enclosures.  The paths are well signposted so it is easy to find the exhibits you want to see.  Animal welfare is of utmost importance, and the world class enclosures provide the best environment for the animals to live in, whilst providing some up close encounters for us to enjoy.

There are Zoo Rangers on hand around the zoo giving talks, plus you can watch some of the animals being fed.  A trip to the zoo isn't just about entertainment, it's also about education.  Freddy learned lots about animals and their environments, what they eat and how they live.

We headed straight to the Fruit Bat Forest as Freddy was quite keen on seeing the free flying bats.  Being a big fan of superheros, he wanted to feel like Batman in his Bat Cave.  It is very dark in the exhibit and the sensation of bats flying past your head is quite a thrill!  Freddy was very brave and spotted some of the huge Fruit Bats hanging upside down from their perches.  He did complain that they were a bit smelly though!

The Realm of the Red Ape was wonderful.  The brilliant exhibit has lots of interactive displays and information about the Indonesian forest and its inhabitants. The huge enclosures provide lots of space and lots for the apes to do.  We spent ages watching a mother and her young baby play with a sackcloth blanket, hiding themselves and then peeping out.  It made Freddy giggle to watch their antics.  There were also snakes in the exhibit in glass fronted enclosures.  Freddy enjoyed spotting them among the plants and branches.  They were definitely his favourite of all the creatures he saw!

Around the grounds are some statues - perfect for photo ops!  The life size models gave us an idea of the size of the Komodo Dragon and a newborn elephant calf.  There is a lot of attention to detail around the zoo with models, pictures and information boards to keep the most curious of young minds occupied.  There was a zoo ranger who was talking to the kids and comparing the skulls of a human with those of some apes.  It is so interesting to see the similarities between us and other animals.  There is also a craft stand where children could make animal pictures using their handprints.  There is an exhibition called Hot Pink Flamingoes - Make Change Not Carbon, which includes a trail around the zoo.  It raises awareness of climate change.  Plus you can learn about UK gardens, bees and birds with Bloom - celebration of UK wildlife.

On such a sunny day we were grateful for so many places to just sit and relax in the sunshine.  The grass is all so beautifully kept, meaning there is lots of room for the kids to run around or to have a picnic.  You can even hire deckchairs!

Freddy absolutely loved the play areas.  The Fun Ark is a great place for little ones to let off steam and play in the big themed area.  Wherever Freddy goes, it is the playgrounds and play equipment that he enjoys the most, and he was most impressed!

For lunch we headed to June's Pavillion where we were pleased to find veggie burgers, chips and salad on the menu.  A Family Meal Deal costs £25 and you get 2 adults meals, 2 kids meals plus drinks.  It's not bad value at all and the portion sizes were big.  You get plenty of fresh salad to add to your burger, which was nice.

The self-service restaurant is very spacious, very clean and has several different counters offering different types of food to suit most tastes.  There are several other outlets and kiosks around the zoo and they even offer a homemade picnic service, where picnics are made to order.  You can even add some fizz to your lunch by ordering a bottle of champagne!

Freddy went for a monkey faced pizza for his lunch, priced at £4.95.  He really enjoyed it and it was freshly baked to order.

After lunch we were back to the animals.  The girls all love Giraffes and we spent quite a while simply watching the family of giraffes as they wandered around their enclosure, occasionally stopping for a bite to eat or to scratch their necks on the door frame.  There were some young animals alongside some much larger ones, including one that stood over 4.5 m tall.  There is an enormous height chart on the door to their pen so you can see how tall they are when they walk past!

By far, my favourite exhibit was the elephant enclosure.  The Asian Elephant herd includes two very young infants, Bala and Hari, who are cousins.  They are so adorable.  The younger elephant Bala, born in January 2013, is such a little livewire!  From throwing dirt to chasing a family of ducks who had landed by the water hole to falling over a log, Bala kept us totally enthralled with her antics. She was so much like a human toddler in her behaviour and her mum kept a watchful eye on her little calf!

We were surprised to discover that one of the elephants at Chester Zoo is the same age as Ian, and they can live to be 70 years old.  They are such majestic creatures and it is great to know that Chester Zoo have launched the Asian Elephant Conservation Programme to help villagers and elephants live in harmony in India and reduce the conflict between them.

The Painted Dog enclosure is great.  We were privileged to see a family of incredibly rare African Painted Dogs, which are almost extinct in the wild, just after they were fed.  They were very active and had such beautiful colouring.

The chimpanzees were on top form on their island home, but we were a little grossed out by the antics of one of the monkeys who took a rather large interest in his own bodily functions. Someone should let him know that bodily waste is not meant to be played with or eaten!! 

The zebras, buffalo and antelope were all magnificent.  The unusual aardvark and the tapir were wonderful to look at up close.  The big cats were sunning themselves lazily.  Some animals had managed to hide themselves away from view, but on a whole we got a good look at all the animals we wanted to see.

It really was a great day out and we all had a fantastic time together enjoying what Chester Zoo had to offer.  It is such a beautifully kept zoo with so much to see and do.  We didn't get to do everything on offer and somehow missed the Spirit of the Jaguar exhibit completely.  That'll be first on our to-do list next time we visit, because we will definitely go again!

Find out more about Chester Zoo at www.chesterzoo.org or book a Chester Zoo Superbreak and enjoy a short break with hotel and fast pass tickets!

Safari...so good!

I do love a family day out.  It beats a romantic meal for two or a night out anytime!  I love seeing the kids having fun and experiencing new things.  So this weekend we headed off for West Midlands Safari Park.  It was a particularly exciting day because I was also meeting up with the lovely ladies behind The Crazy Kitchen and The Boy and Me!

The award winning West Midlands Safari Park is in Bewdley.  It boasts a 4 mile long, 100 acre drive through safari where you can get up close and personal with a host of wild animals.  It also has a funfair with 26 rides and attractions, a Discovery Trail and the new walk through Lemur Woods.

There are cafes, kiosks and shops that cater for all your needs while you are there.  There are also picnic benches and plenty of grassy spots for relaxing.

When we arrived we went through the drive through admissions' booth for our tickets which was really efficient.  Adult admission is £13.99, children cost £11.99 and under 3's are free.  Each paid for ticket includes a free return ticket for another visit making it excellent value for money! You can also buy animal food to feed the deer and antelopes.  Once you have driven through the gates you are free to enter the safari or park up and go into the rest of the exhibits.  We headed for the drive through safari.

Drive through admissions booth

Animal food at the ready!

The drive through takes approximately one and a quarter hours, but during busy times this can take a lot longer.  A rogue giraffe in the middle of the road can slow down proceedings considerably!

You can come face to face with some of the world's most amazing animals in the open enclosures.  Some come right up to your car looking for food, others brazenly walk down the middle of the road with no regard for the cars!  The kids absolutely loved seeing the animals in such close quarters.

After our encounter with the animals we parked up and entered the Lost City Plaza.   The arcade is full of shops and places to grab some food.  It leads into the Discovery Trail where you can experience a variety of talks, encounters and shows.  We saw a Reptile Encounter featuring some very large snakes!

We went to the Explorers cafe for lunch.  The hot food was a bit school dinnery and the choice was limited for us as vegetarians, but it was OK.  When I go again, I think I'll bring food from home because there are a lot of nice spots to sit on the grass for a picnic, and the car park is close enough so you wouldn't have to lug a picnic basket around all day.

West Midlands Safari Park includes an amusement park for which you need to purchase wristbands for unlimited rides.  Individual tickets (£6 for 3)  can be purchased but at £10.99 for children and £11.50 for adults, the wristbands are better value for money if you are going to hit the rides in a big way.  Our kids did just that!  The price of the rides does make the day a lot more expensive, especially if buying for all the family.

There are 26 rides and attractions and the queues were quite short meaning our children really made the most of their wrist bands.  With rides for all ages including flumes, dodgems and roller coasters there is something to suit all levels of adrenaline junkie!

Pirate Ship

Swings

Rhino Coaster

It would have been nice if there were some rides for toddlers that were free to use.  A wristband for tiny tots costs £7.99.  My son had one go on a ride before bursting into tears and refusing to go on any more.  Toddlers are temperamental little creatures and their behaviour can be unpredictable.  £7.99 is a lot of money to lose if your child doesn't want to go on the rides.  As under threes get into the zoo for free, maybe they should get a few rides for free too.

Help Me Mummy!

We spent a whole day at West Midlands Safari Park.  The kids had a fabulous time and Kizzy certainly had good value from her wristband.  The return ticket is a really nice touch and we're planning a return visit later in the year.

For more details visit www.wmsp.co.uk.  You can also book tickets online and save £1 per ticket!

*I received 2 adult admission tickets in order to do this review.*

My Menagerie of Photographs

I had a go at trying to be a bit of a wildlife photographer while I was at Chester Zoo this weekend.  I have a Lumix G2 camera but I'm still at a loss how to use all the buttons and settings, but I am giving it my best shot!  Here are a handful of the pictures I took.

Butterfly that looked like a leaf! 

Java Sparrow that chattered to us from a branch.

Giraffe (who was very tall!)

Chimpanzee...he seemed to be the boss of the monkey world.

Hornbill (it looks plastic but it was real, honest!)

My girls pretending to be a Giant Tortoise!

One day I hope to make my camera proud and do it proper credit...but I'm quite pleased with these shots in the mean time.  Photography is something I so want to grasp.  It is such a learning curve, but as long as I'm having fun with it, I'll carry on trying.

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!!

Next week Freddy is 2 and we have been lucky enough to get a pre-birthday visit to Chester Zoo courtesy of Superbreak.  Freddy adores animals so I was really excited about taking him to see creatures bigger than his pet hamster Spinky!  I can't even begin to imagine how amazing it must be for a toddler to set his eyes upon an elephant or a giraffe for the first time!

There was ample free parking at the zoo which was just a short walk to the main gates. It was good to have our pre-printed ticket from Superbreak which meant we could take the Fast Track entrance into the zoo, bypassing the queues.  This would be really useful during busy peak times.  On entry we were photographed in front of a green screen....more on that later!

The elephants are the first main attraction you see.  Their enclosure is big and the elephants looked happy and relaxed and entertained by their environment which really pleased me!

The zoo has over 7000 animals from over 400 different species so we had a lot to see!  Thankfully the sun was shining and we were keen to explore the attractions armed with the free map.

Freddy was delighted and amazed as he looked at the wonderful animals on display.  The enclosures were all thoughtfully designed and all the animals looked most content.   

Around the zoo were lots of interactive and educational activities for the children.  The children learned a lot about the animals, their habitats and conservation issues affecting them.  It was very hands on.  There were also regular talks by the zoo keepers throughout the day.

Everything was clean, tidy and well maintained. The grounds were lovely with loads of seating, picnic areas and grass lawns to rest on. Various statues and artefacts were dotted about making loads of photo opportunities. Freddy took a shine to this bronze Komodo Dragon.

We had our lunch in June's Pavillion which was a really spacious building, decked out with a modern wood interior.  It sold hot food from a range of counters.  We had veggie burgers, chips and salad priced at £6.  We were pretty impressed by the plateful we received!  So often you can be ripped off at attractions, but our lunch was great value and tasted good too!

Ice Cream from Cheshire Farm was on sale from an Ice Cream Parlour.  I indulged myself with a Summer Berry Sundae...well it did contribute to my five a day!

There is a fabulous new exhibit open until October 8th which is Dinosaurs at Large.  Life size animatronic dinosaurs bring to life the dinosaur era...it was like Jurassic Park, only safer!

The models were amazing, they swung their heads and tails, roared and even spat water at unsuspecting onlookers!

Some children were a bit over wrought at the sight of the T-Rex and there were some tears...but my lot loved it!  I thought it was great too.  You're never too old for dinosaurs!

There were informative signs giving information about the dinosaurs, their size, habitat and other fascinating facts.  I could relate to this dinosaur...Rugops a.k.a. Wrinkle Face!!

The shops were nice, well stocked and not at all over priced.  There were some really nice things to buy and Freddy picked out a T-Rex toy for £3.  He was clearly impressed by the Dinosaurs at Large exhibit!

Other highlights of the day included the Fruit Bat Forest where free flying bats swoop past your head, the Butterfly House where the beautiful butterflies land on you, the Orang Utans who were so impressive in their huge enclosure, swinging and climbing on the ropes and the Tropical Realm with exotic birds that you can view from a hide.

It was a tiring day...be prepared to walk miles around all the enclosures and exhibits.  There is a monorail and a waterbus but they are charged separately so we didn't go on them.  There are plenty of toilets, seating and snack kiosks which are essential when on a day out with little ones!  We had a fabulous day and we all really enjoyed everything the zoo had on offer.  As we left we saw the photos we had taken as we entered the zoo. Our family had been superimposed onto various scenes with some wild animals!  There was no pressure selling which was nice...but my girls wanted us to buy our photos.  So we are now the proud owners of some rather interesting souvenir pics, postcards, a fridge magnet and a keyring which cost £17!!!  

It really is a great day for all of the family.  It is nice to have a mix of entertainment, education, information and conservation all going on hand in hand.  The animals are clearly happy and well cared for.  The grounds and facilities are well kept.  There is lots to see and do.  We were impressed by the food available and the vegetarian options on offer.  The shops stock a great range of well priced merchandise...with lots of pocket money priced things for the kids. 

For Chester Zoo Short Breaks or Chester Hotels check out superbreak.com.