We are trying to find somewhere in Sheffield or nearby to take our baby daughter for a nice day out - somewhere she will appreciate at her age (9 months)! Her auntie has come to stay this weekend and we want to spend a nice day together!

Wentworth Garden centre is nice, lovely little farm yard, a few nice craft shops, Fab tea rooms with home made cakes.

to be perfectly honest at 9 month she will not even notice where she is or even bothered

thanks for the suggestions mrseggy - will have a look at Wentworth Garden Centre!

thanks for your input ricky

I took my son to Western Park Museum last week and he's only 6 months. He did manage to fall asleep (in a Museum so not a big surprise) but he was gawking at everything - think the giant stuffed polar bear scared him though.

Considering it's free, it's a great place to take the kids and if the weather is nice you can have a walk in the park too. I know he'll love it there when he's a bit older but for now, he was happy to stare at everything.

Graves park...1st a visit to the animal sanctuary and then take a blow up football and sit somewhere nice and quiet (weather permitting) and she/he will love it.

TBH: Like ricky said, at 9 months old though she probably wont be bothered, it's more about a nice day out for you and older members, as long as there's somewhere to crawl, something to play with and not too in her face she'll be over the moon.

Me and missus have spent fortunes looking for places and we get a better reaction just going on a long walk/sitting on some grass than we do going to a soft play area etc...

i like to take my little ones (8 month old and 3 yr old disabled boy) to pet shops or garden centres that have fish tanks in them, both of them love gawking at the fish! garden centres such as wentworth are nice as they have them there as well as a cafe for the grown ups!

I'm surprised at the comments PPs make about a nine month old. Mine takes an active interest in everything and I revel in giving him the opportunity to enjoy each and every new experience. Today it was the Ecclesfield Dog Show but he has also enjoyed most of the above.

Cannon Hall Farm is fabulous, and if the weather is nice a stroll around the YOrkshire Sculpture Park is great (not far up the M1!).
x

Yes, I took her to the ecclesfield gala and she absolutely loved the majorettes - she clapped along with the music and had the biggest grin - I know what you mean when you say at this age she won't be bothered but I have to disagree in my daughters case! It does need to be a balance like you say RICON - of something for the adults and something for the baby and no it does not need to be expensive!!! :D

Thanks for the suggestions - I think we will need more than one weekend to fit them all in!! :)

Hi - I was just going to suggest Wentworth & Graves park, before I read the replies. At her age you need somewhere free with a nice cafe so the adults can sit & have a coffee & a chat. Rivelin is also quite nice. A lovely walk, a park for a play & a nice cafe. In fact most of the parks are really nice.

Graves Park and Cannon hall farm have been big hits with my 10 month old boy!

Depends how far you want to go but there is a fabulous butterfly house near me (Dinnington, just off junction 31) with loads to see and my little on who is 11 months found it fascinating. :)

Hi All

I ahve my nephew for the summer and no access to a car full time so buses will be our travel option..

Not alot of pennies either so am wondering if anyone has some nice days out ideas.

I am planning on taking advantage of the fab list of activities that the council are providing but my nephew is a bit of a hand full and gets bored easily so full day things are no good for us.

Can anyone give me a genius idea to keep my 8 year old happy ?

Cheers x

heely city farm
graves park is always good lots to do
rother valley
all quite easy to get to by bus

How do you get to rothervalley by bus ? Thats a great idea !!

Can you use a day saver ?

first mainline bus 30 goes there and yes you can use the day saver but i am sure other busses go as well

Fantastic, thanks so much xx

Anymore ideas ?

I'm sure you can get to Longshaws estate by Fox House by bus easily, and a boy could spend hours and hours having adventures there - moorland, streams, woods, there are all sorts of interesting places to explore for any lad who likes adventures and a bit of outdoors fun! Take a picnic and have fun. Padley Gorge is especially good. :thumbsup:

There are lots of busses on which you can get to Rother Valley Country Park however there is one specific route that runs only on Sundays and bank hlidays up until september. It runs from Sheffield to Rother valley then on through to Creswell crags and Sherwood forest visitors centre. Service 150 I think one of the sherwood forestor routes.
http://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/

Shirebrook valley is on the 52 route, and has a nature centre open a couple of days a week - there should be info on any events on the council website. You can get a red route day pass which may make travel cheaper, and you can probably find other places to hop on and off along the route

What about going to the event that will be on in Graves park? Also Mega Centre is a soft play area for 8s and under and you can sit and have a coffee. Its about £2 for your nephew to play and he can play allday. What about swimming? thats always fun for the kids too.

What great ideas guys thanks so much, can I ask where the mega centre is please ? I am going to try all the above !!

If you are traveling by tram (from town) you get off at Hyde Park and then walk down the road on your left, then its on your left. You cant miss it really. But I can't remember the name of the road sorry.

i have two kids
5 n a year old and i m not going out newhere this summer(for holidays)
what are the good places to go around with kids near sheffield.. budget is not a constraint with me..only thing is kids should be happy


please suggest

lol

Ive got a 2 year old and a 11 week old......

last week we went to cannon hall, and we had a fantastic day, iwould highly recommend it!!

we're planning on going to chester zoo in august and have also been thinking about drayton manor and diggerland, has anyone been to these??? if so what did you think??

oh and also sundown adventure??

oh and also sundown adventure??

this place is amazing, we went the other week and I walked round with my mouth hanging open most of the time :hihi: I had happy memories of it as a kid but it surpassed that now!

Ive got a 2 year old and a 11 week old......

last week we went to cannon hall, and we had a fantastic day, iwould highly recommend it!!

we're planning on going to chester zoo in august and have also been thinking about drayton manor and diggerland, has anyone been to these??? if so what did you think??

Whats it like at Cannon Hall now, last time I went we wasnt allowed to take a pram inside?

If you like the garden centre's there's Dobby's at Balborough and there's lots of fish to look at there - biggest range i've seen in a garden centre and there's a good cafe too. There's also the Dukeries on the Worksop Road I think (A60?) there's a gallery and farm shop there too.

Cresswell Crags has a visitor centre and often have activities for the children.

I love Graves Park rare breeds centre and seeing all the little annimals. There's a really lovely play area and farm area at Chatsworth too - but a bit pricey I thought.

Rother Valley has plenty of space to play and also a children's play area (pay to enter) lots of water birds, boats, cycle hire and activities for older children in the holidays. There's lots of paths away from the main 'walk around the lake' too.

My sister swears by Cannon Hall Farm for the kids. There's also (if it's still as good) an outdoor play area at Magna.

I think Sundown adventureland is the best, so much to do your LOs cant get bored, it really is brilliant.At Xmas it is a must for our family,the most magical place,forget grottos of any kind,if you want magical get to Sundown,worth every penny.

I've heard of Sundown but can't think where it is?

Someone told me 'digger world' near Castleford is a great place and someone else told me today that they'd been to Thomas the Tank Engine World at Drayton Manor and it was a lot better than they'd thought it was going to be.

Oh and the community nursery nurse told me this afternoon that there's an outdoor sports event being held at the new Children's Centre in Kiveton on Wednesday next week 10.00 until 12.00 I think. She said they did it today and all the little one's enjoyed it running around on the school field and playing with lots of different pieces of equipment.

sundown is kind of on the way to Lincoln, its about an hours drive from Sheffield.
Whats at Thomas land? Is it just rides ect? We went to the 'days out with thomas' as elsecar heritage centre on sunday, they have it a few times a year apparently, and at different locations. My son loved it but I wasn't happy, he couldnt ride the train (I was expecting that as they are old style steam carriges so obviously no disabled access) but unless you bought a ticket to ride (£6.50 adults, £7 child) then you couldnt go on any of the other rides such as a mini train, bouncy castle ect as they only accepted train tickets. There were a few good stalls though selling Thomas paraphernalia and balloons ect, and a free clown show. I do think they should have taken into account people who couldnt ride the train for whatever reason though.

I've never heard of sundown before but just looked at the website and it looks good. For those of you who have been, what would you say the youngest age they would get anything out of it would be? MY little one is 15 months. I don't have any other children so if I take him anywhere it is soley for his benefit. I'm thinking he's still a bit young at the moment.

Graves Park is great and free. I live close so go there a lot. If you do go though, it's worth knowing that the animal yard within the animal farm closes at 4pm and they now stop letting you in the big barn in there (which often has the baby animals in) at 3.40pm.

I've never heard of sundown before but just looked at the website and it looks good. For those of you who have been, what would you say the youngest age they would get anything out of it would be? MY little one is 15 months. I don't have any other children so if I take him anywhere it is soley for his benefit. I'm thinking he's still a bit young at the moment.

Graves Park is great and free. I live close so go there a lot. If you do go though, it's worth knowing that the animal yard within the animal farm closes at 4pm and they now stop letting you in the big barn in there (which often has the baby animals in) at 3.40pm.

15m is a good age, they will get in free anyway. My youngest is 19m, she enjoyed pressing all the buttons, and we went on the train ride and the boozy barrel ride (that was for me :hihi:) there are other rides they can go on - the santa sleigh ride looked a good one, although we only did the walkthrough bit (that was lovely). Take a picnic and sit on the grass with him, they all love that! there are loads of play areas, we didnt go round them but i guess they have baby swings ect

The sleigh ride is brilliant,even in the middle of summer it seems really magical

Thanks honeyb35. I may give it a try as like everyone else I'm always trying to think of things to keep my little one (and myself to be honest!) occupied. Can't imagine my husband fancying it though!

Elsecar heritage centre (next village on from Wentworth) is very nice, they do Thomas the tank engine weekends on the steam railway (and a santa train at Christmas), and have a collection of old fire engines to look at, there are sometimes narrowboat rides on the canal, with a good path along the canal for walking, as well as having a very nice soft play area for the little one, and a huge antiques centre and a selection of craft shops for the adults.

http://www.elsecar-heritage-centre.co.uk/

Whats it like at Cannon Hall now, last time I went we wasnt allowed to take a pram inside?


it was brilliant and I'd definatly go back.

Hi,

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but has everyone seen the booklet which the council produce? I think they are available from the childrens information service (am not sure of the number but you should be able to google it, I think the website is called asksid but I may be wrong). I got mine from Wisewood Sports college.

Its called "Go for It" & is full of fun stuff which is free or minimal cost. A lot of it is for older ones but there is some stuff which younger ones will enjoy. A lot of it is great if you have mixed ages to entertain. Mine have done mulitsports twice this week & we were supposed to be grass sledging today (all free) but they have gone to gran's instead.