5 Things To do With Kids In Northamptonshire

Whether you are heading to Northamptonshire for just a day, weekend or longer there is always plenty to do indoors and outdoors. Here are my 5 top things to do with kids in Northamptonshire.

Indoor Play Centre

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to indoor play centres in Northamptonshire. There are your trampoline parks such as Boost, Flipout or Gravity or role-playing at Play 360. However, the best of all is a trip to the Hub at Riverside. This is located just outside the town centre but perfect for children (or adults!) of all ages. It houses the UK’s biggest playframe, has a giant climbing tree plus indoor go-karts, golf and laser invasion!

Castle Ashby Gardens

There is plenty to explore at the beautiful Castle Ashby Gardens and it is the ideal destination for a family day out. Your walk into the gardens will take you past the stunning Castle Ashby house and its vast private gardens. There are a number of different gardens to explore and plenty of room for the kids to run around and burn off some energy. There are huge trees they can get amongst and play plus in the Summer there are activities such as crazy golf and puppet shows.

In the depths of the gardens is the Menagerie. In here you will find animals such as meerkats, marmosets, large rabbits and chipmunks. Through the other end, you will discover chickens, other birds and larger animals including pigs.

Farms

Five minutes from the A14 in Kettering is West Lodge Farm. This is a family-run farm that at first appears small but once you start exploring has so much to offer. Of course, you will find your usual farm animals as well as a petting zoo, amazing indoor and outdoor play areas, horse riding plus also some magical nature trails. These trails will lead you on adventures to troll bridges, caterpillar tunnels and witches houses!

Coffee Shop

If you’re just looking for something quiet and easy then there are a couple of amazing kid-friendly cafes. My favourite is Jeyes of Earls Barton – there is so much to do here. Upon entering you step into a gift shop full of stationery, cosmetics and other general gift items, this then leads on to some toy shops. In here you will find some modern toys as well as some classics such as Rupert the Bear, Winnie the pooh and Sylvanian families. Upstairs is a museum that details the history or Jeyes plus some items from the Kinky Boots movie that was based in Northamptonshire.

After exploring the free museum and coffee shop you can then grab a bit of lunch in one of the 4 seating areas. My favourite is the one at the back that has a large corner full of toys to keep the kids entertained!

Theme Park

Finally, for something a bit more adventurous, check out Wicksteed Park – one of the oldest theme parks in the UK. It is most suited to younger children but new attractions are regularly opening making it more appealing to older kids as well. 

Author Bio

Rebecca is a Mum of 3 boys. Whilst the eldest 2 are at School she juggles entertaining her youngest and running her blog Northamptonshire Mum and Kids. If you are interested in learning more about what there is to do in Northamptonshire with or without the kids then you can check out her blog, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages.