Indoor Things to Do with Kids in Liverpool: Soft Play and More

Liverpool is a good city to have up your sleeve when the forecast is poor. Soft play centres and trampoline parks cover the days when children need to burn off energy, while the big waterfront and city-centre museums suit slower ones. Cinemas and bowling fill the gaps in between. Here is how the options break down by type.

Soft play

Most of the soft play venues here sit outside the city centre, so they work best as a planned trip rather than a quick stop.

• The Fun Factor in Maghull has soft play equipment, an onsite restaurant serving snacks and meals, and parking. It is rated 4.0 from 498 Google reviews.
• Funtown Liverpool in Garston has climbing frames and slides, with an onsite restaurant for refuelling. It is rated 4.0 from 264 Google reviews.
• Fun Time on Britonwood Trading Estate has an onsite restaurant. Note that accessibility is limited and there are no baby facilities. It is rated 4.1 from 250 Google reviews.
• Kidz Fantasy Land has tunnels, climbing frames and dedicated toddler zones, plus a café, parking and full accessibility facilities.

Active and sporty

For older children, or anyone who wants to do more than run around a frame, Liverpool has trampolines, climbing walls and a skatepark under cover.

Trampolines

Bounce House Liverpool is in Brunswick and has more than 100 linked trampolines and dodgeball courts. It has full wheelchair and pushchair access and is rated 4.4 from 785 Google reviews.

Climbing

• The Climbing Hangar welcomes beginners and experienced climbers of all ages, with expert guidance, parking and dining on site. It is rated 4.8 from 1,403 Google reviews.
• Awesome Walls Climbing Liverpool is in a converted church and has routes for all abilities, an onsite restaurant and parking. It is rated 4.8 from 731 Google reviews.

Skating and puzzles

Rampworx Skatepark is an indoor skatepark with ramps, bowls and street features for riders of all abilities. It has an onsite restaurant and wheelchair access, and is rated 4.4 from 377 Google reviews. If your group prefers to use its heads, Breakout Liverpool offers themed escape rooms where teamwork is essential. It is rated 4.8 from 889 Google reviews.

Creative and gallery visits

• Tate Liverpool is a waterfront gallery of modern and contemporary art with creative family activities, dining options and accessible facilities. It is rated 4.3 from 4,853 Google reviews.
• Walker Art Gallery on William Brown Street spans 700 years of art. It has wheelchair access, onsite dining and picnic areas, and is rated 4.7 from 4,611 Google reviews.
• Bluecoat shows modern art and runs regular children's workshops and activities. It has an onsite café and baby facilities, and is rated 4.5 from 1,589 Google reviews.

Museums and aquariums

World Museum Liverpool covers everything from ancient civilisations to outer space, and also has an aquarium and an insect house with live creatures. It is rated 4.6 from over 16,000 Google reviews, the highest count of any venue on this list.

Museum of Liverpool tells the city's story through interactive exhibits, from creative achievements to sporting legends, with dedicated spaces for little ones to learn through play. It is rated 4.6 from nearly 12,000 Google reviews.

Music fans have two options. The Beatles Story is an immersive exhibition on the band's rise to fame. It is fully wheelchair accessible with ramps and lifts throughout, and is rated 4.5 from over 11,000 Google reviews. British Music Experience is an interactive museum inside the Cunard Building covering British music from 1945 onwards, rated 4.5 from 1,865 Google reviews.

For older children interested in history, Western Approaches HQ is a genuine WWII command bunker where decisions about the Atlantic convoys were made. It is rated 4.7 from 1,523 Google reviews.

Rainy-day classics: bowling and cinemas

Hollywood Bowl Liverpool on Edge Lane Retail Park combines bowling with arcade games, pool tables and an onsite restaurant. It is wheelchair accessible with baby changing facilities, and is rated 4.0 from 1,806 Google reviews.

There are several multiplexes to choose from:

• ODEON Liverpool ONE has 18 screens in the shopping district, with wheelchair access, baby facilities and pushchair-friendly spaces. It is rated 4.2 from 4,582 Google reviews.
• Showcase Cinema de Lux Liverpool in Norris Green has wheelchair access, snacks and parking. It is rated 4.5 from 2,667 Google reviews.
• ODEON Liverpool Switch Island on Dunnings Bridge Road has 12 screens showing films in 2D and 3D, with onsite parking. It is rated 4.5 from 2,409 Google reviews.
• Cineworld Speke has affordable junior showings, daytime screenings for parents with babies and on-site parking. It is rated 4.5 from 2,402 Google reviews.

Tips for an indoor day out

• Book weekend and school-holiday slots ahead where booking is offered, as wet days fill up quickly.
• Check the venue's own page for opening times before you set off.
• Soft play centres often ask for socks, so pack a spare pair for everyone.
• Pair one active venue with one calm one, such as a trampoline session followed by a gallery visit, so nobody runs out of steam too early.
• Bring a dry change of clothes and a bag for wet coats and shoes.