Indoor Things to Do with Kids in Sheffield: Soft Play, Bowling and More

When the rain sets in or the days get short, Sheffield has plenty to fill them. The city has soft play centres, trampoline parks, climbing walls, free museums and the usual cinema and bowling options, so you can match the day to the age and energy of your children. Here are the venues we would start with, grouped by type.

Soft play and indoor play centres

For under-eights, soft play is the obvious choice, and Sheffield has several well-reviewed centres.

• Play Valley Dinnington is rated 4.6 from 1,766 Google reviews. It is wheelchair and pushchair friendly, with adapted toilets and baby changing.
• Monkey Bizness Sheffield is at Valley Centertainment and has a pyramid climbing frame, an aerial sky trail and an interactive cannon zone. There is an onsite café, and it is rated 4.3 from 1,235 Google reviews.
• Play Valley Sheffield is rated 4.7 from 1,045 Google reviews. It suits babies and young children, with space for wheelchairs and pushchairs and baby changing.
• Runaround Play Centre has soft play equipment in pushchair-friendly spaces, plus baby changing. It is rated 4.2 from 851 Google reviews.
• Playmania Sheffield on Orgreave Drive has role-play zones, including a police station and a supermarket, and an onsite café. It is rated 4.7 from over 250 Google reviews.
• Jungle Mania Play Centre Sheffield on Coleford Road has climbing frames and an onsite restaurant. It is rated 4.7 from over 250 Google reviews.

Active and sporty

If your children need to burn off energy, these venues will do it.

Bouncing and climbing

• Tramp2lean Sheffield is a trampoline park on March Street with pushchair-friendly areas and baby changing. It is rated 4.3 from 1,795 Google reviews.
• AirHop Adventure & Trampoline Park Sheffield at Meadowhall has air bags and specialist tracks. It is wheelchair accessible, with baby facilities and refreshments onsite, and is rated 4.4 from 1,148 Google reviews.
• The Climbing Works is a bouldering centre with The Mini Works, a climbing zone built for children. There is an onsite restaurant, and it is rated 4.8 from 1,174 Google reviews.
• Rock Up Meadowhall is in the Meadowhall Atrium and welcomes climbers of every age and skill level, with full wheelchair and pushchair access. It is rated 4.6 from 471 Google reviews.

Water, ice and laser tag

• Ponds Forge International Sports Centre has the Surf City pool, with flumes, a wave machine and a lazy river. It is rated 4.3 from 2,892 Google reviews.
• Hillsborough Leisure Centre on Beulah Road has waterslides and swimming lessons, with baby changing and pushchair access throughout. It is rated 4.1 from 1,455 Google reviews.
• Ice Sheffield has two rinks, skating sessions, coaching from age two and a licensed café bar. It is rated 4.4 from 2,193 Google reviews.
• Laser Quest Sheffield offers laser tag in the Valley Entertainment Centre. It is rated 4.3 from 359 Google reviews.

Creative days

Painting your own pottery is a calmer option and gives you something to take home.

• Fired Arts Craft Cafe on Ecclesall Road is a pottery studio where families paint ceramics. It has onsite parking, though accessibility is limited. It is rated 4.8 from 197 Google reviews.
• Planet Pot in Nethergreen is a ceramic café with refreshments from the onsite restaurant. It is rated 4.7 from 93 Google reviews.

Museums and galleries

Several of Sheffield's museums are well suited to children.

• Weston Park Museum has collections from around the world and through time, with interactive trails, family activities and a café. It is rated 4.6 from 3,082 Google reviews.
• Kelham Island Museum covers Sheffield's manufacturing heritage through hands-on displays. It has a café and full accessibility, and is rated 4.7 from 3,017 Google reviews.
• Millennium Gallery is free to enter and shows rotating art and craft collections. It has full pushchair access and welcomes packed lunches. It is rated 4.5 from 2,058 Google reviews.
• National Emergency Services Museum is a former emergency services station with interactive exhibits on police, fire and ambulance history, and vintage vehicles. It is rated 4.7 from 1,284 Google reviews.

Rainy-day classics

Sometimes the simplest plan is the best one.

• Cineworld Sheffield is described as Britain's biggest Cineworld, with IMAX and VIP seats. It is rated 4.4 from 8,484 Google reviews.
• Vue Sheffield is an 11-screen cinema at Meadowhall with wheelchair access and onsite parking. It is rated 4.1 from 3,989 Google reviews.
• ODEON Sheffield is a city-centre cinema with ten screens, refreshments and accessible facilities. It is rated 4.4 from 2,546 Google reviews.
• Hollywood Bowl Sheffield at Valley Centertainment has onsite dining, baby-changing rooms and accessible facilities. It is rated 4.2 from 3,164 Google reviews.
• Paradise Island Adventure Golf Sheffield has two indoor themed courses with tropical scenery and obstacles. It is rated 4.1 from 665 Google reviews.

Tips for an indoor day out

• Book weekend and school-holiday slots ahead, as popular venues can fill up.
• Check the venue's own page for current 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 climbing session followed by a museum visit, so nobody runs out of steam.
• Take a change of clothes if you are heading to a pool or anywhere messy.