The Roscoe Collection’s top ten PAID attractions in liverpool part I

Top Ten paid family attractions in Liverpool

Should your budget stretch beyond what the city offers you for free, then Liverpool and its surrounding areas, offers a huge variety of attractions for you and your family to enjoy. Ten of the best paid attractions in the local area are showcased here. All of these fantastic, fun-packed, family days out are just a walk, or a short journey via car or public transport, from The Roscoe Collection’s luxurious serviced apartments situated in the heart of Liverpool. So much to see and so much to do! Stay for a week, or maybe two!

No. 1 : The Mersey Ferries (Including Spaceport)

The Ferries http://www.merseyferries.co.uk/ are part of Liverpool folklore now, thanks mainly to Gerry and the Pacemakers hit song (which you will hear, often!) that immortalised them forever as poignant symbols of the city. In addition to the Peak Time Shuttle, which is simply a ten minute sprint across the river to Seacombe, then down to Woodside, and then back to the Pier Head, the Mersey Ferries also offer a much more family friendly …River Explorer Cruise… (Adult return : £5.30, Child 5-15 : £2.95 or Family ticket of 2 adults & 3 children : £14.15). The entire journey lasts around 50 minutes and departs from the Pier Head, on the hour, between 10am and 3pm weekdays, 10am-6pm on Saturday’s and Sunday. Your return ticket allows you to disembark the Ferry at any of the terminals and return at any time during the day to continue your cruise. This is particularly useful for families, as it enables you to take in Spaceport at Seacombe http://www.spaceport.org.uk/content/Home.aspx. This £10m attraction is themed on Space and Space travel and whilst it is primarily directed at 7 year olds and above, it is great entertainment for the whole family, combining a variety of interactive hands on exhibits with amazing audio visual experiences, which will take an enjoyable couple of hours to appreciate fully (Adults: £9.50, Children 3-15: £6.50, Concessions: £7. Family Ticket (2 adults and 3 children: £26.50). For younger children there is also the Play Planet Area. A soft-play area designed primarily for younger children where they can clamber and fling themselves around like crazed dervishes, in complete safety, for just £2.70. There is also a small restaurant here for some well deserved refreshments. This will allow you and your family to regain your energy, after your perilous journey through the galaxy, evading capture by the dreaded Daleks!

Further down the Mersey, on the River Explorers next stop, is Woodside. From here you can take a short walk to Birkenhead Priory, where in 1318 Benedictine Monks received the royal charter from Edward II to operate a Ferry service across to Liverpool. The Priory is the oldest standing building on Merseyside and while younger children may not appreciate its historical value, or importance in the development of the Mersey Ferries, it is a wonderfully eerie place for those with imagination. Ideal for a Scooby Doo adventure! Or perhaps seeking the lost treasures of Blackbeard the Birkenhead Pirate! There is also a small riverside – located at the Woodside terminal, to quell the nerves from your latest adventure!

If you do plan on taking the River Explorer Cruise and visiting the Spaceport, it is cheaper to pay for both on one ticket. The Joint River Explorer and Spaceport ticket works out at £12.70 for adults, £6.50 for children aged 3-5, £8.60 for children aged 5-15, £9.15 concessions, or you can buy a 2 adult, 3 child family ticket for £35. The latter option, in particular, offers fantastic value and guarantees a great day out for the whole family.

No 2. Croxteth Hall and Country Park

In addition to being the childhood home of Wayne Rooney and Colleen McLoughlin, Croxteth is also famous for the little gem that is Croxteth Hall and Country Park http://www.croxteth.co.uk/ . The beautifully opulent Edwardian Hall has been retained in its original pristine condition and is open to the public between 10.30am to 5.00pm, from 21^st March until 28^th September. Guided tours are available at certain times of the day and even if you choose not to follow a guide, animated character figures from the Edwardian era, will explain some of the sights and sounds that you encounter on your journey around the hall.

If your children prefer something a little more interactive, not to mention pungent, then a visit to New Farm comes highly recommended. New Farm allows visitors not only a glimpse of how farming was in the past, but also its role in our modern society. Children will love the chance to get close to the animals on the farm and Feeding Time on the Farm at 3.45pm each day is a chance to see our furred and feathered friends enjoy their evening meal! In addition to this gastronomic delight, there are special displays, events and demonstrations throughout the year, details of which will be displayed prominently throughout the estate.

If grabbing your sequiturs, listening to Gardeners Question time and squirting Anti-Greenfly spray on your Petunias is your thing, then Croxteth Hall and Country Park also a houses a timeless Victorian walled garden. This is wonderful opportunity to explore some of the finest examples of botany and horticulture in the country. A serene and gentle amble through the verdant pastures will take you back to a bygone era, when the gardens produce was used to serve the needs of the Hall and its wealthy residents.

Finally, the Green Flag awarded Country Park offers plenty for the family. A walk in the nature reserve will see abundant wildlife thriving in this well maintained environment, and there are plenty of well signposted pathways for the keen ambler to march merrily along. Children will love the adventure play area, while the more adventurous could even try their hand at riding at the riding school, housed in the former Earl’s stables. The newest attraction to open in 2008 is the Jungle Parc. An opportunity for those taller than 1.05m to swing, climb and glide their way through the trees! A truly unique experience as Jungle Parc is the first of its kind in the U.K!

Croxteth Hall and Country Park offers free parking, and whilst entry to the Country Park is free, you can purchase a Family Saver ticket (2 Adults and 2 children) that gives you entry throughout the day to the Hall, Walled Garden and New Farm for just £12.50.

No 3. Knowsley Safari Park

Nothing is guaranteed to bring children to tears of joy, and adults to tears of frustration, more quickly than seeing a flange of baboons start to eat your windscreen wipers. This alone should be reason enough to make a day visit to Knowsley Safari Park http://knowsley.com/s_park/default.asp a feature of your stay in Liverpool. The relaxing five mile route through the park will see the intrepid explorer encounter a prodigious variety of wildlife and offers excellent photographic opportunities. Though it is probably wisest to remain in the safety of your vehicle, than attempt to photograph one of your beautiful children, trying to hug a charging white rhino! Car loving parents may also be delighted to know that the Park offers an alternative route past the enthusiastic baboons, thus ensuring your windscreen wipers will live to see another day!

There are plenty of other attractions at the park. There are a variety of fairground rides guaranteed to keep your youngsters amused, if not nauseous, during the visit. The cost is £1.50 a ticket, though it may be cheapest to purchase a wristband for your children at £9, allowing them to ride time and time again at no additional cost. Younger children, as well as a great many adults, will enjoy watching Biffo and Max, two Californian sea lions, performing for them at the Sea Lion show. There is a Bug House onsite, where people who delight in things that creep and crawl can satisfy their thirst for knowledge. Those who prefer something more sedate can wander through Fishbrook Wood. This is seven acres of woodland that has been carefully restored to exemplify the unique British country heritage as accurately as possible. Close by the wood  is Mizzy Lake Farm, which is popular with the younger children as it contains a variety of farmyard animals, as well as a couple of more exotic inhabitants too! A wide variety of reasonably priced food and other refreshments are available from the on site restaurant.

Entry cost is reasonable at £12 per adult, and £9 per child (aged 3-15). A family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) is also available for £37. The park is open 364 days a year from 10am in the morning, for the warmer months of the year, and from 10.30am from 1^st November until the end of February. It is useful to note that the fairground rides are closed during these winter months.

No 4. Gulliver’s World

There are some days when all the museums, ferries and animals in the world are not enough. And your darling children let it be known that they want to strap themselves into something with wheels and hurl themselves, at great speeds, along a twisted piece of steel. Fear not, because at the Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington, just off the http://www.gulliversfun.co.uk/gullivers.php?parkname=Warrington they can do just that. Teenagers may struggle to keep themselves amused for the entire day as, unlike other parks, Gulliver’s World is designed to cater for the younger children. For an entrance fee of £10.95 per person regardless of their age (though children under 90cm tall enter free of charge and senior citizens get in for £9.95), the park offers a wide variety of over 50 rides and attractions, guaranteed to keep even the most energetic and demanding of children happy throughout the day. Unlike some other parks, where the majority of the day can be spent walking between attractions, Gulliver’s World is on a smaller scale, and not as harsh on the feet! There are ample places to purchase food and drink and the usual smattering of gift shops designed to get you to part with your cash! A truly fantastic day out for those with children aged up to 13. The park is open every day from the end of May, until the 3^rd September and is usually open in the weeks of the school term time holidays, as well as most weekends throughout the year. The park is also open from 29^th November and most days in December for special Christmas opening, though it is advisable to call in advance for details of the events.

No 5. Haydock Park & Aintree Racecourses

The Sport of Kings has changed in recent times and become much more family oriented in its outlook. Haydock Park http://www.haydock-park.co.uk/ is at the forefront of these recent developments, thus making a day, or evening, at the races a truly enjoyable event for the whole family. Entry to the Newton Enclosure (Haydock Parks Family Enclosure) costs just £7 per person weekdays rising to £9 on weekends. In addition to the excellent bar and catering facilities for all, children are kept amused by a dedicated play area and on Saturdays, a bouncy castle is also available (weather permitting). Betting is available with the Tote or any of the on course bookmakers (remember at the course, it is tax free betting!). Haydock Park hosts 29 race days throughout the year so there are ample opportunities to bring the family for a day of racing and fun.

Aintree http://www.aintree.co.uk/home/ hosts fewer race days, but is famous worldwide for hosting the Grand National in April. Like Haydock Park, children and family groups at Aintree are catered for well, as the course holds a series of themed meetings throughout the year; an example being the Sport and Spooks weekend (25^th and 26^th October). On Sunday 26^th, Aintree hosts a Freaky Family Funday (It is believed that you are permitted to attend even if your family is not freaky!). There will be a wide variety of Halloween themed activities for children free of charge, whilst their parents can enjoy an exciting days racing. Children under 16 enter for free when accompanied by an adult, and a single, pre-booked, adult ticket costs just £16 or you can pay £19 at the gate on the day.