Golders Hill Park & Hill Garden Pergola
Adjoining Hampstead Heath, Golders Hill boasts a free animal zoo area including deer, birds, and a butterfly house; there's a duck pond, ornamental gardens, a large playground, bandstand and a huge amount of space to run around. Take a sharp left upon entering from North End Road to discover the grand, secluded Hill Garden and Pergola, a stunning ruined terrace popular for photos. The cafe is decent with excellent gelato.
Times change seasonally — always check before you set off.
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Hampstead Heath & Parliament Hill Playground
Wild, sprawling countryside right in North London, with swimming ponds for adults and older teens, kite-flying hills and a vast playground with a paddling pool.
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The Sherriff Centre (Hullabaloo Soft Play)
Soft play inside the nave of a stunning 19th-century church - Hullabaloo at The Sherriff Centre is one of London's most unusual places for children to burn off energy. The former church at St James' has been reinvented as a bustling community hub, with a dedicated toddler area for under-2s and a multi-level junior play frame for children up to ten, all set beneath soaring ceilings. There's a newly introduced outdoor nature trail too, so you can mix indoor climbing with a breath of fresh air. It runs daily, and once a month the church stays open late on Friday nights for the popular Soft Play Lates - a chance for kids to play after dark while parents kick back with drinks and snacks from the on-site bar and café. It is a lovely way to make an ordinary evening feel like an occasion, and a brilliant rainy-day option that doesn't feel like a compromise.
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Hobbledown Heath
No child can fail to fall in love Hobbledown - one of the biggest indoor and outdoor adventure parks in London, it's built around a whimsical world of mystical creatures and outdoor play villages. Outside, kids can climb high wooden towers, balance across sky bridges, jump on inflatable pillows, participate in massive marble runs, dig in sand pits, and visit capybaras, goats, and meerkats in the animal enclosures. Inside, the huge Great Barn features multi-level soft play, climbing structures, and indoor dining. There are animal and bird shows and talks, but you'll have to haul the kids away from the playgrounds first. It is a big, open site with plenty of walking - we like bringing a buggy to schlep the lunch / snacks/ waters around.
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Regent's Park
This sweeping Royal Park is packed with formal rose gardens, boating lakes, and excellent playgrounds. Our favourite itinerary is to start at the Marylebone Gate Entrance and hit the Gloucester Gate Playground first (featuring a v long zip wire, massive climbing frames, and inclusive water-play features). Then head south toward the Boating Lake to rent a pedal boat or rowing boat if you fancy, stop for coffee and sourdough pastries or ice cream at the Boating Lake Café, take a short detour across York Bridge Road to find the Community Wildlife Garden, featuring a peaceful pond, natural balance logs, and wild meadow planting, then finish up at the Hanover Gate Playground to conquer the huge wooden treehouse structure and giant sandpits.
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Richmond Park & Isabella Plantation
London's largest Royal Park, famous for wild red and fallow deer, ancient woodland and the streams inside the Isabella Plantation. Plenty of pockets to explore, and easy to combine with Richmond town centre for food or shopping.
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Go Ape Alexandra Palace
Finnegan's World Website: finnegansworld.co.uk Nearest Tube: West Ealing (Elizabeth Line) / Ealing Broadway (Central, District, Elizabeth Lines) Location: 41 Broadway, West Ealing, London (W13 9DD) Price: £8 per child, £1.50 per accompanying adult. Open weekends only (10am to 5pm). Blurb: Set inside a converted former bank on West Ealing Broadway, this lovely, independent soft play café is designed for babies, toddlers, and young children. The venue focuses on imaginative play with miniature shop setups, soft climbing ramps, and sensory toys - it’s far more than the usual blocks and slides. Parents can sit back with decent coffee and a slice of cake while keeping a direct line of sight on their kids.
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