Fun and Sun in Staffordshire

26 June 2007

0Comments | Comment on this Article

The sun is out, school holidays are just around the corner and the kids are getting feisty so plan ahead and cover all corners this summer break with a trip to Staffordshire where your littlest and biggest ones will delight in the choice of fun to be had! A break in Staffordshire is ideal for giving your children all the fun of adventure, nature and even a little culture!

Adventure For the adventure loving kids there is plenty of choice from the thrilling rides at two of the country’s best loved theme parks - Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Park to getting wet and going wild at Stoke-on-Trent’s Waterworld, the UK's number one aqua park, with its own heart pumping indoor water ride, the Twister! Alternatively you could hit the indoor snow slopes at Tamworth’s Snow Dome, where you can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing and even bobsledding!

For something a little more traditional but still great fun why not enjoy a family cycling or horse riding trip through the stunning Manifold Valley, taking in some of the most spectacular scenery in the Peak District National Park. You could even hop on an adventurous old steam train that winds its way through the stunning landscape.

Nature: We all know that kids love to monkey around and they will have every excuse to at Trentham Monkey Forest, an unforgettable outdoor journey to meet 140 Barbary Macaques living in total freedom on 60 acres of forest. Next door the Aerial Extreme Park offers fantastic family adventure in the tree tops with a rope course that really leave you hanging around like a monkey!

For more animal fun Amerton Farm also offers plenty to see and do in lovely surroundings, with a fun filled indoor adventure play area, wonderful farm yard, wildlife centre and a craft centre where the whole family can get creative. Best of all, entry is free!

Blackbrook Zoological Park is also a great day out - whatever the weather. As a continually growing attraction there is always something new to see including rare birds, unusual animals, reptiles, insects and aquatics. You can enjoy a family picnic or have a meal in the Toucan Tearooms.

Culture: Renowned throughout the world Stoke-on-Trent is known affectionately as ‘The Potteries’ and just because it is a day out doesn’t mean that the kids have to stop learning and that learning can’t be fun! The world famous Potteries can be both educational and great fun at the same time, so the whole family will get something out of it.

Travel back in time at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and discover the history of The Potteries. With pottery that will win your heart, galleries that win awards and the Spitfire that won a war, children will enjoy time at the museum which houses the world's best collection of Staffordshire ceramics - 'unrivalled on both national and international levels.' There is also a Secret Garden - an oasis with plants and fungi to smell and touch and where you can explore the wildlife and landscape. Meanwhile the internationally acclaimed visitor centres at Wedgwood and Spode have everything needed to fire your imaginations with craft demonstrations, factory tours and workshops where you can throw your own pot and paint your own ceramic flowers, to name but a few activities. Gladstone Museum is the only complete Victorian pottery factory from the days when coal-burning ovens made the world's finest bone china and all the family will enjoy turning their hand at working with the clay and coming up with their own unique creations!

Kids will also love to visit Etruria Industrial Museum, a 19th century mill situated on the Trent, Mersey, and Caldon canal. The Museum includes Jesse Shirley's Bone and Flint Mine and features a regular events programme that includes children's' hands-on activities during the school holidays. The museum includes a family friendly interactive exhibition, tearoom and shop.

With so much variety on offer and perfectly located for all to reach, Staffordshire, situated in the heart of England is for the perfect day trip or weekend family get-away destination.

To make the most out of your time in Staffordshire why not enjoy a night or two at the Quality Hotel, in Stoke on Trent – perfect for family visits. The hotel is excellently located in the city centre and has its own leisure club with indoor swimming pool. Family rooms, for four are available from £70 per room per night. To make a booking or for further information please call 01782 202361.

0Comments | Be the first to comment!