11 Fun Things To Do in Nottingham with Toddlers

If you're planning a trip to Nottingham with your toddler, I think you'll enjoy these exciting things that we've found.

We've concentrated on the places that are specifically for toddlers - ones that are family-friendly and which have really thought about the things your toddler will enjoy.

Tiny Town Adventures

Tiny Town Adventures is an amazing child-sized role-play centre where toddlers can learn through imaginative play.

There are 12 different role-play areas including the vets, hairdresser, nursery, supermarket, construction site and fire station, where your toddler can let their imagination run free and have a ball.

There is a cafe on site, with hot and cold refreshments, and a seating area that overlooks the play area, so you can keep an eye on your little ones whilst they play. You're welcome to join your toddlers in the play area as well.

Booking is easy via the Tiny Town Adventures website - you book a 90 minute session (there are three a day to choose from - morning, lunch and afternoon) when you want to visit. The centre is open 5 days a week in term time (closed Tuesday and Friday), and 7 days a week in school holidays.

Admission is £6.50 per child, and one adult is allowed in for free per fee-paying child. Non-walking children are free when accompanied by a fee-paying sibling.

https://www.tinytownadventures.co.uk/

Bean Block Play Cafe

This is a great place to take the family if you want a relaxing time eating your lunch whilst keeping the toddlers entertained.

The cafe is run by two mums who have toddlers themselves, so they understand how fraught it can be to take a toddler out to eat! They've thought of everything - will my pushchair fit? what if my toddler has a meltdown? will the food be healthy?

With custom-designed play areas, there's loads for your toddler to do whilst you enjoy your coffee. If you are staying for breakfast or lunch there's lots of delicious healthy food prepared in-house which is suitable for all the family.

There are also treats of course, such as cakes, wine and an ice cream factory. You can even have afternoon tea if you order it in advance!

The play areas are designed to challenge and entertain children aged 6 months to 7 years (though older brothers and sisters can join in gentle play with their under-7 siblings). They include climbing frames and imaginary play areas with shop and dressing-up sections.

https://www.beanblocknewark.co.uk/about

Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre

If your toddler is into superheroes, Sherwood Forest, home of the legendary Robin Hood, is the place to visit. 

The Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre, near Edwinstowe, is a great place to start your toddler's forest adventure.

The Robin Hood-themed play area is surrounded by trees, giving a real impression of playing in the forest just like the man himself!

There's a cafe serving hot dishes and light refreshments for refuelling your kids (and yourself) after you've followed one of the many woodland trails available, including the Giants Trail, which takes you to visit the oldest trees in the area. 

Kids love to visit the famous Major Oak - its trunk is 10 metres round, and it is so old that its branches have to be supported with poles. 

During the school holidays, there are guides in traditional medieval clothing in the forest to tell you all about the forest and the exciting legend that is Robin Hood.

The Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre is open every day except Christmas Day. Admission is free and car parking costs £5 (free to RSPB members).

https://www.visitsherwood.co.uk/

https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/things-to-do/sherwood-forest-visitor-centre-and-national-nature-reserve-p355601

Robyn's World

Robyn's World is an innovative play centre experience with role-playing scenes and toys (which are set up at toddler height of course), where your toddler can pretend to be whoever they want to be - a vet, a hairdresser, a digger driver and more.

There are two sessions each morning Mon-Fri and one session on Saturdays - check the booking form on the Robyn's World website to see the starting times. One child (with accompanying free adult) costs £6 per session - extra adults can come if they pay £2 each.

Hot drinks are available during sessions, and you're welcome to bring your own snacks. Each adult will be given a free hot drink, and each child will receive a piece of fruit. 

https://robynstinyworld.co.uk/

Nottingham Castle

Nottingham Castle is right at the heart of Nottingham city centre - a haven of peaceful gardens and play areas, and castle displays telling the fascinating history of Nottingham and Robin Hood.

The Castle is a great place to take toddlers - the best bits being Robin Hood Adventureland, and a great Adventure Play Area.

Robin Hood Adventures is an immersive, interactive digital experience including games where kids can aim a bow and arrow and a staff to really get into the Robin Hood role. Also, there's a 360-degree video (shown in an indoor imaginary forest clearing) which tells the story of the life and times of Robin Hood. 

The outdoor Adventure Play Area is amazing - loads of climbing, scrambling, sliding and jumping opportunities!

If the family needs to take a break after all this activity, you can choose from one of the two cafes in the castle to rest and refuel!

Admission to the castle costs £12 per adult and kids under the age of 15 go free. This gives you an annual pass to the castle for a whole year!

https://www.nottinghamcastle.org.uk/

Razzle Dazzle Pots

Razzle Dazzle Pots is a paint-your-own pottery studio where you can create great mementoes with your toddler - you choose and paint your own pottery and have it glazed and fired for collection later.

There are lots of different pots to choose from:- crockery such as plates, mugs and jugs, or keepsakes such as seasonal items like pumpkins and Christmas decorations, and decorative figurines and money boxes.

Razzle Dazzle also have a great facility to capture your toddler's hand- and foot-prints on all manner of pottery items.

The studio has a cafe serving light refreshments such as coffee and hot chocolate, but if you need something more substantial there is a KFC across the road!

The cost of your visit depends on what you are painting. You can choose the item you want to paint with your toddler when you arrive - the pots are grouped according to price so you can guide your toddler according to your budget. The lower priced child-friendly pieces are placed at kid height!

Mugs are priced from £10.00 - £20.00 and plates (including novelty shapes) range from £12 to £22. Figurines and money boxes range from £10 to £26.

https://razzledazzlepots.co.uk/

Wollaton Hall, Deer Park and Adventure Playground

Wollaton Hall, in the suburbs of Nottingham, is a gorgeous Elizabethan building which houses the Natural History Museum and the Nottingham Industrial Museum.

It is surrounded by a wonderful Deer Park and also has an exciting adventure playground.

Your toddler will probably prefer the deer park (where you can watch the red and fallow deer) and the Adventure Playgrounds that Wollaton Park is famous for.  There are two playgrounds - one near the 508 Cafe and one near Sutton Passey Crescent.

There are outdoor family activity and trail sheets available from the hall, cafes and museum shop, which you can follow around the lovely park whilst hunting for clues (with prizes at the end!).

There are three cafes to choose from - in the hall and in the courtyard. There are baby feeding facilities in the courtyard cafe, and baby changing facilities in the courtyard and near the Wollaton Road playpark.

Entry to the Hall, Museums and Park is free, with a £5 all day parking charge.

https://wollatonhall.org.uk/deer-park-and-gardens/

Sundown Adventureland

Sundown Adventureland is a huge theme park specially created for the under 10s. It's a little way out of the city, near Retford, but it's well worth the trip. There are loads of different themed activity areas and rides that will keep your toddlers occupied all day!

There are over 30 different rides and attractions which include a water-based barrel ride (Jolly Pirate Boat Ride), rotating teacups (Okie Yolkie Ride), gentle train rides, soft play, themed climbing areas, outdoor play areas, a driving school (Monkey Mayhem Driving School), and tractor rides.

Our favourites are the Angry Birds activity area, the Night Before Christmas ride and the Giddy Piggies ride.

The train rides are perfect for toddlers, as they don't have sudden drops or inclines.

The cafes are right next to play areas, and the food is freshly prepared locally or onsite by the Sundown team. They say they are aiming for tasty, filling and wholesome rather than gourmet and are proud that their food is sensibly priced.

Admission prices are slightly more expensive at the weekends and in the school holidays, so you can save a few pounds by taking your toddler during the week. It costs £22 on peak days for adults and children over 90cm, and £19 on off-peak days. Children under 90cms are free on all days.

Sundown Adventureland is open from February half term to Christmas Eve (with a short closure in November) - check their website for opening times.

https://sundownadventureland.co.uk/

Sherwood Pines Forest Park

There are lots of toddler activities deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest, at Sherwood Pines.

There is a huge array of family-friendly activities at Sherwood Pines, for people of all ages, but here are the ones we think your toddlers will love:

Gruffalo Orienteering Trail

Pick up a leaflet for £1.50 at the visitor centre and you can follow the forest trail featuring 12 different Gruffalo characters carved in wood. Your toddler will be very excited to spot them hiding amongst the trees - starting with the Gruffalo himself at the visitor centre. They'll also be able to spot the wildlife that lives in the forest too!

Outdoor Playparks

There are two main play areas at Sherwood Pines which are linked with a walking trail. You'll find Robin Hood's hideout and a climbing frame with two tree houses to play in, if you venture further into the woods!

Sherwood Pines Cafe & Visitor Centre

The cafe is open 7 days a week for hot and cold refreshments, and the visitor centre has lots of information about the trails and activities in the forest, and houses accessible toilets.

Go Ape Nets Adventure (minimum age 1 year)

This is a family-friendly adventure run by Go Ape - there is no minimum age as you are safe inside the nets at all times. You and your toddlers can jump, bounce and climb your way around the Nets Adventure course. 

https://www.forestryengland.uk/sherwood-pines

https://goape.co.uk/locations/sherwood-pines/nets-adventure

Stonebridge City Farm

Which toddler doesn't love a city farm? With all manner of farmyard animals to get up close to, and an aviary and gardens to explore, your toddler is bound to have a great time here.

Stonebridge City Farm has all the usual farmyard animals - sheep, cows, ponies, goats, chickens, geese and ducks, and a barn containing the smaller animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits.

Their cafe is ideal for re-fuelling your toddler, with lunch options such as a jacket potato or chilli, and lots of treats such as traybakes and cupcakes.

There's a shop if you want to take home a memento of your visit. You can also buy plants, flowers and produce from the Farm's gardens.

Admission to the farm is free, but the farm relies heavily on donations from visitors to keep it running.

https://stonebridgecityfarm.com/

Red Kangaroo Trampoline Park

They've sussed that it's good to have special toddler-only times at Red Kangaroo Nottingham. In the holidays and at weekends there are special "Tots Hour" sessions, where only kids aged 1 to 5 years are allowed in the park (plus one free adult) for £7.95.

It gets even better in term time - there are "Tots two-hour" sessions on three days a week for the same price!

There is a great cafe (called Cafe Roo!) on the mezzanine area where you can watch the action happening all over the park whilst refuelling your toddler! 

https://www.redkangaroo.co.uk/parks-timetables/nottingham/

I hope you've enjoyed finding out about these special toddler activities and places to visit in Nottingham. I'm sure they will help you plan your next trip to the city with your little one.

When you first visit a new city, it's always reassuring to know in advance that there are lots of fun places to visit with your toddler.