Things to do in Southport with kids
I don’t know about you but I love a trip to the UK seaside and we have lots of great seaside towns to choose from in the North West. Below you will find loads of ideas for things to do in Southport with kids. Find more great Family days out North West here.
Ad – this post is sponsored by Visit Southport. All thoughts, photos and opinions are my own. Visit Southport have loads of visitor information available to make the most of your trip to Southport. They also have a What’s on guide so you’ll never miss out on any of the great events. This post contains affiliate links.
We have visited Southport a few time. Most recently we visited in September 2024 with the support of Visit Southport to research this article. We had a fantastic weekend and I can’t wait to share with you all the things we enjoyed and some other ideas.
Visit King’s Gardens
The first thing we did when we arrived in Southport was head to King’s Gardens. These beautiful gardens really are the heart of Southport for tourists. There are 17 acres to explore right next to the promenade, pier and marine lake. They’re beautifully maintained and there accessible paths for wheelchair users and those with pushchairs.
There are some great attractions in and around the gardens which I will go into more detail on below. There is a large free playground, crazy golf, pedalos, tea rooms and Adventure coast Southport (previously Southport Pleasureland).
Another free feature we loved and many other families were enjoying too were the fountains in the gardens which kids love to run in and out of or put their hands in. There is plenty of green space and benches too so it’s a great place for a family picnic. There are plenty of ice cream vans too.
King’s Gardens playground
My kids love this adventure playground and I’m sure yours will too. This is a large play frame with something for all ages. There are slides, parts to climb up, lots of different types of bridges to cross and a wire tunnel to climb across.
There are also swings and a fenced off area for under 5s with baby swings and other equipment for little ones.
The whole playground is great for kids as it provides them with loads of obstacles and chances to balance, climb and generally explore the cool structure.
This is one of favourite adventure playgrounds. Find more Adventure playgrounds North West here.
Walk around Marine Lake
In front of King’s Gardens is a 140 acre purpose built lake with lots of boating activities to watch or join in with. On our visit to the right of the pier, Marine Lake was filled with small sail boats racing. To the left there were pedalos. Being late season though, it wasn’t too busy.
There are pram-friendly paths around much of the lake. We followed it around from the pier to Adventure coast Southport around the other side of the lake and then we followed the paths down to the beach.
Marine Lake boat rides and pedalo’s
As I mentioned above there are lots of opportunities to get out on the water. You could hire a family motorboat for a short while or even a jet. You can hire flammingo and swan family pedalo’s and even take a short lake cruise.
Find out more and book here – Southport Marine Lake
Visit Southport Model Railway Village
If you or your child enjoys model trains then this is a must-visit. This was the first model railway village in the UK and it is great fun for all ages.
Here you’ll find a miniature village with a 45mm ‘g’ gauge garden railway system running through it. The buildings are all based on typical south west Lancashire architecture.
Find out more and book your visit here – Southport Model Railway Village
Hop on the road train
There is a little road train that you will see driving around King’s Gardens. If your child would love a ride on this then look out for the train stop in King’s Gardens near Adventure coast Southport.
Play mini golf
There is a 19 hole traditional crazy golf course in Kings Gardens after the pier but before the playground. It’s £5 per person. And although it’s probably been around for decades, it’s really well maintained.
Find out more and book here – Southport Crazy Golf
Play Viking Golf
We love adventure golf and were really impressed by Viking Golf. It’s located next to Adventure Coast Southport on the edge of King’s Gardens. It’s a little more expensive than the one by the playground but the course is more modern adventure golf with lots of theming.
This 18 hole Viking themed crazy golf course is fantastic for all adventure golf fans. We spent about 40 minutes and had loads of fun.
There are lots of different obstacles on the course such as water features, slopes, bridges, tunnels and other fun features. When we visited in September 2024 it was £32 for a family of 4 if booked online or £38 for walk-ins.
Find out more here – Viking golf Southport
Visit Adventure Coast Southport (previously Southport Pleasureland)
If your kids are thrill seekers then a trip to Southport isn’t complete without a trip to Adventure Coast. There are lots of traditional rides like log flumes, children’s rollercoaster, flying dumbos and many more rides.
Again it’s cheaper to book online for this family amusement park, a you can book tickets that include unlimited rides and cheaper spectator tickets if you don’t want to go on the rides.
Find out more and book here – Adventure Coast Southport
Have a go on the traditional carousel
On the promenade, outside Silcocks Funland is a traditional carousel which is not only beautiful but a classic ride that kids love. My own children loved it and at the time of our visit it was £2 per rider and card payments only.
Visit Silcocks Funland Southport Pier
Is any trip to the seaside complete without a trip to the arcades? My kids love the 2p machines so of course we visited during our most recent trip.
There are loads of different arcade machines to choose from as well as lots of kiddies rides for under 5s at £1 per ride. My kids loved the snakes and ladders machines and of course trading in their tickets for sweets! There is also a small free hall of mirrors.
We visited the one next to the pier but we also saw a number of smaller ones dotted around the town.
Find out more here – Silcock Leisure
Go for a swim at Splash World
Now we didn’t have time to fit this one in but I know my kids would love it. Perfect for a rainy day too. Splash World is located across the road from Adventure Coast and King’s Gardens.
There are variety of water slides and swimming areas as well as toddler specific area with lots of elements of water play to be enjoyed.
Find out more and book here – Dunes Splash World Southport
British Musical Fireworks Championships
This is only on for 1 weekend a year (September) but it is well worth attending. I love fireworks and these were the most incredible displays I’ve ever seen!
There are 3 displays each night from different companies and each lasts 15 minutes. There is about 15 minutes between each display. The fireworks are choreographed to music which is so fun. I’m not sure how we are going to enjoy smaller displays again this November!
There are lots of delicious food and drinks stalls. Our kids enjoyed pizza from 600 Degrees and we enjoyed Greek food from Pitamu. The crumble desserts from Bar Crumble are delicious! Our youngest (who doesn’t like crumble) loved her cupcake from Cake Corner. There are also inflatables for the kids but we spent so long queuing for food that we didn’t have time before the fireworks started!
We’re already planning on returning next September to see them. 2025 is going to be the champion of champions, so all displays will be by previous winners.
Find out more here – British Musical Fireworks Championships
Visit Southport beach
No trip to the seaside (well in the summer months at least) is complete without a trip to the beach. However the beach at Southport is not the best. There was very little sand on our visit and I’ve heard even when the tide is out that the sand isn’t particularly nice.
You can easily walk to Southport beach, follow the paths alongside the long pier (currently closed until further notice). It’s the second longest pier in Britain and I have fond memories walking down it prior to it closing.
Watch a film
If the weather is really bad you might want to take a trip to Vue cinema and watch a film. You’ll find it right across the road from the beach.
Find out what’s showing here – Vue Southport Cinema
Go ten pin bowling
There is also a ten pin bowling alley at Ocean Plaza by the beach. Again this is a perfect family activity if the weather is poor. You’ll find 20 lanes and a lasertag area too.
Find out more here – Tenpin – Ocean Plaza Leisure
Playtown Southport
This is Southport’s biggest indoor adventure play facility suitable for children aged 0 – 12 years old. There is a large play frame and a smaller toddler area with a ball pit and mini slide.
Find out more here – Playtown – Ocean Plaza Leisure
Visit The Atkinson
The Atkinson is located on Lord Street and is the home of Southport library, museum, gallery, theatre and a cafe too. There is always plenty on for families such as their monthly free construction club and free art and craft workshops in the school holidays.
The museum is free to access and has lots of Ancient Egypt, local history and a regularly changing exhibition. The art box is a free to use art space for families.
They regularly host children’s shows and other shows.
Find out more here – The Atkinson
Visit Little Sparks
This one comes highly recommended by our social media followers. My own children are too old as it is aimed at children aged 0-5 years.
This is Scandinavian, plastic free play space and cafe with an event space upstairs for classes and other events.
Find out more and book here – Little Sparks Southport
How to get to Southport
Southport is easy to reach via car or public transport. There are many car parks with all day parking for around £5 (September 2024).
The train station is right in the middle of the shopping area of Southport and less than a 15 minute walk from here to the Promenade making it a great place to visit by train.
Where to stay with kids in Southport
Looking to make a weekend of your visit? We stayed at Waterfront hotel which as it’s name says is right on the waterfront (Marine Lake). It’s perfectly located for the main attractions that you might want to visit. 2 minutes from Silcocks Funland and the start of King’s Gardens. 15 minutes walk from Adventure Coast, Splash World and Viking Golf. Just 20 minutes walk along the promenade or through King’s Gardens to Victoria park where the British Musical Fireworks are held.
The family rooms have 2 double beds so no sofa beds here! We had a very comfortable night’s sleep. There is free parking under the hotel and you can pay £10 per person to use the pool and leisure facilities at Victoria Leisure and Fitness across the road. There is also a free gym within the hotel which we didn’t use.
Find our full review of our stay here – Waterfront Hotel Southport review.
There is also a Premier Inn down by the beach which is a great budget option for families.
Where to eat with kids in Southport
There are loads of options of places to eat in Southport so you can find something to suit all tastes and budgets.
Down by the beach there are chain restaurants such as MacDonalds, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a Brewers Fayre. There are a few places to eat by the pier and in King’s Gardens such as King’s Garden Tea Rooms, a fish and chip restaurant and Marine Lake Cafe.
You’ll find more places to choose from in the centre of Southport such as Southport Market.
We chose to eat at Southport Food Market. We love this concept and have eaten in similar venues elsewhere. There are a number of food traders around the edge of the venue and a bar in the centre. Southport Market is great for families as you can all eat from different vendors if you choose. We have one child who is a very fussy eater but kids are well catered for here with pizza, burgers, fish goujons, chicken nuggets and loads of different pasta meals.
So there you have loads of ideas for your next visit to Southport. Do let me know in the comments if I’ve missed anywhere that is fantastic for families.
Where to next?
Fancy a trip into Liverpool? Find Things to do with toddlers in Liverpool here.
If you have older kids, you might like my guide to Things to do in Liverpool for teenagers.
