School is officially out for summer. Now that the kids are home for the holidays we need to keep them entertained, and with sunny forecast for the coming weeks, it’s time to make the most of the fun activities Cardiff has to offer.
We’ve come up with a list of some of the best places to take the kids this summer.
Hollywood Bowl/Red Dragon Centre
If you’re looking for somewhere fun to take the family, Hollywood Bowl is a great place to let your hair down for a couple of hours. Why not hit the lanes for a bit of friendly family competition? The bowling alley accommodates for children and adults alike, with plenty of support if you need it, such as ramps and walled lanes. There is also an arcade, a bar and a couple of pool tables to use.
Plus, the Red Dragon Centre has great food options if you get peckish, such as Five Guys, which is opposite Hollywood Bowl. – There’s a full list of activities on the Red Dragon centres website
Boulders Indoor Climbing Club
Boulders Indoor Climbing Centre is an excellent way to keep the whole family active and entertained. There is both adult and children’s climbing available, as well as Pebbles, an adventure soft play area for under sevens, full of thrilling challenges and obstacles for the little ones to have a go at.
Cardiff International White Water (CIWW)
A great hangout for thrill-seekers, CIWW is an Olympic standard white water rafting and indoor wave facility that has been making waves ever since it was launched in Cardiff Bay.
With rafts, kayaks and canoes to use, you can experience the white water course whichever way you want. The flow and water level of the course can be altered to suit all members of the family, from newbies to veterans. As well as this, the superb indoor wave facility allows you to ride jets of water on bodyboards.
CIWW also put on a host of special family friendly activities throughout the year, which are worth keeping an eye out for.
Cardiff Bay Beach Festival
The Cardiff Bay Beach festival is back with a bang, with a cool new location and more attractions than ever.
The man-made beach has now been set up on Barrage Walkway, Cardiff Bay, and will be there for weeks to come. The new site has given the event organisers a lot more room to play with, and they’ve really taken advantage of the extra yards.
Main attractions include the Big Wheel, a roller coaster, big water spraying arches, movie nights and loads of food stalls and bars. – Find out more about this years beach
Amdani Fitness entertainment
It’s a ninja warrior obstacle course. What more do you need to know?! Amdani are “pioneers in indoor obstacle courses and the life and soul of the party.” Fun and fitness combined in one great venue. With an amazing interchangeable obstacle course, the whole family will be competing to become ninja warriors.
Cardiff Castle
The castle is one of the best places in Cardiff for a family day out. One of the most distinctive, if the not the most distinctive, buildings in the city, it has gorgeous grounds that flourish in summer. A trip to the castle can be educational as well as fun – why not take the House Tour? Or pop into the castle’s Education Centre? Whatever you way you choose to enjoy it, there’s a reason the castle is called the Heart of the City.
Techniquest
Techniquest has been wowing families for years, and one of the reasons for its longevity, apart from being a huge amount of fun, is its refusal to stand still. Every year the science centre finds new ways to engage our brains. This summer they have a brand new show, Operation Earth, plus an augmented reality experience and an ant colony exhibit. There also summer camps you can attend, and summer passes which offer good value if you’d like to make the most of the centre in the sunny months.
Cardiff Parks – Bute, Roath,Victoria
With warm weather and blues skies to look forward to over the next couple of months, why not enjoy one of Cardiff’s beautiful parks? Bute Park, Roath Park and Victoria are all uniquely beautiful, perfect places to go for a stroll and a picnic. We can’t wait to pass a few hours in those idyllic settings. If anyone needs us we’ll be on a pedalo in Roath, drifting through the sun-dappled water. And you never know what you might find if you go on a little adventure into Jurassic park.
The Inflatable Arena – Launching mid to late August
The Inflatable Arena is opening in Cardiff during the summer hols and it’s going to be a fantastic way to keep the kids entertained. The arena has “vertical drop slides, an assault course, climbing mountains, and a pitch black maze and challenge zone”, as well a Ninja Warrior-style assault course, Gladiator-style games, and a myriad of other fun activities such as mountain climbing, rope swings and tunnels. The kids will be the ones having to drag the parents home! – Read more here
Eisteddfod
For the first time in a decade, the National Eisteddfod, the biggest celebration of Welsh language and culture in the world, is coming to Cardiff. The event is a national institution, a showcase of the wealth and range of talent Wales has to offer, “covering music, dance, visual arts, literature, original perfomances and much more.” Over 150,000 visitors are expected during the festival. It’s not to be missed! – Here more family festivals to enjoy this summer
Big Weekend
Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend 2018 looks set to be their biggest weekend yet. The event will run for three days over the August bank holiday, 24th to 26th August, on the Cardiff Cit Hall Lawn. Based on the success of the event during previous years, it promises to be a truly great day out, as well being a brilliant celebration of equality and diversity. Over 50,000 people are expect to attend the three day carnival, we can expect “funfair rides, amusements and entertainment from some of the UK’s biggest names in music.”
St Fagans
St Fagans National Museum of History is fascinating journey through Welsh heritage. There’s a reason it’s a school trip favourite, with spectacular scenery, and wonderful old houses, cottages, churches, shops and schools to peruse, the kids will have plenty of room to look around, muck around, maybe pick up useful facts, while parents can bask in the breadth and depth of Wales’ history. Oh, there’s also an incredible real food market popping up on 21st July and 18th August.
