What to do and see in Essex, England: The Best Playgrounds

Hardie Park is a community led family park and open green space. Local residents took ownership after a period of neglect with the guidance of local resident Rob Groves in order to develop and enhance the area for the benefit of the local community. Friends of Hardie Park are a Registered Charity and Community Interest Company and a not-for-profit organisation. Over a period of years the site has developed enormously and is now run by our Board of Trustees (since Oct 2020) with a passionate team of staff and volunteers. The site is open 7 days a week and provides a cafe, toilets, play facility, skate park, a varied events programme and more recently a cycle hub providing low cost re-furbished bikes to the community. The cafe is also used as a base for many groups with clubs and act Hardie Park Registered charity number 1172078

Whether you're an adventurer at heart or just want to relax and unwind in Essex's beautiful countryside, Great Notley Country Park offers the perfect day out for all the family. Covering 100 acres of open space the park is home to Sky Ropes, the fun, family friendly high ropes adventure course as well as Essex’s longest kid’s play trail. Jump, swing, slide, crawl and climb your way around 1.2km of fun including giant see-saws, swing scales, a climbing forest, rope climbers, slides, forts and a large sand play area. (Please note our waterplay and climbing forest are currently out of action). Looking for something a bit quieter? The park also offers some lovely areas to explore and enjoy nature including a fishing lake and wildflower meadows. It’s popular for a wide range of activities including birdwatching, walking, cycling, fishing, horse riding, football, picnics and kite-flying. The park is also a great place to base yourselves to head off and explore the Flitch Way.

Imagine a place with multi-level play structures, ball ponds, air cannons, a jelly mountain, football pitches, comfy seating for mums and dads to relax, an ever changing menu with freshly prepared food, a fully licensed bar and most of all… Fun!

Imagine a place with multi-level play structures, ball ponds, make a bear, comfy seating for mums and dads to relax, an ever changing menu with freshly prepared food… Fun!If you’re looking for a great day out or the perfect location for your little one’s birthday party then look no further.

Soft play centre just for children 0-5 years old. Great for parties and a brilliant WOW toys zone.

The Canvey Lido at the Paddocks is under new Management. We have a new Kitchen offering a bigger Menu, Party room, more seating, New Climbing Frame and much more. Stay and Splash is suitable Ages 0-8 Children over 8 with younger siblings are allowed but will be required to play calmly. Opening times: Session 1 09:30 - 12:30 Session 2 12:45 - 15:45 Session 3 16:00 - 18:00

Go Bananas is one of the largest indoor adventure play centres in the South East of England with over 20 years of experience in entertaining children and Adults. Based in Colchester, Essex, Go Bananas have everything you need to entertain the young and old alike. Fun the weather cannot spoil! The Aztec Adventure area is an extensive 3 storey climbing frame for the over 5s. Here children can have an amazing adventure exploring the home of our mascot George Funky Monkey. Whether you want to swing like Tarzan to jump the stepping stones to avoid the crocodile water, our Aztec Adventure Frame has something for everyone. Tiny Town is a safe environment for those young adventurers that are aged 4 and under. Parents can train these young Indiana Jones’ on a smaller version of our Aztec Adventure area. Children can play the piano or pop the balloons in our interactive EyeToy zone, dance the day away in Dora's Disco or bounce around on our separated mini trampolines, all under the watchful eyes of their parents For the REALLY brave amongst you, The Wall is there to be conquered!! The Wall is a 6 meter cliff face at the edge of the Aztec Adventure area which leads to Funky Monkey’s alarm. Can you sound the alarm and wake the Aztec Adventure’s funkiest resident?!?! As well as providing a safe and fun environment for children to play, we are also the ideal venue for parties. Go Bananas has a wide choice of parties that can make any child’s special day, even more special. The added bonus is that you don’t have to clean up afterwards!! For those unlucky enough to be too old to play in the Aztec Adventure, we also have an extensive seating area and the Bananas cafe; which offers a wide range of food and drinks, there are healthy options always available and some sweet treats too. Though if you really want to play and find your inner child, Go Bananas offers Adult, Laser and Junior Mega Parties; perfect for a get together with friends, team building and hen/stag parties, offering you exclusive hire of the centre. For organised groups such as Scouts and Brownies we also offer the ultimate sleepover experience, contact our reception for more information. We offer an after school meal deal Monday to Friday (Term Time Only) for £2.00 giving you any meal from our children's menu along with a cup of squash. If you visit us on Monday mornings (Term Time Only) before 12pm, you can take advantage of our parent and toddler offer with each adult receiving a complimentary hot drink and each child receiving a complimentary cup of squash and biscuit. Please note our admission prices are: Adults and children under 6 months: FREE Children aged 6 months plus and crawlers: £1.50 Children who walk and are aged up to 4 years: £5.00 Children aged 5 to 12 years: £6.00