Not long ago we came back from our Butlins Ambassador trip to Minehead, I wrote about the Accommodation here and today I will be sharing everything to do with activities! When it comes to going away with kids, you want there to be lots of things there to keep them busy and occupied, be it in the morning, afternoon or evening. Keeping them entertained can be a bit worry but no matter their age, Butlins have something for everyone! The older your little ones are, the more there is for them but nobody is left out!
With an outdoor Traditional Fairground for older children and a specially designed Tots Fairground for your little ones, we’ve made sure there’s something for everyone. From Traditional Carousels, to Helter Skelters and zippy Go-Karts there's plenty of fun to be had, and because it’s all included in the price, you can go on all the rides as many times as you like. Traditional Fairground
The traditional fairground set in beautiful landscaping in Minehead is a wonderful place where guests can enjoy rides and attractions including a helter skelter and chair-o-plane, and the best bit is that's it's all included in the price too! Although Abbie wasn't interested in going on anything, she loved watching everyone fly around the rides and giggled the whole time!
Skyline Pavilion The Skyline Pavilion is at the heart of the Minehead resort, there’s always something going on from arts and crafts to character shows, you can grab a coffee, relax and or have a go on the arcades for the afternoon!
Just like Bognor Regis, there is an entertainment stage, where you can catch a show with Fireman Sam and our other characters or even take a dance class with Angelina Ballerina, Abbie isn't one to sit and for longer than about 30 seconds so this wasn't really for us, however we did watch a little bit whilst she was in her pushchair and all the kids really loved it, the girls on stage were fab and there were even others in the crowd with the kids encouraging them to get involved too which was awesome!
I was a bit disappointed with the soft play area here, the area for toddlers and babies was so small, it really wasn't worth being there, it literally had a bendy mirror, one platform, a rope bridge and the smallest slide, and that was it, not great at all for babies as they could only sit on the mats and look in the mirror, and for Abbie's age, it really wasn't enough to keep her occupied for very long!
For the older kids (90cm+), they had about 10 times more space and so many different things to play with too, although Abbie was "just" on the line and would be allowed in, adults weren't allowed to supervise at the top with them, only the staff, as Abbie wanted us to go with her, being a new place and all, plus she isn't confident with slides, it would've resulted in lots of tantrums, crying and her being scared, and us not being able to get her out. So we had to keep her in the smaller kids area.
I really think the little ones should have more space, perhaps a bigger slide, some more platforms and even a little ball pool!
Inside the Pavillion there are lots of ride on toys for the kids, including a pirate boat, submarine and teacups, Abbie absolutely loved them all and had great fun steering and having them move! As well as those, there were the usual arcade games, slam dunk, 2p machines and grabby machines (which Ben won a little football on on his second go!), we all had lots of fun on these, took me straight back to my childhood back in Southend too so it was nice for Abbie to experience it all too!
Outside of the Pavillion was the best part for us, and because it was beautiful sunshine, it's also where we spent most of our time! Abbie walked everywhere and loved how much she could do, her favorite in particular was the adorable play area next to the The Sun & Moon Pub, with swings, slides, playhouses, wobbly bridges, climbing frames and rocking toys, she had so much to choose from!
As well as all that, there are a variety of gift shops, bars and cafes too, we stopped by the Soho Coffee spot a few times and service was always fab!
The one thing we really wanted to do was go swimming this time round as we didn't do it on our first trip, unfortunately Abbie had a pretty nasty cold so we had to change our plans (and Ben forgot his swim shorts, silly!), but i've only ever heard great things about Splash Waterworld, and when we return next year, we will definitely be having a go there as well as the outdoor pool too!
Dive into the ultimate family water park! Zoom through fast flumes, paddle in shallow areas, race around the rapids or simply laze around on loungers. With perfectly heated pools there's no need to worry what the weather's doing outside.
We headed off to explore the resort one day and came across some astro turf areas as part of the Leisure Dome, some basketball spaces and the others football! Since Ben had won a little football earlier in the day we had a fun little kick around and burnt off some steam before dinner! This was one of Abbie's favorite things and literally didn't stop giggling the whole time!
Next year we plan on doing everything, Abbie will be a whole year older so will be happier to actually stand still and concentrate on something like the crazy golf, we can't wait! Below is a little list of other things you can do during your stay, these do cost a little extra but nothing unreasonable at all!
Football Coaching Can you bend it like Beckham? Why not join in on one of our football coaching sessions. They're carefully created by our FA-qualified coaches and tailored for specific age groups. You will find football sessions for little ones right up to teens.
Adventure Golf Find our Adventure Golf courses at all three of our resorts. Play with the whole family and see who is the best putter and who can get the highest score.
Archery Join our expert instructors and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow in our archery lessons. Before you know it you will be shooting bulls-eyes better than Robin Hood.
Beach Sports Here at Butlins we have created our very own inland beach court. Ideal for a whole host of beach sports. Why not join a game of Beach Cricket or have a go at Beach Volleyball?
Get Busy! Fun Fencing Enjoy our fun fencing sessions which are designed for 5- 7 year olds. Our fully trained coaches will help your little one to learn the art of Fencing. Don’t worry, we use foam foils, so it’s completely safe!
Ten-pin Bowling Rain never stops play at Butlins. That's why you will find a bowling alley at each of our three resorts. So why not challenge your family to a game?
Overall the entertainment and activities were five star, something for everyone, all ages and all hobbies as well as lots for the parents to do as well, so if you have any stresses or worries about your holiday, cross off the one about finding things for the kids to do, I can promise you there is plenty for everyone!
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