5 minute read

Family Days Out

St Albans is a great destination for a family trip offering entertainment for kids of all ages. We’ve picked some of the most popular family-friendly things to do and sorted them into a handy list.

Verulamium Park The award-winning Verulamium Park holds both the Green Flag and Green Heritage Site award. Set in 100 acres of beautiful parkland close to the city centre and is a popular attraction throughout the year with a wide range of facilities. The park is named after the Roman City of Verulamium on which it stands. The city walls and outline of the London Gate can still be seen. Verulamium Museum displays hundreds of remarkable objects that have been excavated from the local area. St Michael’s Street, St Albans AL1 3JE. 01727 819366 www.stalbans.gov.uk/verulamium-park

Verulamium Museum Built on the site of one of the largest Roman cities in Britain, Verulamium Museum is filled with ancient treasures and some of the finest mosaics outside of the Mediterranean. Explore the wonders of Roman life, immerse yourself in recreated Roman rooms and admire the craftsmanship of the intricate large-scale mosaics on display. You can also see recent discoveries such as the Sandridge Hoard, a collection of 159 Roman gold coins. In addition to hands-on discovery areas for younger visitors, the museum also provides a selection of free activity sheets for children and dressing up clothes are available on weekends and school holidays. St Michael’s St, St Albans AL3 4SW. 01727 751810 www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/visit/verulamium-museum

DJ’s Play Jungle DJ’s Play Jungle is an exciting indoor soft play centre, where your little one will be energetic and explore the colourful, multil-level play frame and ride the tube slides. Please book online. There are loads to do with giant bricks, rope bridges to climb and a pod to hideout in. Parents are equally delighted with the ample seating space, great coffee, fresh food (Adult charge £2 online, £3 peak time) and free parking. Parties here are renowned for being fantastic, no stress and no mess! 156 St.Albans Rd, Sandridge, St Albans AL4 9LP. 01442 232580 www.djsplay.co.uk/

The Clock Tower The only surviving medieval town belfry in England and is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The people of St Albans built the tower. The Tower allowed the town to sound its own hours and, until 1863, the curfew. The Clock Tower’s bell rang out for the first Battle of St Albans during the Wars of the Roses in 1455. St Albans Clock Tower is open weekends and bank holidays until the end of September. To ensure social distancing in the narrow staircase there is a maximum of 12 visitors allowed in the Clock Tower at any time. There is no pre-booking system so if you arrive at a busy time, you may be asked to wait outside in a queue. We encourage visitors to wear face masks, use the hand sanitiser provided and observe social distancing to protect our staff and other visitors. High St, St Albans AL3 4EL. 01727 751810 www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/visit/clock-tower

Pots of Art Create your own original colourful pottery masterpiece, a fantastic ceramic impression of your babies hands and feet, build a ‘Be My Bear’, create Spin Art or be creative with Decopatch. There is so much to do. In our fully equipped studios and with the help of our arty staff, anyone can be creative. At Pots of Art - it’s fun and easy. 23-25 Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 1EZ. 01727 739933 www.potsofart.co.uk/ Heartwood Forest A vast new forest of more than half a million trees, pockets of ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and fantastic wildlife spotting. It’s no surprise that the Woodland Trust’s Heartwood Forest is one of our most popular destinations. What’s more, Heartwood Forest promises to be even bigger and better in the future. Visit us today and you can go wild in the great outdoors, enjoy some fantastic walks, and really get back to nature. Come back again and you’ll be rewarded with the unique chance to watch this new natural world grow all around you. Sandridge, St Albans AL4 9DQ. www.heartwood.woodlandtrust.org.uk/

Willows Activity Farm A day out the whole family will enjoy. Our all-inclusive price ensures a carefree day out with all shows, fun fair rides, inflatables, Tractor Ride, acres of outdoor and under cover activities plus entry to the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground included in the entry price. Enjoy the farmyard animals, the countryside setting with delicious homemade food available in our catering outlets, gift shop, free parking and an easy to find location Coursers Rd, St Albans AL4 0PF. 0333 331 2060 www.willowsactivityfarm.com/

St Albans Museum + Gallery Set over three floors, the newly created state-of-the-art gallery spaces showcase over 2,000 years of priceless heritage and display contemporary artworks – sharing local, national and world treasures with all. Promising fresh experiences each time you visit, come and enjoy regularly changing exhibitions and cutting-edge art installations, take part in the vibrant programme of events, and explore the fascinating histories of the Town Hall, its Assembly Room, Courtroom and Cells. Museum + Gallery, St Peter’s St, St Albans AL1 3DH. 01727 864511 www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/visit/st-albans-museumgallery

Apollo Activities Centre Situated within a mature plot of land, with a large field surrounded by trees. You can book our amazing experiences which include. Archery, Air Rifle Shooting, Axe Throwing. Kids Crossbow with suction darts and the 3D archery course. Open 7 days a week. The archery courses (minimum age 12) are run by Fully Qualified Archery GB instructors. Here, you would start with an initial training on the static target range, followed by whats known as the 3D archery or field archery course. Within the field archery section of the experience, you would compete for points shooting at various foam animal shaped targets and when you are in a group, this is when it all gets very competitive - lets put it this way... if you go with a group of friends and you were friends at the start, you wont be by the end! Old Parkbury Lane, St Albans AL2 2DY. 01923 850317 www.springfielduk.co.uk/

The Cathedral & Abbey Church of Saint Alban Today people come from far and wide to visit us, and we look forward to welcoming you. Whether you are a pilgrim or a tourist, are interested in history, beautiful buildings or just want to come and have a cup of tea in the Abbot’s Kitchen, we hope that you enjoy your visit and trust that you will go home with a renewed sense of peace in your heart. St Albans AL1 1BY. 01727 860780 www.stalbanscathedral.org/