Jane's Midlife Journey

In addition to my blog on 101 Things to do in Bournemouth, as I have recently become a grandma, I am embarking on a new project; 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers. I shall be putting together a series of blogs on local events and activities which are particularly suitable for younger children. Below, is my proposed list of activities. I love going on outings with Orla. So, as the year progresses, I will be updating and adding links for our baby/toddler friendly outings.

101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers: Contents

For ease of reference, the list is divided into the following sections:

1. Beaches: Visitors to the Bournemouth area often come to visit the beach, so I have added a blog for each of our 14 wonderful Blue Flag Beaches. 
2. Festivals and Annual Events: There’s always lots going on in the area, particularly in the summer. To help with planning what to do, there is a separate section for Festivals and Annual Events.
3. Bournemouth: Bournemouth is sandwiched between Christchurch to the east and Poole to the west. I have divided the list into sections for each of the three towns, which together form the BCP conurbation. But what if the weather is rubbish? With this in mind, I have added separate Outdoor and Indoor sections for those days when sun, sea and sand doesn’t sound quite so appealing.
4. Christchurch
5. Poole
6. Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
7. Day Trips: Bournemouth is just a few miles from the natural beauty of the New Forest and the Purbecks. There is so much to do within a short drive from here. So, I have added a section on ideas for Day Trips from Bournemouth.

Topics Covered

Blogs will cover the following topics:

• How to get to…
• Access
• Parking
• Opening Times
• Price
• Suitable for Age…
• Details
• Food and Drink
• Toilets and Changing Facilities

I hope my blogs provide you with plenty of inspiration. And that you enjoy discovering some of the fun activities on this list as much as Orla and I have had in researching everything on it!

First up, what many people come to Bournemouth for; the beaches. There are 14 award winning beaches across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, detailed below from east to west. With the exception of the first three, they are all linked via the Promenade, which runs from Southbourne, through Bournemouth to Poole. The first three are almost linked by a separate promenade, which runs from Mudeford Quay almost as far as Highcliffe. Some beaches have plenty of activities to keep children entertained, while those with fewer facilities tend to be quieter and thus may be more suitable for younger children.

• Highcliffe Beach: Shingle Blue Flag beach with coastal path running below the cliffs.
• Friars Cliff Beach: Quieter, mainly sandy Blue Flag beach with good cafe.
• Avon Beach: Family friendly Blue Flag beach with easy access, promenade, restaurant complex and sauna.
• Southbourne Beach: Sandy beach with pop up restaurant offering food, drink and a wide range of entertainment.
• Fisherman’s Walk Beach: Family friendly Blue Flag beach with cliff lift and snack kiosk. On the cliff top are a playground, mini golf course and cafe.
• Manor Steps Beach: Quieter beach with beach lodge accommodation and a snack kiosk.
• Boscombe Beach: Popular beach with pier, restaurants, table tennis, bouldering, volleyball and surf school.
• Bournemouth Beach: Busy town centre beach with pier, observation wheel, restaurants, Oceanarium and amusements.
• Durley Chine Beach: Family friendly Blue Flag beach with pub, restaurant and environmental hub.
• Alum Chine Beach: Popular family beach with Italian restaurant, play ground and sub tropical gardens running up to the cliff top.
• Branksome Chine Beach: Blue Flag beach with popular restaurant.
• Canford Cliffs Beach: Quieter, Blue Flag beach with cliff top playground.
• Shore Road Beach: Blue Flag beach, popular with locals.
• Sandbanks Beach: Popular Blue flag beach with dining, crazy golf and sauna.

One of the reasons I love living in Bournemouth is the fact that there is plenty of entertainment on offer. Throughout the summer months, there are festivals and other events every weekend. Here is a smorgasbord of what’s happening in 2025 where children are well provided for. I shall be endeavouring to check out as many as possible. Get in touch for a handy spreadsheet of festivals with websites, venues, prices and other details.

Event	Venue	2025	2026
Christchurch Cheese & Chilli Festival Food festival with Family Zone offering plenty of entertainment for children.	Hurn Christchurch	17-18 May	16-17 May
Christchurch Food Festival Food festival with entertainment including sheep show and circus skills.	Christchurch	24-26 May	23-25 May
Highcliffe Food & Arts Festival Festival with stalls, cooking demos, music and kids’ entertainment.	Highcliffe	14-15 Jun	13-14 Jun
Harry Paye Day Pirate themed event celebrating Harry Paye, local pirate and hero.	Poole Quay	14 Jun	20 Jun
Shake & Stir Vintage themed music festival with fairground rides.	Southbourne	29-29 Jun	27-28 Jun
Bourne Free Pride festival with free Family Fun Day, parade and concert.	Meyrick Park Bournemouth	11-12 Jul	10-11 Jul
Xchurch Music Festival Music festival with Kid Zone and funfair.	Quomps Christchurch	18-20 Jul	17-19 Jul
Littledown Family Fun Day	Bournemouth	27 Jul	26 Jul
Stompin’ on the Quomps Free, family friendly smooth Jazz festival.	Quomps Christchurch	2 Aug	1 Aug
RNLI Mudeford Lifeboat Funday Fundraising day with duck race, SUP race, BBQ, fair and music.	Mudeford	10 Aug
Christchurch Carnival Carnival with fair, fireworks, music, parade and river pageant.	Quomps Christchurch	15-17 Aug
Beautiful World Festival Global cultural festival with kids’ entertainment.	Kings Park Boscombe	cancelled
Seafood & Sounds Seafood and music festival with parade and artisan market.	Poole Quay	13-14 Sep	12-13 Sep
Arts by the Sea Family friendly festival of arts and culture.	Bournemouth	26-28 Sep
Christmas Tree Wonderland Christmas illuminations and other festive attractions.	Bournemouth	13 Nov – 4 Dec
Poole Christmas Light Trail Christmas illuminations with a maritime theme.	Poole	22 Nov – 1 Jan

Bournemouth Outdoor Activities

• Boscombe Chine Gardens: Pretty gardens running down to the sea with a cafe, crazy golf and water themed play area.
• Boscombe Pier: Victorian pier with musical play trail.
• Bournemouth Gardens: Three linear gardens running along the River Bourne from the sea with cafes, playground, tennis courts, aviary and mini golf.
• Hengistbury Head: Headland nature reserve with trails, beaches, wildlife, cows and sheep, a play train, a Visitor Centre with fish tanks, a pond and wildlife web cams and cafés.
• Kingfisher Barn: Visitor Centre on the Stour Valley Nature Trail with nature based activities.
• Kings Park: Large park with two playgrounds, skate park and sports pitches. It also has a leisure centre with soft play area and more sports pitches.
• Littledown Park: Park with playgrounds, paddling pool, miniature train and lake with ducks. Littledown Leisure Centre is also within the park, with a children’s pool, soft play and sports classes.
• Live @ the Square: Annual programme of summer entertainment including singers, dance lessons and children’s entertainers. There is also a bar, catering and games, such as table football.
• Nick’s Farm: Petting farm, where you can feed a range of animals. There is also a playground and picnic areas.
• Redhill Park: Park with playground, paddling pool and cafe which hosts regular children’s activities.
• Secret Garden: Church garden which runs a weekly Little Gardeners Stay & Play.
• The Woodland Playgroup: Weekly woodland Stay & Play, including stories and seasonal crafts.

Bournemouth Indoor Activities

• BH2 Leisure: A leisure complex with bars, restaurants, a cinema and other activities including crazy golf, axe throwing and escape rooms.
• Bournemouth Natural Science Museum: Museum where volunteers will tell you about exhibits, offer hands on activities and maybe let you hold a snake or tarantula.
• Bournemouth Pier: Pier with amusements, fun fair, RockReef indoor climbing, dining and zipwire back to shore.
• Cosy Village Play Cafe: Cafe with several role play areas, a Wendy House and separate baby section.
• Igloo Soft Play: Small church based soft play area with adjoining cafe. They also run a twice weekly toddler group.
• Kids Play Cafe: Role Play Cafe.
• Little Pickles Playroom: Soft Play Cafe.
• Lollipops Play Cafe: Three storey soft play and cafe.
• Mini Monsters Cafe: Play Cafe.
• Moo’s Brews Playrooms: Soft play cafe with weekly scheduled activities including sensory, messy play and ballet.
• Mini Movers: Themed weekly dance classes at Pavilion Dance South West with optional free stay & play.
• NOVA artsplaycafe: Small cafe with play area, art station and some craft activity sessions. Note: The cafe is currently closed.
• Oasis Fun: Play centre with soft play, bowling and adventure golf.
• Oceanarium: Aquarium with tunnel through a tank full of sharks, penguins and otters. It also has a play area and cafe.
• Pelhams: Leisure centre with a children’s pool and soft play area, next to a park.
• Russell-Cotes Museum & Art Gallery: Museum/art gallery which holds children’s activities during the school holidays.
• Science Zone: Basement with sensory rooms and dinosaur den. Could do with a little maintenance.
• Stay & Play Cafe: Cafe and play area with plenty of traditional wooden toys. Note: The cafe is currently closed but is planning to reopen in a new location.
• Wild Ones Play Cafe: Role Play cafe with an enchanted forest theme.

Christchurch Outdoor Activities

• Cat & Fiddle Farm: PYO farm with cafe.
• Quomps Splashpark: Small water park with paddling pool, water jets and cannons.
• Sopley Farm: Farm with Pick Your Own fruit & vegetables, playground, bakery, farm shop and picnic area. It also offers pumpkin picking around Halloween.
• Stanpit Marsh Nature Reserve: Harbourside nature reserve with lots of birds and ponies.

Christchurch Indoor Activities

• Discovery Village: Large role play village where actors perform a story for children to get involved with.
• Highcliffe Castle: Grand clifftop house with children’s activities including dressing up and a stained glass window puzzle. The grounds overlook the beach, which can be reached via a gently sloping path.
• Little Treasures Village: Role play cafe with a village theme including a row of shops, construction site, road and park.
• Red House Museum: Museum with a family area where children can dress up and play with Victorian toys. Outside is a garden with dinosaur sculptures.
• 2 Riversmeet Leisure Complex: Leisure Centre with soft play, children’s pool and kids’ classes. The adjacent greenspace has trails, an animal sculpture trail and picnic area as well as a BMX track and skate park.

Poole Outdoor Activities

• Brownsea Island: National Trust run island in Poole Harbour with trails, peacocks and red squirrels.
• Compton Acres: Sub tropical gardens.
• Farmer Palmer’s: Farm themed park with animals, tractor rides, dinosaur trail and go karts plus several outdoor and indoor farm themed play areas.
• Hamworthy Park: Seaside park with playgrounds and a paddling pool.
• Monkey World: Ape rescue centre
• Poole Harbour Cruise: Cruises round Poole Harbour including special cruises to see fireworks, Christmas lights and Santa.
• Poole Park: Large park with lake, cafes, playgrounds, miniature railway, sporting activities, soft play and pottery painting.
• Upton Country Park: Large area of parkland with trails, playgrounds and lots of activities for children during the holidays, including water fountains in summer.

Poole Indoor Activities

• Jungle City: Jungle themed soft play with cafe.
• Lemur Landings: Large indoor entertainment centre with two soft play areas, role play village, climbing walls, low ropes and teddy bear making.
• Neptune’s: Family entertainment centre with soft play, amusements and cafe.
• Poole Museum (closed until summer 2025)
• Rossmore Leisure Centre: Leisure centre with pool and soft play. It also has a bespoke gymnastics area.
• The Hideout: Small soft play area with cafe.
• The Junction: Leisure centre with swimming pool and soft play.
• Tower Park: Entertainment complex with cinema, bowling, water park and soft play, plus a range of dining options.

Across BCP Outdoor Activities

• Nature Tots – Outdoor Stay & Play sessions with wildlife trails and nature themed activities, crafts, stories and songs.
• Playgrounds: Details of some of the playgrounds in the BCP area.

Across BCP Indoor Activities

• Minky Moo’s Sensory Sessions: Play sessions incorporating lights, music and action.
• Purple Moon: Pop up Sensory Room.
• Play Street Dorset: Role Play Village with 12 stations, which sets up in various local church halls and community centres.
• Stay & Play: Library based drop-in play sessions.
• Toddler Time: Library based session including action songs, story telling and craft activities.
• Wriggle & Rhyme: Library based sessions including action songs, toys and percussion instruments.

Bournemouth is surrounded by coastal towns and beautiful countryside and there are plenty of attractions within a short drive. Here are some easily accessible day trip suggestions, from visiting monkeys to riding on a steam train or maybe sending your favourite teddy down a castle zipwire…

• Corfe Castle: Historic castle ruins with children’s activities during school holidays, including teddy bear zipwire.
• Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park: Horses, carriage rides, petting area and playground with vintage fairground rides.
• Gulliver’s Farm Shop & Kitchen: Farm with shop, cafe, nature trail and play area. It also runs regular and seasonal activities for children.
• Kingston Lacy: Stately home with woodland trails and play areas. There are plenty of children’s activities in the school holidays.
• Moors Valley Country Park: Forest park with trails and plenty of other activities, including playgrounds, high ropes and a miniature railway.
• Paulton’s Park: Theme park with five themed worlds, including Peppa Pig World.
• Swanage: Seaside town with sandy beach, fun park and steam train. Reached by open top bus from Bournemouth.
• The Blue Pool: Woodland pool, which can appear bright blue. It also has a playground, fairy & gnome trail, rope bridge and tea rooms.

I hope you have found the above information useful. We shall be updating throughout the summer as we add to our adventures…