Central Park

Central Park sounds like the sort of place parents actually want to return to: plenty of green space, a good-sized play area, and enough to keep children busy without having to spend the whole day herding them around. Reviews mention slides, swings, a zip line, a splash park, ducks by the lake and space for scooting, biking and balance bikes, so there’s a decent spread of activities rather than just one token climbing frame. For grown-ups, it gets points for being well maintained, having toilets and baby change, and a cafe that’s described as reasonably priced. There are picnic tables too, which is always useful when the children have decided they’re not eating the expensive chips you just bought. Parking is also a plus: some reviews mention 2 hours free parking, while another says £1 for 2 hours. The main thing to know is that it’s an outdoor park, so weather matters, and parking may be trickier when there’s a big event on. The reviews are positive about cleanliness and facilities, but they don’t suggest anything especially novel beyond a very solid, family-friendly park setup. In other words: not fancy, just reliably good — which is often exactly what you need.