Yes chaps, it’s that time again. After the success of #MerryBristmas, thanks to the lovely team at Visit Bristol, we have been able to visit a ton of local family attractions over the last few weeks as part of their #SummerInBristol campaign. If you follow us on Instagram, you will know exactly what we are talking about as we’ve certainly squeezed A LOT in this time around. It seriously is our idea of heaven. We just love keeping the girls busy! Here are our top Summer picks but check out our Instagram story highlight here to find an extended version of what we’ve been up to…
Avon Valley Country Park
We both love Avon Valley Adventure Park because it has so much to offer, including animals, several parks and the most amazing soft play. It even has it’s own miniature railway! This year they are celebrating their 30th birthday, so they have lots of excellent special events coming up so it’s worth checking out their website. They are also offering a special ‘Summer Pass’ which gives you unlimited access until the 1st of September for £30pp. See you there?
Avon Valley Railway
Just down the road from the adventure park is the rather charming Avon Valley Railway, which was such a big hit with our two train obsessed toddlers. They loved riding and waving to the steam trains on Bitton station, pretending they were Thomas the Tank, of course! Top Tip, if you’re flexible with dates, you can save over 50% on tickets over at Groupon right now. They are valid for use on
August 7, 11, 14, 18, 21 & 28
September 8, 11, 25 & 29
October 13 & 20
Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo Gardens is always a fabulous place to hang out but it really comes into its own in the Summer months. There a plenty of animals, naturally, but the gardens themselves are absolutely stunning! It also has a good amount of stuff inside to either hide from the heat or the rain (who knows, eh?) and if you take some swimming gear, the splash water-play area will keep any little ones entertained for hours.
The Zoo kindly gifted both girls an animal adoption pack and they are so cute! Each pack came with a certificate, cuddly toy of the animal and two adult ticket admissions. It’s really sparked an interest in those animals for both girls and would make a lovely gift.
Arnolfini
On a budget? Lots of the museums and galleries have got great summer activities on offer. M Shed is always a hit with our two and Bristol Museum has a good little play area. Our pick of the bunch though is the ‘Fluffy Library’ at Arnolfini which will be there until the 11th of August. Created by artist Antigoni Tsagkaropoulou, it’s an absolutely wonderful space filled with a giant soft creature, with a fantastic collection of inclusive children’s books dotted around for you to sit and share. They are running a drop-in workshop on July 28th for 5-11 year olds.
ZaZa Bazaar
We were also lucky enough to sample some of Bristol’s delicious foodie offerings. We stuffed ourselves to the brim with a meal and cocktail, kindly gifted by ZaZa Bazaar, who rather surprisingly have possibly the best floor tiles in Bristol. Just look at those beauties! It’s the perfect place for picky kids and if anyone throws a tantrum, you can hide behind the chocolate fountain.
Even after all that food, we still had room for an impromptu date at our favourite gelato place in Bristol (and boy are there so many now!), Swoon Gelato. Yum!
Next stop, Bristol Balloon Fiesta on August 8th to the 11th.
Thanks again Visit Bristol!
V&J
As part of the #SummerinBristol campaign we received passes allowing us entry to all of the above attractions for free. All opinions are our own.