9 Holiday Activities For Children in Newquay

A family summer holiday is fabulous, but how do you entertain the kids? What do you do after you've already walked round town twice and been in the amusement arcades?

One thing you can do is check out for local events before you go. There's often a surf festival going on, with free entertainment, or something at the zoo or maybe a sandcastle competition on Towan Beach

Beyond that,you can check these out:

The Fort Inn, Newquay

Child Friendly Pub With Great Views and Menu

The Fort Pub - is a child friendly pub has a children's play area inside, including a ballpark. There are also swings and a climbing frame outside. This kid friendly pub has superb panoramic views over Newquay Bay and the menu is extensive and very affordable. Ladies - pop up to the loos on the first floor and check out that view from the window, complete with window seat. Ideal to escape for 15 minutes .... you can always blame the queue for the loos for your delay - although I have never known a queue for the loos in this pub.

The Fort is diagonally across the road from Sainsburys supermarket and directly above Newquay Harbour. There is no car park at The Fort. Parking is on the road outside (limited spaces), or in the small public car park on Fore Street. Be careful - if you park in Sainsbury's car park make sure you read the signs as that is a customer car park only!

The Fort Inn postcode for SatNav: TR7 1HA

Newquay Zoo - this is down near the boating lake, so go over the hill from town and it is at the bottom directly underneath the railway viaduct. They've always got new arrivals and special events going on - some evening events too.With everything from lions and tigers, the usual penguins and small furry animals to stroke, there's plenty to see and do.

There is plenty of car parking, although it is a pay and display.

Newquay Zoo postcode for Satnav: TR7 2NN

There are two main swimming pools in Newquay, one is the public pool and the other is a fabulous pool with flumes and fun areas that is open to the public.

The main Newquay swimminng pool is Waterworld, which is next to Newquay Zoo. There are two pools: a 25metre swimming pool and a children's playpool. Check out the times of opening and special activities ... you might not like to turn up to find it is the Over 50s Watercise class just starting and you have to explain to your kids they can't go in. 

The Oasis Swimming Pool is on Hendra Holiday Park, about two miles out from the seafront. This is by far the most fun swimming pool, but it is 2 miles out of town so not so easily accessible. There are buses to/from Hendra Holiday Park though. The pool, while situated right in the middle of the holiday park IS a separate business. So you won't be the only people who aren't on the camp site. People staying on Hendra actually have to pay extra for tickets to get into the Oasis pools.

(ex Tunnels Through Time) - this used to be a time warp tourist attraction with life sized models of pirates and similar olde worlde characters. Piped sounds from the past. To be honest I've never been in it. It always looked a bit naff and shabby and I'd not heard a good word said about it.

However, all that changed in 2009 when Tunnels Through Time had a complete makeover. Duncan Bannatyne, one of the millionaire businessmen on Dragons Den spent several weeks earlier this year working closely with the owners of Tunnels Through Time to give it a complete revamp and bring it into the 21st century and making it a tourist attraction worth visiting.

Duncan Bannatyne was taking part in a new TV series for the Virgin 1 digital channel called The Great British Holiday Show - this series focussed on six UK tourist attractions, and Tunnels Through Time were lucky enough to be included.

The revamp has cost over £30,000 and Tunnels Through Time has been renamed Buccaneer Bay. One of the first things that changed was to give visitors more to do once they entered the building - and he increased the time you'll need to spend there from about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Buccaneer Bay relaunched on 23 August 2009.

If you're looking for holiday activities for children in Newquay, then check out the superbly revamped Buccaneer Bay next time you're passing.

For Satnav, the postcode is TR7 1QZ

If you go down to the boating lake, from there you can go horse riding in Newquay at Trenance Riding Stables. The trek starts by crossing the road then dropping down onto the Gannel Estuary when the tide is out and your horse riding session is along the estuary sands to Crantock Beach.

I can't think of a better route for horseriding. But check out the tide times first and speak to the stables to work out the best session to book so you can do this. When the tide is in the whole estuary is completely flooded deep so the route is not an option except when the tide is going out or out.

The sealife centre is down by Towan Beach, which is the beach with The Island on it, and is open every day. If you can get hold of the previous week's Cornish Guardian you can often pick up discount vouchers for the Sealife Centre.

Just outside of Newquay at the Porth Lodge Hotel, you can do indoor bowling. This is a 10-pin bowling centre with 4 lanes. They also do deals with a meal/bowling. To get to Porth Lodge Hotel you need to start from Porth Beach car park and follow the road under the bridge.

The Trenance boating lake is set in Trenance Gardens, which is a lovely walk in itself.  Boats can be hired by the hour and there's a small cafe and ice cream kisok. 

The island in the middle of the lake used to have some large willow men on a small island in the middle, but these were due to be removed in 2009.  The willow men, specially commissioned by artist Serena De La Hey hadn't lived up to expectatins as instead of gently decaying over 10-12 years they were pecked apart by local birds and used as a nesting ground.

There are a few courses where you can pitch and putt or do crazy golf around Newquay:

• Tower Road
• Next to Newquay Zoo
• On the service road down to Tolcarne Beach

I hope the above have given you a few ideas of what is available actually IN Newquay. Many activities are advertised as Newquay but then end up being some miles out. But these are all in town.

Have a great family holiday.

Photos By

Trenance Boating Lake: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennor/431517356/

Fort Pub: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ennor/91597951/

Newquay Aquarium: http://www.flickr.com/photos/71894657@N00/395553056