If you’re looking for inspiration on things to do in Poole then I’d always recommend visiting the Tourist Information Centre on the Quay where you’ll find leaflets with money off vouchers, trail maps and friendly staff who are ready to answer any questions you may have.

For places to go and things to do with the children, please see below.

ATTRACTIONS

Farmer Palmers (Organford): This award winning farm has plenty for children to do with slides, bouncy castles, indoor and outdoor play areas, ride on tractors, soft play, animals, play barn, tractor trailer rides and so much more.

Flip Out (Dolphin Shopping Centre): Indoor adventure park with E-karting, laser tag, interactive football, battle cannon arena, bumper cars, soft play and small arcade.

Putt Putt Noodle (Dolphin Shopping Centre): Asian themed adventure golf with 3 fun and unique courses to choose from.

Insanity Gaming Arcade (Nuffield): A gaming lovers dream with over 60 machines and consoles from all eras.

High Score Arcades (Dolphin Shopping Centre): High Score is an amusement centre, packed with games to either reminisce or play for the first time.

Hollywood Bowl (Tower Park & Branksome): American themed ten pin bowling alley with amusements and American diner.

Project Climbing Centre (Dolphin Shopping Centre): The climbing centre is a great venue for bouldering and rock climbing.

FTY Lab (Branksome): FTY is a football training centre using the latest training technology to enhance a players technical, physical, and mental skills.

Splashdown (Tower Park): Fantastic waterpark full of thrilling indoor and outdoor rides plus 3 under 5's splash zones.

Harbour Pirates Golf Glow (Poole Quay): Mini golf with a difference.  Children will love the dark room with bright glowing obstacles!

Studio Poole (Poole Quay): Choose from acrylic or ceramic paint to create your own masterpiece.

Create (Upton Country Park): Choose from a range of crafts and activities including pottery painting, sand art, build a bear and model making.

Brownsea Island: Owned by the National Trust and only accessible by boat, Brownsea Island has a thriving natural habitat which creates a unique haven for wildlife including the rare red squirrels.  Open to the public March – November.

Compton Acres (Canford Cliffs): The South's finest privately owned historic gardens.

 

SOFT PLAYS & PLAY CAFES

Lemur Landings (Tower Park): Large soft play with multi level play frame, slides, canons, sensory and toddler area plus role play area and climbing zone.

The Ark (Poole Park): The Ark has a fantastic multi level soft play with exciting obstacles, slides and a separate toddler area with ball pit and sensory activities.  You’ll also find a paint your own pottery area which can be booked seperately.

The Hideout (Canford Heath): The Hideout is a recently opened and family run indoor coffee shop and soft play with a two-tier play area and matted section with toys, sensory accessories and books.

Neptune's Soft Play (Poole Quay): This lovely 2 tier soft play is perfect for babies and younger children and has a separate area with a TV screen and comfy seating for tired little legs.

Coffee & Play (Parkstone): Play café with wooden tree house nature themed play area and soft play pen for babies.

Kidz Kingdom (Broadstone): Fun multi level soft play which is based within the Junction Sports Centre.

Rossmore Leisure Centre Soft Play: Multi-level soft play with ball pit, perfect for younger children.

 

MUSEUMS

Poole Old Lifeboat Museum (Fisherman’s Dock): Lifeboats crewed by the people of Poole have been helping those in trouble at sea since 1865.  Poole Old Lifeboat Museum documents the history of the RNLI in Poole from that time, right up until the present day.  Open March – December.

Poole Museum & Scaplen’s Court (Poole Old Town): Currently closed for major refurbishment and due to re-open at the end of 2024.

 

PARKS & NATURE RESERVES

Upton Country Park: Set in over 130 acres of parkland you’ll find landscaped gardens, a woodland play trail, tea rooms, a gallery, plant centre and a walled garden with a summer splash area.

Poole Park: Poole Park features 110 acres of parkland, 2 play parks, tennis courts, fitness trail, lakes, gardens, wheelchair accessible railway, watersports, restaurants and ice cream parlour.

Whitecliff Recreation Ground: Located next to the waters edge, this large green space includes a fun enclosed play park.

Branksome Recreation Ground: Large field with a play area, sport pitches and community centre.

Hamworthy Park: Sitting on the edge of Poole Harbour with stunning views of Brownsea Island and the Purbeck region, Hamworthy Park features a play area suitable for all ages, large green space, beach, watersports, fitness station, café and paddling pool which is open in the summer months.

Creekmoor Ponds Nature Reserve: The site was originally a large sand reserve which was mined heavily between 1920 and 1950.  The removal of the sand left 2 large pits which after flooding became Creekmoor Ponds.  You’ll see lots of wonderful wildlife here including ducks, swans and squirrels.

Ham Common (Hamworthy): A Site of Special Scientific Interest for its rare Eocene Epoch plant fossils, Ham Common has wonderful views of the Purbeck hills, an adjoining beach, lake and area of woodland.

Broadstone Recreation Ground: A large green space with sports pitches, children’s play area, mature woodland, gardens, lowland heath and incredible views of Poole from the high points.

Penn Hill to Branksome Chine Walk: Starting in Penn Hill you can take the path and then follow the stream through the woodland and across the road to the beach.

Delph Woods (Broadstone & Beyond): Follow the woodland paths and head over footbridges across shallow streams which is great for summertime paddling.

Canford Heath Nature Reserve: The 850 acres of Canford Heath are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the largest areas of heathland in Dorset.  The many paths make it easy to explore and the diversity of the habitat makes it home to a variety of wildlife including birds, lizards, snakes and even dragonflies.

Bourne Valley Nature Reserve and Park: The area has a huge variety of habitats for wildlife and children will enjoy the skate park and play park.

Coy Pond Gardens (Branksome): The 9 acre beautiful gardens feature a pond with an island, ducks, wildlife and a mix of native and exotic trees.  Make a day out of it and walk from here through Bournemouth Gardens going past a wonderful play park along the way.

Alexandra Park (Upper Parkstone): This green open space is hidden within a busy urbanised area.  The enclosed play park is ideal for younger children and located outside of the enclosed area is a zip line, basketball hoops, football goal and plenty of space for picnics.

Luscombe Valley Nature Reserve (Sandbanks): The reserve covers 10 acres of grassland, wetlands and open areas of gorse.  Nature lovers will enjoy the circular walk where you may be fortune enough to see kingfishers and sand lizards.

 

SPORT & LEISURE CENTRES

Poole Dolphin Leisure Centre: Facilities include a gym, main swimming pool, teaching pool and diving pool, sauna and classes.

Rossmore Leisure Centre: Facilities include a gym, swimming pool, sports hall, soft play, classes plus outdoor grass pitches, netball courts and gaming area.

The Junction Sport & Leisure Centre: Facilities include a gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, sports hall, soft play, classes and café.

Ashdown Leisure Centre: Facilities include a gym, courts, studios, sports hall, classes plus oudoor courts and pitches.

 

THEATRES & CINEMAS

Cineworld (Tower Park)
Lighthouse Arts & Entertainment (Poole Town)

 

LIBRARIES

Local libraries offer more than just books so it’s worth checking out their upcoming activities and events which can include kids clubs, wriggle and rhyme time, crafts, shows and book clubs.

Library locations include the Dolphin Shopping Centre, Hamworthy, Branksome, Broadstone, Canford Cliffs, Parkstone, Canford Heath, Rossmore, Oakdale and Creekmoor.

 

MORE PLACES TO VISIT & ACTIVITIES

The Dorset Scrapstore (Alder Hills): If you love crafting then the Scrapstore is a must.  All materials have been donated by local businesses and for a small membership fee you can join and benefit from buying craft stock at a fraction of store prices.

Sandbanks Beach: Aside from the award winning sandy beach and clear waters you’ll also find eateries close by, watersports, play park and crazy golf course which is open during the summer months.

Poole Quay: Poole’s historic quayside is home to lots of traditional pubs, restaurants and takeaways, quirky shops, ice cream parlours, amusement arcade, viewing platform, the Tourist Information Centre and pleasure boats.

Crabbing: Popular spots include Poole Quay near the Old Lifeboat Museum, Hamworthy Park off the brick jetty, Lake Pier and Baiter Park jetty.  All you need is a bucket, line, net and bait.  Top tip, they love raw bacon! 

Kaspas (Poole Dolphin Centre): Menu includes a large variety of delicious ice cream flavours, sundaes, crepes, waffles, milkshakes and more.

Bueno Gelato (Upper Parkstone): How do you like your gelato?  You can have it on it’s own or as part of a sundae, dessert, waffle or crepe.

 

SPLASH PARKS & PADDLING POOLS

Hamworthy Park: The large paddling pool is surrounded by a grassy area which is perfect for picnics.  There’s also a play park, café, beach and toilets close by.

Upton Country Park: The fountains are located within the stunning Walled Garden and are traditionally turned on at set times from May to September.  There is also a café and toilets within the Walled Garden.

 

NEED MORE IDEAS FOR THINGS TO DO IN DORSET?

 

Car Boot Sales

Pre Loved Baby/Children’s Sales

Attractions and places to visit in Dorset

Soft Plays & Play Cafes

Pubs with Play Parks

Family Friendly Campsites

 

If you think we've missed somewhere great to visit with the family then please do Contact Us.

It goes without saying that we should be kind to others all the time but 'Random Acts of Kindness Day' helps to highlight the importance of being kind and gives us all the opportunity to put others first.

Did you know that being kind increases serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins, while decreasing cortisol and other stress hormones?  And that’s just yourself, just think how good the recipient will feel!

This year, Random Acts of Kindness Day is on Saturday 17th February 2024 so you have plenty of time to plan something and maybe think of how you could get the family involved.

Being kind doesn’t have to cost a penny and below you will find some ideas for things you can do with the majority being free or low cost.

We’d love to record how many random acts of kindness are completed by the Dorset community during the week so please do make a record and get any photos if you can.  You can either Email Us or share the details on the Dorsetmums Facebook post on Saturday 17 February so we can all see what the community has achieved together.  There's also a Facebook Event if you would like to join.

Random Acts of Kindness ideas:

1. Call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a little while and ask how they’ve been.

2. Get the children involved in making edible gifts like rocky road or biscuits and bag them up with ribbons for someone who deserves a treat.

3. Does your child have an outstanding teacher or nursery worker?  Some kind words in a card and/or gift will make them feel much appreciated.

4. Send a postcard from a recent day out to a grandparent or older relative.

5. Get the children to paint stones with kind messages or bright colourful pictures and then leave them on your walks for others to find.

6. Give blood or sign up to be an organ donor.

7. Contact your local food bank and ask what they are low on.  Quite often they may have an abundance of tinned goods but they may be short of other everyday items like tea/coffee or cereal ect.

8. Contact a local Soup Kitchen like Hope for Food or Routes to Roots and offer assistance in serving food to the homeless or maybe even offer to provide some food which is needed for the meals.

9. Homelessness has increased in recent years and the depressing truth is that every large town in Dorset has at least one person living on the streets.  If you are aware of someone in need then you could put together a rucksack of snacks, drinks, toiletries and new underwear, socks and a warm hat ect and ask if they would like it.  Even offering a hot coffee in this cold weather will bring comfort.

10. Contact your local care home or home care provider and ask if they have a resident or client who needs cheering up, maybe they have someone in their care who has recently lost a loved one or not long come out of hospital.

11. Offer to cook a meal or provide a food parcel to a local family who may be struggling.

12. Take nuts to the park for squirrels and wildlife to enjoy or bring food for the ducks.

13. Give a box of biscuits to your local ambulance, police or fire station.

14. Bake a cake for a friend who has just had a baby or drop round a homemade meal for them to have for dinner or pop in the freezer for another day.  We all know how hard those newborn days are!

15. Buy a gift from a small local business and remember to leave them a shining review as this alone will make them do a happy dance.

16. Give a stranger a lottery ticket.

17. Make up a care package for a sick friend.

18. Do you have a talent for knitting, painting or crafts ect?  Maybe you could gift something special to a person who gives up their time to help others.

19. If you have a single person living in your street or maybe even someone elderly who has no family to look after them then give them a knock on the door and ask if there is anything they need.  Quite often those in need are too proud to ask for help but offering to grab them a pint of milk or walk their dog could make their day.

20. Buy a plant pot, seeds and soil to make a gift for someone to enjoy when Spring comes.

21. Get the children to make a card or something crafty to post to a family member who lives far away.

22. Send an IOU lunch date voucher or an offer of babysitting to a friend.

23. Some local community eateries and church cafes offer customers the opportunity to buy a coffee or meal for someone else.  This will then be gifted to a customer in need or homeless person.

24. A litter pick can be cheap to buy and is handy for organising litter picks in parks or the beach.

25. Volunteering for a local charity can be very rewarding if you have any spare time.  The Volunteer Centre Dorset lists roles like admin, care support, befriending, counselling, animal care, driving, youth work and much more.

26. Take doughnuts or a basket of fruit into work for your colleagues to enjoy.

27. Buy a bunch of daffodils or make up a big flower bouquet for a loved one or stranger on the street.

28. Leave a £1 coin in your supermarket trolley or you could cut money off vouchers out of magazines and leave them hidden by the product for a shopper to find.

29. Plan a charity fundraiser.  If you have a charity or worthwhile cause that’s close to your heart then think of a challenge and ask family to donate.  You could go big and complete a long walk or jump out of a plane, or keep things simple and get the kids to do a reading challenge or sponsored silence.  (My kids would definitely fail on the latter!)

30. Make a donation to your favourite charity.

31. Donate some animal food to a local charity like the Margaret Green Animal Rescue, Every Paw Matters, Monkey World or Fancy’s Farm.

32. If you have an empty piggy bank at home then ask they children which charity they would like to support and then fill with your small change over the coming weeks and donate the money when it’s full.

33. Have a clearout of your old clothing, kids toys ect and either give them to charity shop or do a table top sale and give a percentage of money raised to a charity of your choice.

Do you have any more Random Acts of Kindness ideas?  If so, please do Contact Us so we can add it to the list.