During the October half term we made a spontaneous decision to visit the new Oasis Indoor Fun Centre in Bournemouth and had a fantastic couple of hours exploring this new family friendly venue.

I knew I was taking a risk by going in the busy half term period but by mid afternoon it did quieten down and I felt I could relax a little more without children running past me screaming with excitement and joy.

The Indoor Fun Centre is situated in Glen Fern road and there’s a public car park right outside plus a multi-storey close by.  You absolutely won’t miss where you’re going as the signage is huge and you just need to head for the main door and go downstairs via the lift or staircase.  The first thing you’ll see is the Jungle themed adventure golf course.  We had a good nosey and although we didn’t play a game I’m sure everyone will enjoy all the sounds, animals, plants and obstacles which lead you around the course.

If you’re planning on going into the soft play then you’ll need to head to the main reception first and pay before taking your ticket over to the play area.  Prices are quite reasonable and adults go free which is nice.  The beach theme is brilliant with a Hawaiian style café/bar area, beach hut designs on the wall and bright colourful tables and chairs.

They have a safety gate to get in and out which I love and tables and chairs which run the length of the play area so you can watch the children wherever you are.  My son wasted no time in running off and once I was settled I took his little sister to the baby area with soft shapes, ball pit and a little slide.

Before I went in I had noted that there was lots of big kids in there but thought that maybe once I go in with my baby they will leave.  Sadly not and after trying to protect my bubba from flying balls for a few minutes (and yes I did kindly ask them not to) I decided to leave and headed back to the table.  I did ask 2 members of staff while I was there what the recommended age was and were told they were for babies and toddlers but neither of them asked the bigger kids to leave which was a shame.  I did however bring this up the manager when I spoke to him and maybe suggested some sort of sign with the recommended age so at the least the big kids and parents could take note.

I did manage to enjoy a nice cuppa in there and the staff kindly warmed by baby’s bottle for me.  My son was having a great time once he made a friend and I only really spoke to him when he ran over sweating and begging for a drink.  I tried to have a good look around while he was playing and the soft play seemed to have everything a highly energetic child would require with a multi-level play frame, slides and obstacles.  There was one section I was nervous about and that was an area filled with huge inflatable balls which the kids loved jumping around on.  I was hoping my son wouldn’t go in there as it was filled with older children but he jumped in and when I went over I noticed a few mums asking their children to come out as they had overhead that the little one’s were falling between the balls and not being seen.*

We must have been in there for almost 2 hours before deciding it was time to leave and overall we thought the place was fantastic.  Weekends and school holidays will always be busy in places like this but if you have a pre schooler then this will be the perfect place to meet with friends during term time.

Good to know:

• There are toilets with baby change facilities within the soft play area.

• The staff will happily warm a baby bottle for you if asked.

• Food can be ordered from the diner and eaten in the soft play.  Dishes on the menu included pizza’s, burgers, hot dogs, paninis and children’s menu.  

• Entry into the Fun Centre is free if you wish to simply play on arcade games, have a drink or eat in the American Diner.

Thanks Oasis for bringing somewhere shiny and new for the kids to play in, the staff were all lovely and the décor was very colourful and imaginative.   We’ll most certainly be back another time for a game of golf and dinner in the American Diner.

For more information including prices and party packages, please visit Oasis Fun.

*Update: Please note that the large inflatable balls have now been removed.

The Sealife Adventure Park in Weymouth have lots of Halloween fun going on this week for the 'Spooky Seas' event and we visited to see for ourselves what scary fishies and cackling witches we might find.

We didn’t book the ‘Enchanted Cabin’ which was a silly mistake on my part as the only available time slots were much later in the day.  I was however kindly allowed to go in briefly with my son to have a look around and although he was eager to look in the cauldron he found it all a little too scary and asked to leave before I finished taking some snaps.

This is the first year that the experience has come to the Sealife Park and what a great job they’ve done.  You really do feel like you’re in a witches lair with a dark and eerie feel, cobwebs, candlesticks flicking and jars upon jars of creepy things needed for making potions.  I watched another group go in and Zelda the Witch did a grand job at making the kids feel welcome whilst playing her part and I really wished I’d been able to watch from the inside (note to self for next year if she comes back).  I’m told that Zelda needs help to make a ghoulish potion and the children assist and watch as their own creations fizz and bubble.  They even get to take their potion away to drink (if they’re brave enough).

Whilst walking around the park keep an eye out for all the pumpkins and especially the one’s with letters on.  You should be given a ‘Spooky Seas’ Pumpkin Hunt when you enter and this is where you can record the letters you see and then once you’ve cracked the creepy code you can receive your ticket for the ‘yucky dip’ and search through the gloop to find a Trick or Treat!

Our son Sam loves to Sealife Park and thanks to our Annual Passes we have been fortunate enough to visit a few times this year so my son leads the way to all of his favourite places.  Nanny hadn’t seen the ‘New Ideas Zone’ which Sam loves as there’s so much inside for children to touch and interact with.  His favourite part is the amazing ‘Tidal 4D Rockpool experience’ where he is in control of a handheld camera in the water above a starfish, urchin or crab and he can watch the image up on the big screens.  Following on from here we visited the next room ‘Electricity’ with an interactive 3D feature which displays the sparks of static electricity given off by creatures like an electric eel plus there’s a huge eel sculpture on the wall and screens which work in the same way as a Plasma ball when touched.  My favourite part though is ‘Glow’ where you can peek into little tanks and stare at luminescent corals, anemones and teeny weeny little jellyfish who bop around their huge world ever so gracefully.  If I could add anything to this area it would be the big Anglerfish which I once saw on the Blue Planet with huge gnarly teeth and a funny light that dangles on front of their head like a carrot hanging in front of a donkey!  (Daft request, I know). I’ve always had a bit of a fascination about the deep sea.  Did you know that 85% of deep sea animals glow?

From here we did our usual trip around as many zones as possible including the obligatory trip to ‘Adventure Island’ which features some free rides and a café if you’re stopping to have a break.

If you are interested in visiting the Sealife Adventure Park ‘Spooky Seas’ event then you’ll need to be quick as it finishes on the 31st of October.  Booking for the ‘Enchanted Cabin’ is highly recommended and full details can be found on SEALIFE Weymouth.

Thanks Sealife Adventure Park for yet another fantastic day out with Nanny and the kids.  I loved seeing all the happy children running around excitedly and I look forward to us coming back again soon.

Love
Dorsetmum
xxx