Soft Play and Indoor Play in Durham

When the weather turns or the children need to burn off some energy, soft play is a parent's best friend, and Durham has options from a handy city-centre stay-and-play to some of the biggest indoor play in the North East just outside town. Here is our guide to the best soft play and indoor play in and around Durham.

Bertie's Play Village

Right in the middle of town, Bertie's Play Village is an indoor soft play centre inside the Prince Bishops Place shopping centre, a couple of minutes from the Market Place. It caters for children aged 0 to 8, with a soft play frame and a separate sensory baby zone, and runs as a straightforward stay-and-play with no need to book and adults going free. Its central spot makes it an easy stop to break up a day in the city.

Best for: Best for a quick, central play stop for under-8s.

Adventure Valley

For a bigger day out, Adventure Valley at Brasside on the northern edge of the city is one of the region's largest family attractions. Its headline indoor draw is the Giant Play Town, a three-storey, 18,000-square-foot soft play structure of climbing frames, rope walks, tunnels and slides, among the biggest indoor soft play in the North East, with lower sections for toddlers and higher levels for older children. Combined with its farm animals and outdoor play, it makes a full day, indoors or out.

Best for: Best for a full family day with enormous indoor soft play.

Infinite Durham

Over at Belmont, just off the A1(M), Infinite Durham is a multi-activity park that pairs a trampoline park with a junior soft-play area for tots, plus indoor football, crazy golf and an on-site creamery. The mix suits mixed-age groups and makes it a good rainy-day option for families with children of different ages, from toddlers on the soft play to teenagers on the trampolines.

Best for: Best for mixed-age groups wanting more than just soft play.

Planning your visit

Bertie's is the easy, low-cost city-centre option, while Adventure Valley and Infinite Durham are bigger, paid venues that reward a longer visit. The larger sites usually run timed sessions and can get busy in the school holidays and at weekends, and grip socks are often required, so it is worth booking ahead and checking current prices, age sessions and opening times before you set off. Our rainy day guide has more indoor ideas for when the weather closes in.

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Run a soft play or indoor play centre near Durham we should include? Get in touch.