Address: Located in Lanchester Garden Centre, Bargate Bank, Durham, DH7 0SS
We’ve been to Potters World at Lanchester Garden Centre today (DH7 0SS)
I visited here with my two sons, Kamron (6) and Leo (9 months) as well as my sister, her partner and my niece Sophia (3) and nephew Harvey (1).
It took us around 45 minutes to get here from the North of Darlington.
We visited during February half term. It was a fab day, we were there around 4 hours and if it wasn’t so busy I reckon we would have stayed a bit longer, particularly for more of the half term activities. We will definitely return maybe during the week with the preschoolers or on a weekend.
When we arrived, it took a while to get a space in the car park. Even though there was an overflow and quite a lot of spaces including disabled spaces, it was just a busy day. We arrived just before lunch, it would have been better to try to arrive earlier with it being the holidays.
When you arrive you walk through a lovely garden centre. There was a good selection of garden ornaments and plants to purchase. The photos only show a few of the garden ornaments at the front, there were many more as you walk through. There's also an outdoor picnic area for when the weather is nice.
We decided to try to head for lunch in the restaurant just after we arrived at around 12pm but it was full and there was around an hour wait, however we were given a buzzer so when a table was free for us it buzzed. This meant we could go and see the animals and not have to wait around so this was a great idea.
Before we went into the Potters World area we had a look around the gift shop and also the aquarium area where there were lots of fish to look at, we all actually really enjoyed this and this area wasn’t too busy so we could take our time browsing.
There were some lovely gifts in the gift shop too and prices for many things were reasonable, there was even a sale on some items. I agreed with Kamron he could pick me a Mother’s Day gift and without me seeing it (so he handed it to the lady and I paid on my card without looking at his choice ofcourse! I set a budget though so he didn’t go mad 😂) His dad couldn't join us this day otherwise he would usually help with this bit.
There was also a deli counter in the gift shop with some tasty looking sweet and savoury options to take home or for a takeaway lunch. We took home one of the white chocolate Rocky Road treats for my husband, he said it was really nice!
After a look around, we headed to Potters World as there was still plenty of time before a table for lunch would be available. Inside Potters World there were birds, reptiles and insects to see in a tropical rainforest environment-and much more variety than I expected! Some of the birds were able to fly freely around too which was nice to see. You could also purchase a trail for £1 at the Potters World reception desk if you want an extra activity to keep the kids busy when looking at the animals.
Kamron also held a millipede which was one of the half term activities (a mini beests meet and great). I was very surprised that he did this as he’s always been a bit squeamish over holding creepy crawlies!
We didn’t really stay around in the tropical rainforest area long enough to take part in any more of the half term activities they had on with us getting there late. Getting round to see the animals felt just a little bit crowded and rushed due to lots of people behind us, it probably wasn't the best time to visit in hindsight. If it wasn’t for having the pushchairs with us it may have felt a bit easier.
We then walked through to the play area. The play area had much more variety and different areas than I had expected! The kids spent around 15 minutes in here before our buzzer went off for the restaurant, so we headed back to the restaurant for lunch.
Although there was a bit of a wait to get seated (understandably it being half term), the food in the restaurant was nice enough and there was enough to choose from with gluten, vegan and vegetarian options and some baby weaning pouches too. I did think it was a bit on the pricey side though, mainly the kids options. Kids hot meals were £7.50 and weaning pouches £3.50. Other similar venues i would expect to pay around £5-£6 at the most for kids hot meals on a day out somewhere like this. You can view the full menus here
There are baby changing and accessible toilets in the restaurant as well as in the potters world area too. There was also a little play corner in the restaurant for the kids. They have really thought about families and keeping kids occupied throughout the garden centre.
After lunch we went back to the play area (once you have paid the entry for Potters World which includes the animals and play area, you get a stamp on your hand so you can leave and return as and when you want during the day). There were children up to around 8 years old in there and they all seemed to enjoy it, although I would personally say the majority of the toys are more sensory/role play based so it depends if your child still enjoys this sort of thing. Kamron (6) enjoyed it mind, I think it's because there was plenty of space for him to run and jump about! There was also an outdoor play area next to this but we didn’t venture out there due to the rain. We stayed in this play area for a good hour or so before heading home.
We have all agreed we had a good time and would probably visit more often if it was closer.
ℹ️For more updates and up to date information on prices and opening times follow their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PottersWorldLanchester
Or visit their website at https://lanchestergardencentre.co.uk/potters-world/
🌟TIPS AND HIGHLIGHTS🌟…
🦎For £4 per person and under 1s go free I didn’t expect Potters World to be as big as it was. I think it’s good value and definitely worth a visit. With both the reptiles and birds in the tropical rainforest as well as the large play area you can fill a few hours easily.
🦎You can take a picnic with you if you want to as there’s an outdoor picnic area (on better weather days!). Or you can purchase from the deli for takeout. There’s also an area in the Potters World to eat your own food/deli takeaway. This is probably a cheaper option than the restaurant. The restaurant is a great option though if you want to sit and relax for a bit with a hot drink or a nice meal and with the little play corner for the kids, this is a bonus. I noticed they also do afternoon tea too which may be nice for a special occasion.
🦎Arrive early if you can, especially during the school holidays.
🦎Take a baby carrier if you can for little ones. It is fully pushchair and wheelchair accessible though so this isn’t a complete necessity it just may be easier if busy.
🦎When following the Satnav using the postcode there’s a left turn just before it to a farm (if coming from Darlington/South). Don’t take this turn, it’s the next turning just after this. It’s clearly signposted with Lanchester Garden Centre.
I hope you enjoyed reading :) Please share with your friends and family and let me know in the comments below if you found this helpful.
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