☔️RAINY DAY IDEAS☔️

Last Updated February 2025

This article lists indoor play venues with options suitable for babies right up to teens, across Darlington and the North.

I’ve hyperlinked where I have written individual blogs or if I have created a video reel/detailed post from a personal visit. Click the hyperlink to take you to it (venue name/activity is underlined if it’s a hyperlink)

Some facilities/info may have changed since I have written the blogs/posts, so please check directly with the venue too.

🌟ROLE PLAY CAFES, SOFT PLAYS AND SENSORY PLAY🌟

Darlington;

💧Roarsome Soft Play, near Morton Park, Morton Park Way

💧Under the Sea Soft Play, Dolphin Centre. There’s a decent baby and toddler section here too.

Under the Sea Toddler Area at The Dolphin Centre

Aimed more for toddlers (Darlington);

💧Curiositeas Play Cafe, Queen Street Shopping Centre

💧Imagizone, Valley Street North 

💧🆓The Hullabaloo Creative Play and Play

Corner in the Cafe, Borough Road (blog based on a previous creative play ‘Fairytale Forest’ -Creative Play change seasonally but other facilities available year round, themes of crafts/activities/toys may change)

Play Corner in the Cafe at The Hullabaloo (activities vary)

Other areas;

💧Interactive Play and Sensory Play at The Fish Tank, Newton Aycliffe

💧Gretna Green Wacky Warehouse, Newton Aycliffe

💧Ruff n Tumble, Newton Aycliffe

💧Play Factory Soft Play, Thornaby

💧Fun Shack Soft Play, Stockton on Tees and Middlesbrough

💧Planet Kidz, Redcar Seafront

💧Crazy Kingdom, Northallerton

💧Kosmic Kingdom, Bishop Auckland

Crazy Kingdom, Northallerton

Aimed more for babies/toddlers ;

💧Little Explorers at Peters Place, Barnard Castle

💧The Playground Soft Play, Thornaby

💧Little Dinos Softplay in Arcadia Garden Centre, Middlesbrough 

💧Woodland Play Patch, Houghton Le Spring

💧Moobears, Chester Le Street

💧Little Acorns Play Cafe, Skelton

💧Imagination Village, Hartlepool

💧Clart about Sensory Cafe, Consett

💧REPEAT for kids, Hartlepool (Sensory play venue, private sessions available)

💧Petite Street Playtown, Durham

💧Cuddle Cubs Sensory and Playground, Middlesbrough

Repeat4Kids, Hartlepool

🌟INDOOR ANIMAL VENUES🌟

💧Butterfly World, located inside Preston Park, Stockton on Tees

💧Potters World Reptile and Animal Centre and Indoor Play Tunnel, At Lanchester Garden Centre Near Durham

💧Adventure Valley, Durham (Indoor petting zoo, reptiles and indoor play areas)

💧Tynemouth Aquarium, Tynemouth

💧Newham Grange Farm, Middlesbrough. Although many animals/activities are outdoors it also has some indoor animals and petting/handling sessions as well as a small indoor softplay and role play area (small entry cost so may be worth it even if you spend most of the time indoors)

Potters World, near Durham

🌟GAMING/ARCADE VENUES🌟

💧Sim King Gaming, Darlington

💧The Gaming Hideaway, Bishop Auckland

💧Retro Bay Cafe, Whitley Bay

💧Arcades at Hollywood Bowl, Stockton

💧The Gaming Hideaway Teesside, Bishop Auckland

💧YU ME World at The Riverwalk, Durham

💧Arcades at Game On, Bishop Auckland

YUME World, Durham

🌟MUSEUMS/EDUCATIONAL VENUES🌟

💧🆓Darlington Libraries, Darlington and Cockerton Library often hold free events/activities or at a small cost. Regular free weekly toddler rhymetime sessions and afterschool sessions for school aged kids too. They also have Lego Club on Saturdays in term time. They also have Rhymetime specials in the school holidays, which usually have a small cost as they offer a bit extra.

💧🆓 Hopetown, Darlington Museum (free to visit the museum which has lots of trains, role play area, interactive learning activities and screens)

💧Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough (currently only open during summer holidays due to funding)

💧🆓Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough (free entry, donations welcome)

💧Preston Park Museum and Grounds, Stockton on Tees

💧🆓Locomotion Museum, Shildon (free entry, donations welcome)

💧The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

💧🆓Kirthleatham Museum, Kirkleatham, Redcar (free entry, donations welcome)

💧Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

💧National Museum of The Royal Navy, Hartlepool

💧🆓Oriental Museum, Durham

💧🆓Durham Cathedral

💧Life Science Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

💧🆓Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne (free entry, donations welcome)

💧🆓Seven Stories: The National Centre for Childrens Books, Newcastle upon Tyne (free entry, donations welcome)

💧🆓Discovery Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne (free entry, donations welcome) . Watch my reel on the science maze area here

Science Maze at The Discovery Museum, Newcastle

🌟SWIMMING/LEISURE VENUES🌟

💧The Dolphin Centre, Darlington-Swimming (Check schedule for different sessions), Bowling and Softplay.

💧The Fish Tank, Newton Aycliffe-32 degrees heated pool, interactive indoor play and sensory play

💧Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre, Darlington-Swimming, basketball, martial arts, gymnastics, youth club, holiday activities.

💧Ashgrove Lodge and Swim Spa, Middlesbrough-available for private family swim sessions

💧Northallerton Leisure Centre-wave machine, water slide, water jets, cannons (during Big Swim Sessions)

💧Spennymoor Leisure Centre-wave machine, water slide (waves, slides and splash sessions). South Durham Gymnastics located in the Leisure also run baby and toddler play sessions

💧Firtree Swimming Retreat, near Sedgefield - private hire swim sessions

🌟TEES ACTIVE LEISURE VENUES🌟

💧Billingham Forum-Swimming, Climbing, Ice Rink, Soft Play, Racquet Sports

💧IB Leisure, Ingleby Barwick-Swimming and Soft Play

💧Thornaby Pavilion-Multi Use Sports Court, Squash Courts, Bio Bounce Inflatable Park

💧Thornaby Pool-Swimming

💧Stockton Splash-Swimming with water flumes and wave machine and racquet sports.

💧There are also fun float and giant inflatable sessions available at IB Leisure, Thornaby Pool and Billingham Forum (fun floats only) as well as Stockton Splash which also has Big Splash sessions where the waves and flumes will be on.

🌟THRIVE LEISURE VENUE

(COUNTY DURHAM)🌟

💧Spennymoor Leisure Centre-Softplay, Multi-Sensory Room and Swimming. South Durham Gymnastics located here also run family play sessions during school holidays and on weekends (or toddler sessions during the week term time)

💧Louisa Sports Centre, Stanley- Swimming, TAG Active Arena, Softplay, Swimming and Clip n Climb

💧Abbey Leisure Centre, Durham- Swimming, Softplay, Tag Active Zone and Trampolines

🌟OTHER ENTERTAINMENT VENUES🌟

💧Rof 59, Newton Aycliffe-climbing, trampolining, laser combat, small soft play. They also run regular Little Angels Toddler Sessions as well as occasional Bounce and Beats sessions for all ages.

💧Ruff n Tumble, Newton Aycliffe-bungee trampolines, climbing wall, tenpin bowling, sports court, soft play and a death slide (7-12yrs)

💧Hollywood Bowl, Stockton on Tees-Ten Pin Bowling and Crazy Golf

💧Tazers-Teesside Laser Tag, Teesside Industrial Estate (for ages 6+), Thornaby

💧Planet Leisure, Newton Aycliffe-Ten pin bowling, crazy golf, rollerskating, laser quest, trampoline park, axe throwing

💧Valhalla North Axe Throwing, Newton Aycliffe (for ages 8+)

💧Putter Chaos Adventure Golf, Middlesbrough

💧Jump 360, Stockton on Tees, Hartlepool and Newcastle upon Tyne-Trampoline Park

💧Level X, Middlesbrough-Bowling, Karting, VR, Mini Golf, and Arcades

💧 District 23 paintball, Airsoft And Nerf Arena, Billingham

💧Ninja Warrior UK Teesside, Teesside Park, Stockton on Tees

💧Inflatespace, Middlesbrough (ages 4-11)- Large inflatable park, dodgems and VR games

💧Infinite Air, Durham-soft play area for 6 months up to 5 years, Valo Gaming and trampoline park for ages 1-8 and accompanying adult.

💧Game On, Bishop Auckland. Ten pin bowling, adventure golf, arcades, pool table and darts.

Ninja Warrior, Teesside Park

🌟CINEMAS TO WATCH A FAMILY MOVIE🌟

💧Vue Cinema, Darlington

💧Showcase Cinema de Lux, Teesside Park, Stockton on Tees

💧Everyman Cinemas, Northallerton and Durham

💧Station Cinema, Richmond

💧Odean Luxe, Durham

💧Empire Theatre and Cinema, Consett

💧Odeon Luxe, Middlesbrough

💧Roxy Movies, Middlesbrough

Everyman Cinema, Northallerton

🌟THEATRES TO WATCH A FAMILY SHOW🌟

💧The Hippodrome, Darlington

💧Theatre Hullabaloo, Darlington

💧Majestic Theatre, Darlington

💧Darlington Academy of Performing Arts (Darlington Community Theatre)

💧Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm

💧Middlesbrough Theatre

💧Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, North Yorkshire

💧Forum Theatre, Billingham

💧The Stockton Globe, Stockton on Tees

💧Empire Theatre and Cinema, Consett

💧Sunderland Empire

💧The Forum, Northallerton

The Hippodrome, Darlington

🌟ESCAPE ROOMS🌟

💧Project Escape, Middlesbrough (suitable for all ages, children accompanied by adults)

💧Cluedini Escape Rooms Darlington and Yarm (no age restriction when with adults but recommended ages 8+)

💧Escape Rooms, Durham

….And ofcourse there are lots of events/activities on throughout the year, many running these venues.

Plus, there are also lots of regular playgroups/baby toddler sessions available. Check out my blog on my website link here. I have broken down the sessions for each day. Make sure to check directly with the venues for changes to these sessions during school holidays

THANKS FOR READING AND I HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL 💜

If you would like more family ideas for places or events to visit please follow my Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/familyfundarlomum

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If you are a local business offering family activities or events and you are interested in collaborating with me and to request my media kit then please complete the form on this link and I will be in touch https://www.familyfundarlomum.com/contact-8

Many Thanks

Charlotte (familyfundarlomum)

-Mum to 2 boys, Kamron-9 and Leo-3 and stepmom to Damon, 16