Scarborough For Kids

There is so much in Scarborough for kids, we have two kids aged 7 and 5 and have done everything Scarborough has to offer them. We have listed all the details of the things that you can do in Scarborough with the kids.

Scarborough is great for kids; there is always something for them to do whatever the weather. There’s the two great beaches and some good indoor play areas and farms nearto visit.

There are some great little towns close to Scarborough you can visit on day trips with the kids. Scarborough is packed with activities for kids, follow our blog and read what keeps our kids entertained in Scarborough.

Beaches kids will love near Scarborough

If you are on holiday in Scarborough then a day trip to Sandsend beach has to be on the agenda. Sandsend beach is our kids favourite and is only a short drive from Scarborough. Go to our Sandsend beach page for more details on why its great for kids and information on how to get there and where to park.

Of course if you are in Scarborough then you will have to visit one or both of the Scarborough beaches. Both sides are great for kids, with the north side Scarborough beach having the chalets, and is close to Peasholm Park and the SeaLife Centre. The south side Scarborough beach has the arcades and the amusement park.

If you are on the south side beach in Scarborough then your kids will love a ride on the Hispaniola pirate boat around the south bay.

A day at any of the Scarborough beaches will be fun filled for the kids; both beaches are great for different reasons. The kids will not get bored whichever beach you choose to visit in Scarborough. Go to our Scarborough beach page for more details on what they have to offer the kids.

There is a surf school based at Cayton beach if your kids fancy giving this a try. Go to the Cayton Bay Surf School website for more details on how to get there and their price list.

Soft play areas for kids in and around Scarborough

Having two young kids of our own and living in Scarborough we have sampled all the soft play areas Scarborough and the surrounding area has to offer.

Our kids’ favourite and the biggest out of the four soft play areas we are going to mention here is called Mini MOnsterz. This soft play area is on the outskirts of Scarborough and our kids love it, go to the Mini Monsterz website for details on prices and how to get there.

The second soft play area our kids love after Mini Monsterz is one that is about 20 miles away from Scarborough in Bridlington, it is well worth a trip out to. This place is called Candy Kingdom and is a bit smaller than Mini Monsterz but is well worth a visit. Go to the Candy Kingdom website for more details.

The third indoor soft play area our kids love to go to that is near Scarborough is based in Ruswarp near Whitby. This is owned the same people who own Mini Monsterz Scarborough, Mini Monsterz Whitis smaller than the other two play areas and a bit more expensive. Go to the Mini Monsterz website for details on prices and how to get there from Scarborough.

The final soft play area that our kids like is called the Percy Parrot soft play area and is based in Scarborough at the South Bay beach in the Olympia Leisure arcade. This is the smallest soft play area out of the four, it doesn’t get used as much, our kids still love to go there as well as going in the amusements. For more information on this soft play area go to the Olympia leisure website.

If you are in Scarborough on holiday then you may want to try all four soft play areas out.

If you have limited time we recommend Mini Monsterz, if you are at the south side beach anyway for the day then Percy Parrots is for you. Whichever one you try your kids will love it, note that the Mini Monsterz Whithas a small dining area so when it gets busy you may not be able to get a table.

Swimming pools for kids in and around Scarborough

The Scarborough indoor pool is ok for the kids but we prefer to travel to York, or Bridlington, to visit their pools as they have slides and wave pools, this is what the kids want.

The Scarborough indoor pool has a splash session, this includes putting inflatables in the pools which is a bit more suited to older kids. There are no slides at the Scarborough indoor pool so you need to go to Bridlington or York for this. The splash fun sessions are held everyday at the Scarborough indoor pool apart from Sundays from 2pm to 4pm. Please note that these are for older kids.

When we last went to the Bridlington Leisure World pool our eldest son who was 5 at the time got very excited because the lifeguard said he was tall enough to use the slides. We just had to stand at the bottom of the slide and catch him when he came out the end, he loved it and our youngest loved the wave pool. For more information on this pool go to the Bridlington Leisure World website.

The other pool we have taken our kids to was called Water World and is located on the outskirts of York at Monks Cross (YO32 9JS). Our kids enjoyed it there but they could not use the slides. Our kids enjoyed going round the lazy river on a float going through the tunnels and putting their head under the waterfalls.

If you have younger kids then we would recommend going to Bridlington Leisure World. Older kids will love Water World in York and if you’re in Scarborough they will enjoy the splash sessions at the indoor pool.

There are two great small paddling pools near Scarborough that the kids will enjoy. One is based in Whitand one in Filey, these are great for smaller kids.

The small paddling pool at Whitis at West Cliff opposite the cliff lift that takes you down to the north side beach. The paddling pool at Filey is based at the end of the promenade as you walk south along the beach.

Farms for kids to visit in and around Scarborough

The closest farm in Scarborough for you and the kids to visit is based just outside Scarborough in the village of East Ayton. It’s only a small farm and the play area is free to use, if you are in Scarborough its worth a trip to Betton Farm just for the play area alone. It’s great for small kids and there’s plenty to do, for more details go to the Betton Farm website.

The next farm our kids love to go to in Scarborough is called Play Dale Farm and is just on the outskirts based in a village called Cayton. Play Dale Farm has inside and outside play facilities and many animals to see and feed. Go to the Play Dale Farm website for details on how to get there and how much it costs.

If you are on holiday in Scarborough with the kids then we recommend a visit to Play Dale Farm, there is so much for them to do there that will keep them entertained all day. If you don’t have much time and you are on a small budget then we recommend a visit to Betton Farm.

Walks for kids in Scarborough

As you know most kids don’t like walking but I think they will enjoy a walk round Peasholm Park in Scarborough. There is stuff for the kids to do as you walk round, always be sure to take a loaf of bread with you for the kids to feed the ducks.

You can walk round the lake at Peasholm Park and the kids will love it, and if you get fed up of walking you can hire a boat. There are two food outlets in the park or you can take a picnic. Finish your walk off going over the bridge to the island where you can have a rest in the oriental themed gardens.

Best of all it is free to get into Peasholm Park and it is very close to the north side beach. The naval warfare is held at Peasholm Park, which is a 30-minute miniature naval battle on the lake, this is great for the kids.

Another great walk in Scarborough for kids would be to head to the north side beach and to walk around the marine drive to the south side beach. The south side beach is where all the amusements are based so you can get the kids to walk promising them some time in the arcades when you reach the south side beach.

Have a look through our blog posts to read through more details on these walks in Scarborough for kids, and to see some pictures that we have taken when we have been on these walks.

Neartowns to visit with the kids

At the top of our list of towns to visit with the kids that are close to Scarborough has to be Bridlington. If you are on holiday in Scarborough with the kids then you should definitely take a day trip to Bridlington.

There is so much to do in Bridlington for the kids and is only a short drive away from Scarborough. For more details on how to have a great day with the kids in Bridlington go to our Bridlington beach page.

Next on the list of towns to visit near Scarborough with the kids has to be Whitby. Take the kids for a walk round Whittown and to see WhitAbbey. For more details on things to do with the kids in Whitgo to ourWhitbeach page.

If you are on holiday in Scarborough with the kids then a day trip to Filey is always a good idea. You can take the kids for a long walk across Filey beach and have a look in the rock pools. The kids will love the small amusement park and the crazy golf that is located on the Filey beach promenade. For more information on Filey go to our Filey beach page for details on parking and how to get there.

Markets to go to with the kids in Scarborough

Our kids love going to Lebberston market (YO11 3PB) that is just on the outskirts of Scarborough near Filey. Our kids love looking round the car boot for cheap toys and going on the inflatable slide and bouncy castle. Lebberston market is a cheap morning out with the kids and will only cost you 50p to enter car and 20p on foot.

There are two other markets/car boots worth visiting with the kids that are close to Scarborough. The first one is at Bridlington (Strawberry Fields YO15 3NG) and the second is Skirlington market (Skipsea YO25 8SY). We recommend a visit to both these markets and car boots, you can pick up some great bargains for the kids.

Other fun stuff for kids to do in Scarborough

Recently I took my five-year-old son to Sawdon golf club (YO13 9DU) for a go on the driving range and he loved it. It cost me £3.80 for 75 balls for him to hit and he enjoyed every minute of it. There is a small course there too which costs £5 to play on, I will be taking him on this after a few more goes on the range. The golf club is only a 15 minute drive away from Scarborough so its well worth a trip out if your kids love golf.

There’s a crazy pirate golf course based at the Scarborough SeaLife Centre which is at the end of the north side beach. For more details on this go to the Scarborough SeaLife centre website. The Scarborough SeaLife centre has a small soft play area for the kids, you can easily spend half a day there with the kids.

As well as having the a soft play area Olympia Leisure has a ten pin bowling alley. If you have older kids then you should visit the Olympia Leisure arcade that is located at the end of the south bay beach.

Close to Olympia Leisure is the Futurist theatre, they have all sorts of shows on all year round that the kids will love, like the Chuckle Brothers. For more details of what’s on at the Futurist theatre go to their website.

If you head further down the south side beach in Scarborough you will come to the Scarborough Spa, which also shows a lot of shows that the kids will enjoy. For more details of what’s on at the Scarborough Spa go to their website. Scarborough Spa often has bands on too that the older kids may be interested in.

There is an open-air theatre based near the north side beach, there has been some great shows there for the kids like Olly Murs and JLS to name two. For more details on what’s on at the open air theatre go to their website.

Having two small kids we haven’t been, but there is somewhere you can go in Scarborough for Karting. There is an indoor karting track on the outskirts of Scarborough, go to the Scarborough Karting website for more details on how to get there and prices.

If you are in Scarborough with the kids at the end of September early October time then you should definitely take them to Scarborough fair based at William Street Coach Park in Scarborough.