Riverside Hub Northampton — Attraction in Great Britain

Simply we were completely blown away by Riverside Hub! We travelled from Derby as it was our two year old’s birthday and we wanted to take her somewhere a bit special but knew we needed an indoor activity with the predicted weather. So glad we chose here, it was such a special day for our little girl, she tried everything that she could try at her age and there was a huge amount for her to do (there’s plenty for smaller and older children too). Front start to finish it was just such a great day, starting with the car park attendant who was just so cheerful and welcoming - both me and my husband said to each other what a pleasant guy! Next we headed in and the lady (unfortunately didn’t get her name but she had pink hair!) who took our booking details noticed our little girl’s birthday badge, made a fuss of her and then asked us to wait just inside whilst she got something for her. She put together a gift bag for her, which was so thoughtful and just lovely - above and beyond customer service and made our visit more special. We found a locker and headed to the play equipment which just seemed to keep going. One of the comments my husband made was that was no dead space - everything bit of space has been used and everything has a purpose. We loved that the carousel, go karts etc are all included so there is no additional fees and the entry price is very reasonable given all the extras. We had food and drinks, making note of the menu stating to order earlier as it can get busy. The food was reasonably priced for the 3 of us and portions were a great size. All the staff that we came into contact with were friendly and happy to serve/help and we found the hub to be very clean. If we had to be pushed to give a downside (other than why did this place not exist when we were children!) it would be that it’s 2.5hrs play because you could easily a day here and not be bored - however, the 2.5hrs is to be expected and it means that you’re not packed in, everything can be used easily and there’s plenty of space so it’s not really a downside! We can see that the hub has really been a labour of love and we will definitely be back soon! Thank you for making our little girl’s birthday one...

Riverside Hub is a hidden gem in the heart of Northampton. There are a huge number of activities, rooms, experiences and visual games for the kiddies to enjoy.

Starting off there is a £5 registration fee per family to be able to use the facilities, however this is a small price to pay for the quality of the interior.

Firstly there is a baby sensory room, where there are water fountains, light displays, neon shakers and rattles, interactive tv screens and a ball pit with added stuff fish and sea animals. Huge bonus of this is only under 5 are permitted in this area so totally safe for those little people in our lives.

Moving round there are baby bouncers and huge stuff teddy’s in a chill out zone, brilliant for resting and calming down those little heads.

Next to this there is a huge ball pit and sort play area, complete with trampoline, water bed, see saw and carousel. This area is open for bigger children so not so great for tiny feet and when we see there older kids were a bit too boisterous but that can’t be helped nor can’t it be held against riverside.

A great addition is also the go karts, low powered and easy to control and perfectly safe for children and included within the price you can’t complain.

A large merry go round is a key feature of the HUB with a mix of seats and things for the kids to sit in. Again no extra charge for this facility and rides are not too short allowing for fun and fair use for all

For the bigger kids there is a climbing wall with full trained staff on hand. Also for the bigger kids a huge activity centre with slides, climbing nets and ball cannons.

At the back of the centre is a hidden disco room to get down and boogie in with lights and neon paint adding to the affect. Within this area is also a small laser tag arena, interactive shooting game and mini golf course.

Last but not least a shop where kids can pick things to paint (for a small fee) and a large dressing up and play area to let imagination run wild.

Food is good and reasonably priced.

Would recommend HUB for all ages and will be going back time...

My little one enjoys coming here but unfortunately the price and recent policy changes really put me off coming again. £7.50 for an adult (most other soft plays charge £1 or £2) plus £2 to park (should be free like it used to be but you reserve a space when you book). Then they charge you a booking fee on top even though it's compulsory to book online! So you are looking at £20 for 1 toddler to go to a soft play and that is off-peak on a Monday! Previously you were allowed to stay as long as you like during off-peak sessions so you could stay for lunch as well but now with the parking restrictions you simply are not allowed to. We ended up at McDonald's after we had to leave, which was full of families we had just seen playing at the hub- so much lost business for you! When you only have 2.5 hrs to play, which is not enough to get full use of the facilities especially for the price paid, then you can't waste it eating lunch. I noticed some soft play areas are getting quite filthy or in need of repair/replacement, especially the ball pit with the ball air tubes - so much dust and dirt in the tubes and ledges - probably not cleaned since installed and this is the newest bit there! I wonder how regularly anything in here is cleaned now the covid era is over. The worst part of our visit was the go karts as the employee had no idea about safety. I got stuck at one of the corners with a toddler on the go kart with me. Tried my hardest to get it moving but couldn't, got the attention of the employee who just stared gormlessly at me and ignored us. We then got hit full pelt sideways on by a child on another go kart which has left me with back pain. At this point she finally decided to stop the ride and get off her chair and come to help move the karts. Ours was out of battery. At this point we just got up and left as her response to the situation was unacceptable, she had no health&safety awareness whatsoever. I'm in no...