Enginuity

Great place to bring children especially if they like to get hands on! I came with a 5 year old and a 2 (almost 3) year old, and they had a whale of a time! First things first, when we arrived we were told the car park was full and had to park by the viaduct, so there is overflow parking. A very friendly parking attendant directed us and answered our questions. The car park IS PAY AND DISPLAY! Not a problem but this was a spur of the moment visit for us and as such we turned up with no cash, however the gift shop were able to sort us out (the car park machine is cash only). Once inside 2 lovely ladies on the till sorted us with our tickets, we opted for Enginuity passes only as we weren't sure if we would get to the other attractions but we were advised if we changed our mind within 30 days we could upgrade, so that's nice. Our 2 year old loves steam trains and that was the first exhibit we saw but sadly it was out of order (not that the 2 year old cared, he was happy just to see a train haha!). The water exhibit went down a treat and we even went back again before we left. The beauty of a place like this is that children are learning without realising they are learning. I saw a post below with someone moaning that it wasn't really learning; no the children aren't sat down and lectured, it's hands on, using your initative to work stuff out, kind of learning, much more my cup of tea!! Its certainly not a whole day out place, but a good couple of hours. More than enough for my young boys. There was a small soft play area but the children were so engrossed with all these gadgets and gizmos that they could touch that they didn't even notice it! It really is a great place to bring children who insist on touching everything and finding out how stuff works. There is no cafe or food outlet, so bring food! Again it was a last minute trip for us so we came unprepared, but there is a cafe being built apparently, and there is ample seating inside to eat your own packed lunches. There were toilets easily accessible too, and clean! Baby changing and a "parent and toddler" loo. Overall great fun, we will come again, and may look into the other places that are included in the passport.