Growing up on Merseyside meant we got to experience incredible days out on our doorsteps or a short drive away.
In many instances, we visited on school trips to blow off some steam or learn something new. But if we were lucky, our parents or carers would treat us to a boss day out at some of these brilliant locations.
From visiting our local play centres to venturing to a nearby theme park, many of us can look back at our weekends as children with fond memories. And while a lot of things have changed, a lot of places that the next generation of children love to visit have remained.
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Some attractions still exist today and have adapted through the years, whereas others are now confined to history. Here, we take a look at 27 places Liverpool parents took their kids at the weekend.
This list isn't intended to be comprehensive, we've included a number of weekend destinations generations across Merseyside have visited. But, if you feel there are some we should have included, let us know in the comments section.
1. Rhyl Sun Centre and funfair
Everyone remembers the good old days at Rhyl Sun Centre and the exciting slides that used to feel huge as a kid. Back in the eighties and nineties, families would spend hours playing on the famous octopus slide, the monorail cars and in the wave pool.
When it opened back in 1980, the Sun Centre was the largest indoor pool in Europe at the time. In 2013, Rhyl's most popular attraction was shut down suddenly after the council announced they were pulling the plug and the old water park was bulldozed in 2016.
2. Chester Zoo
Not too far from Merseyside, Chester Zoo remains a popular and exciting trip for families, especially at the weekend. The most visited zoo in the UK, the zoo has around 20,000 animals on site, from black lemurs and Caribbean flamingos to grey-crowned cranes and spider monkeys.
Welcoming hundreds of Merseyside children a year, nothing could be seeing the animals or being allowed to go the gift shop with your pocket money. And how could forget the lost overhead monorail?
3. Wacky Warehouse/ Charlie Chalks
You can't forget the terrifying Wacky Warehouse mascots. Across Merseyside, we all loved visiting our local Wacky Warehouse running wild in the soft play, followed by colouring and pizza.
On weekends, it wasn't unusual to celebrate a birthday there. One of the best children’s birthday parties back in the day. At Charlie Chalks as well, your parents patiently waited for your food to come - and there was always the prospect of the ice cream factory when you were done.
4. The Crocky Trail
Families have been enjoying the Crocky Trail for years, from the gravity defying slides to the wheels of wonder. It also always offers the perfect opportunity for puddle jumping and getting muddy, with a mile long trail which winds its way through fields and trees passing over the Crocky stream.
The Chester attraction offers plenty of ways to cross the Crocky stream including the scary wobbly bridge, swinging chain bridge and fallen log. You'd be knackered by the end of the weekend, but it was always worth it.
5. Gulliver's World
Gulliver's World was opened in 1989 in Warrington and was the second Gulliver's theme park to be built in the UK. With over 80 rides and attractions, the attraction has gotten bigger and better as the years have gone on.
Significant rides at the park include The Antelope, Desperado drop and Apache Falls. Families still love the Dodgems, Pirates Cove and The Joker and it's always busy of a weekend.
6. Knowsley Safari Park
Today, Knowsley Safari has over 700 wild animals, from baboons to camels to wildebeest and rhinos. Merseyside families will remember spending part of their weekend lining up to get into the seal show or to sit at the front for the birds of prey.
If you were lucky, your parents would also let you go through the baboon enclosure, which would result in a lot of screaming and excitement. Today, the site offers so many events for local children, such as their winter lights exhibition, Enchanted.
7. Southport
We all remember sunny summer days spent in Southport, having fish and chips, enjoying the pier, the arcades and more. Southport Pleasureland has also been offering thrills for generations of Merseyside children.
And many will have memories of attending the food and drink festival or the musical fireworks show.
8. Pleasure Island
The opening of Pleasure Island, a sprawling amusement complex situated on the site of The Festival Gardens, provided entertainment for different generations. It couldn't be sunny without parents being begged for a trip there.
The park was loved by a generation of Scousers for its attractions which included The Works and the Quasar Labyrinth for laser shooting games. Pleasure Island closed its doors for the final time in 1997, but many happy weekends were spent there.
9. Disney store at Clayton Square
In the 1990s, Liverpool was one of the earliest UK Disney stores to open. On a weekend trip to town, many of us would beg to visit and see the toys piled high.
The store later relocated to Liverpool ONE when the shopping centre opened in 2008. And in October 2021, it was announced that Liverpool ONE's Disney Store was closing its doors after more than a decade at the shopping centre.
10. Watch a film at Edge Lane Cineworld
Located in Edge Lane Retail Park, many will remember the former Cineworld venue first opened as an eight-screen MGM in 1991, as a project of Cineplex Odeon. By 1995, it had been renamed Virgin and later UGC in 1999. The UGC later became Cineworld in 2005 - the last chapter of buildings life.
It continued to attract film-lovers of all ages for a decade to see the latest releases and most weekends, children would pile in and sit enjoying a Tango Iceblast. But in April 2016, cinema-goers heard that Liverpool’s Edge Lane cinema was to close in three months.
9. Watch a film at the old Odeon cinema
Another former cinema, the Odeon was built on the site of a former boxing ring and was originally a Paramount picturehouse before being taken over by Odeon in the 1940s. Many will remember tucking into popcorn there or visiting on a weekend for birthday celebration or Saturday treat.
It grew to eventually have 10 movie screens but was closed when the new Odeon opened in Liverpool ONE in 2008. There's still cinemas across the region that the next generation is enjoying.
10. Museums
Merseyside boasts a number of brilliant museums that have attracted generations. A lot of us will remember going to see interactive and kid friendly exhibitions in our childhood, with many fun facts still sticking with us.
Often we'd go for a school trip, but museums remain popular in the city and beyond and in many instances are free day out. If you behaved, you'd beg the adults to let you buy a souvenir in the gift shop.
11. Alton Towers
Thousands of us will have visited Alton Towers over the years and ridden on some legendary rollercoasters. The weekend queues would be massive - but it was totally worth it.
Some of the most famous decommissioned rides include The Corkscrew, The Thunder Looper, The Beast, Alton Mouse and The Black Hole. But children today can still enjoy Oblvion, Memesis and the Smiler.
12. Heatwaves, Stockbridge Village
Four years after ambitious plans were revealed by Knowsley Council, Heatwaves Leisure Centre in Stockbridge Village officially opened on September 8, 1990. The £4.5m complex in The Withens, off Waterpark Drive, was once known for having the "only tropical leisure pool in Merseyside."
Many will remember its wave pool or queuing for the 200-ft curving water shute, where you could swoop down to a separate pool. And after many happy weekends there, the site closed on December 1, 2009.
13. Camelot
Camelot Theme Park could not have been missed from this list. The once popular park was located just three miles away from Chorley in Lancashire and first opened its doors in 1983.
It operated until November 2012 and boasted medieval style rides included the Knightmare and the Whirlwind. By July 2021, the park had been dismantled and demolished.
14. Blackpool
If you grew up in Merseyside, you've likely had a weekend trip to Blackpool. Whether it was a day out on the Pleasure Beach, taking in the tower or enjoying the Illuminations in the winter months, Blackpool has always been a firm family favourite.
As kids, it was also fun to visit the Madame Tussauds attraction at the seaside destination. And you could also beg your parents to take you to the Sandcastle water park.
15. Sefton Park
Merseyside boasts many beautiful parks - and Sefton Park is just one of them. As kids, we've enjoyed picnics on the grass and for some generations, seen the Palm House come back to life.
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16. Jungle Fun
Located inside Belle Vale Shopping Centre, Jungle Fun has been recently refurbished to cater for all ages. With emphasis placed on children's development, communication and interaction skills, many weekend trips and birthdays have been celebrated her.
Features include a sensory and music area, ball cannons and three storey toddler area with carousel. There's also a seating area and café so the grown-ups can watch the kids while they have a cuppa.
17. New Brighton
Many would take the ferry to New Brighton for a weekend trip with plenty to do when you arrived. The indoor fair had one of the most terrifying ghost trains you'll ever see.
And if you're of a certain generation, you'll remember the excitement of getting to go on the Go Kart track, which was opened 80s and closed in 2001. Plenty of parents who visited New Brighton as children still enjoyed taking their own children there on day trips, right up until the arcades closed their doors - and New Brighton is still a great day out today.
18. Otterspool Prom
One of the simplest pleasures there is - but we all loved rolling down the grass hills and having an ice cream from the little café on the promenade. Otterspool is still a weekend destination for families, tourists and dog walkers alike.
But we all remember watching the planes and the kites flying which made the scenery even more special.
19. Blue Planet Aquarium
Even now, going to the aquarium is incredible. But experiencing it for the first time as a child was even better.
Immersed in all the sea life, you'd be so tempted to put your hand in a tank to stroke one of the fish. The gift shop remains a highlight.
20. Europa Pools
Europa Pools in Birkenhead in Wirral was opened by The Queen in 1995 and quickly became a family-favourite destination. It was the perfect birthday party venue thanks to its adored "fun pool" that boasted a wave machine and two water slides.
But many parents took you on the weekend to let off some steam as a special treat. Slides could be seen the moment you approached Europa Pools, with the two covered flumes travelling outside of the building, snaking around each other, and then re-entering the fun pool. The leisure pool was closed by Wirral Council following the pandemic.
21. Formby Pinewoods/Beach
You couldn’t beat trying - and usually failing - to spot the red squirrels at this beauty spot. The woods seemed huge as a kid and it was an adventure roaming around on the weekend.
It was always a nightmare trying to get there on a sunny day when everyone was heading to the beach. But it was worth it when you could dip your feet in and make a sandcastle.
22. The Wirral Show
At its prime The Wirral Show was one of the country’s biggest free events. However it was scrapped in 2009 after 33 years.
Nonetheless, those years were great, and saw fairground rides, stunt motorcyclists and even camels descend on Wirral. The weekend event was a must for people in the area and beyond.
23. The Sherdley Show
Every year, generation after generation would head to Sherdley Park, the largest park in St Helens, to attend the St Helens Show. Famous faces such as Cilla Black and Geoffrey Hughes also attended.
The popular event began in 1968 and continued for decades, before being briefly reinvented in the early 2000s. Taking place on a weekend, it was a must visit annual event.
24. Blockbuster
Most Saturday's families would head to their local Blockbuster to pick out a film for the night. It was always a hard task picking something everyone was happy with - and there were so many films to choose from.
The region had several Blockbuster branches. But by the end of 2013 all UK stores were closed.
25. Farmer Teds
Farmer Ted’s is an interactive children’s activity park in Downholland near Formby in West Lancashire. They have farm animals and play areas for children aged up to 11 years.
Many of us have been taken as children and now take our won children. It's loved for its tractor ride, climbing area and of course, its animals.
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26. Hollywood Bowl
Over the years, Edge Lane Retail Park has seen a lot of change - but one constant has been Hollywood Bowl. Attracting thousands of Merseyside kids for decades, many of us have fond memories of weekends there.
Opening in May 1990, the purpose built ten-pin bowling alley had a 1950's American theme and created 35 full-time jobs for local people. At the time, Leisure Times, a subsidiary of Themes International, invested £3m in Liverpool with the launch of what it believed to be "one of Britain’s biggest single-level bowling centres."
27. Windmill Farm
Windmill Farm is a family-run attraction that has attracted families for years. Traditionally a dairy, sheep and beef farm, the family diversified in 1992 and have not looked back since.
Kids have loved meeting and feeding a variety of animals across the farm. A wholesome day out, the site is worth the drive. feed and stroke a variety of rare-breed animals as well as playing in three gigantic play areas across the farm.
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