One of Europe’s largest indoor playgrounds is in the UK and parents say it’s ‘magical’

As a toddler mum, I love to hate soft play. Love the indoor activity that gets us out of the UK’s near-Biblical rainfall. Hate the feral 12-year-olds pretending to be eight…and the general smell of feet.

But there’s one indoor attraction that’s repeatedly lauded as the UK’s best, with separate age-appropriate activities, affordable food and no sticky surfaces in sight. 

The Playhive at Stockeld Park is one of the largest indoor play centres in Europe, attracting over 250,000 visitors annually. But, thanks to its huge expanse of space, the North Yorkshire setting doesn’t feel overcrowded.

Online reviews from parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are positively giddy about the offerings, calling a day at the park a ‘magical’ experience for adults and kiddies alike.

What can you do at Stockeld Park?

The park’s famous indoor play area, The Playhive, features four imaginative and interconnected adventure zones, under the themes jungle, sea, space, and air. Everything is supersized, from the massive space ships to the larger-than-life gorilla.

There’s plenty on offer to tire kids out, including towering walkways, spiralling tunnel slides, interactive games, and a separate toddler play area – perfect for ensuring little explorers don’t get crushed in the half term madness.

And if the rain stops (or you’ve packed the puddle suits) you can head into the Enchanted Forest – a separate woodland outdoor playground with zipwires, whimsical houses and smaller play attractions for littlies.

There’s technically no age limit, with the website staying that all play areas are ‘designed for both adults and children to enjoy together’. But teens might feel happier at the covered ice skating rink, available during winter months.

The food and drink options at Stockeld also go way beyond the usual beige fare associated with industrial park softplays. 

The aesthetically-pleasing Playhive Pizzeria serves  freshly cooked pizzas, pasta dishes, jacket potatoes and more. You’ll find lighter bites like sandwiches, paninis, and sausages rolls at the Woodland Cafe. Or you can grab some quick caffeine on the go at Gretel’s Cabin, along with any emergency snacks.

The good news is, unlike a lot of other play attractions, Stockeld does allow families to save some money by bringing in their own food. The bad news is you’re not allowed to eat packed lunches within the indoor catering outlets, so you’ll have to find a picnic bench outside.

The park was crowned Best Indoor Play Centre over 20,000 sq ft at the 2025  Association of Indoor Play (AIP) Awards, and it’s clear to see why.

Almost 7,000 parents and carers have given it the highest possible rating of ‘excellent’ on Tripadvisor, leading to an impressive overall rating of 4.6 out of five

Sarah R, who visited with her children last month, called Stockeld an ‘exceptional place’.

‘[There’s] so much to do, and the best indoor play area,’ she added.

 Food in the playhive pizzeria was really well priced, good variety and excellent portion sizes.’

Mum Lauren M called it a ‘wholesome day’ and said her family managed to spend a whole five hours in a park — 

And grandmother Tara S called her day out with three and four-year-old granddaughters ‘magical’, despite the wet weather.

‘It was a cold drizzly day but the Enchanted Forest had so much to see and do that the little ones didn’t notice the weather so much, to be honest neither did the grown ups,’ she said.

‘The kids absolutely loved The Playhive and ran around until all four of us were absolutely shattered, an absolutely wonderful place for all ages, especially those adults with a little inner youth trying to get out,’ she said.

Meanwhile Zaynab I, another recent visitor, praised the park for having attractions for different ages. 

‘Lovely day out and well worth the money,’ she said. ‘Both indoor and outdoor [are] brilliant and the children aged 18 months, 4, 6, 10 and 13 all enjoyed it. The older two went off ice skating for an hour, which is reasonably priced. I will definitely revisit in summer and will take a picnic.’

How much do tickets for Stockeld Park cost in 2026?

Entry to Stockeld Park costs £10 per person during February half term and winter weekends. This includes access to the Playhive and Enchanted Forest. You can book the ice rink only for £12, or add it to your general ticket with a £5 upgrade.

For February half term only, the park is putting on a Heroes and Villains show in the Stockeld Theatre for an additional £3 per person. 

Did you know? The world's largest outdoor play park is in the UK

Lilidorei, based at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, includes 170m of rope bridges, as well as ladders and swings and six different slides to fly down— the highest of which is 24m.

The award-winning park cost a staggering 15 million to build and has just reopened for the year. If you’d like to head to Lilidorei for February half term, a full day ticket on Wednesday, 18 February, which grants access to both the play park and the surrounding gardens costs £15.40 for an adult, and £11.55 for a child.

Find out more about the park here