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No matter how organized you are and how much you plan ahead of each hour of the summer vacation, quite often the weather in Wales puts an end to the more thoughtful ideas.
On the days when you’ve got the unicorn bucket, shovel, and rubber ring all wrapped up in the car and suddenly the skies pop open, this list can put a damper on back seat moans.
Use this handy guide and see how much your family can check off before September – of course, anything on the rains list can be completed regardless of the weather.
Read more:The best places to find dolphins in Wales this summer
It’s raining
Jump Jam, Bridgend
Tucked away in an industrial estate in Bridgend is a warehouse, not only full of trampolines, but also a fully functioning rodeo bull, climbing wall, and an upcoming laser tag arena.
Pre-booking is recommended, but there are plenty of slots for all age groups; family sessions, hours for toddlers and open jumps.
Prices start at £ 5 per person.
Visit Skip the jam.
Treetop golf course, Cardiff
Based at St David’s Shopping Center in Cardiff, Treetop Adventure Golf offers two 18-hole indoor mini-golf courses – the Tropical Trail and the Ancient Explorer – to choose from.
Visit adventuregolf.com
Swansea Plantasia, Swansea
If he throws it outside, you might as well go find out what’s going on in the rainforest. Swansea’s own slice of the jungle features monkeys, bearded dragons, and chameleons.
Visit swansea.gov.uk/plantasia
Brecon Mountain Railway
The Brecon Mountain Railway takes you through the beautiful National Park in their all-season cars. The views from the train cannot be spoiled by the rain, it will make your photos even more epic.
Pre-book here.
Escape Room, Cardiff
Choose from six different immersive experiences to try to get away from it all in less than an hour. There’s even a Cardiff Castle-themed escape where you have to help Owain Glyndwr find the secret entrance and plan his attack.
Discounts are available if you book more than one game per day.
Delivered here.
Popplewood, Caerphilly
If the thought of another rainy day stuck in a sweet, sticky play with screaming kids scares you, then Popplewood in Caerphilly might be a good idea for you to give it a try.
These are interactive fantasy lands for kids ages eight and under. The inner forest has 10 foot tall mushrooms and enchanting acorn houses.
For adults there is unfortunately no gin bar, but there are first class cakes and beer.
It is open Wednesday through Sunday and prices range from £ 1.50 to £ 5.00. Delivered here.
Cloudy
Ranch with mountain view
If your child is in their inevitable phase of obsession with Gruffalo, head to Mountain View Ranch in Caerphilly and watch his faces light up. It doesn’t have to be too sunny to go here, just dry, as there are more than a handful of activities to enjoy such as; archery, an airbag, a fairy garden and of course the Gruffalo trail.
Walk through the dark, deep woods and watch the story unfold before you.
Tickets cost £ 8 for adults and children for a three hour time slot on the trail. Wood-fired pizzas are also available to pre-order for the start or end of the experience. It’s sorted tea. mountainviewranch.co.uk
Picking strawberries
There is a plentiful supply of fruit picking farms all over Wales. You can find the best location closest to you here. Picking fruit tends to be a popular option on a sunny day, so you can beat the crowds when it’s cloudy.
Cefn Mabley Park, Newport
Cefn Mabley Park can be enjoyed in any weather. They just updated their facilities to include a covered picnic area, and you can see the sights from the farm while taking a train trip and petting the animals in their petting zoo.
Children under 18 months old can enter for free. Tickets are £ 8 per person. Train rides, mini golf and pony rides are extra at £ 3 per person.
Book your tickets here.
View Caves, Swansea
It doesn’t matter what the sky does during this activity, as you are mostly underground in a cave. A ticket for this attraction will give you access to Dan-yr Ogof, the Cathedral and Cave of Bones, as well as a dinosaur park and an Iron Age farm.
Tickets start from £ 13.50 for children and £ 16 for adults. The less than two are free. Pre-booking is essential.
Cardiff Whitewater
Now there’s an indoor wave machine that’s great for getting to grips with a surfboard, but the weather shouldn’t stop you from getting stuck, as you get wet anyway. There are several different ways to get water here, including; rafting, paddleboarding and kayaking. For a family of four to go white water rafting, tickets are £ 30 per person.
Advance booking is essential.
Sunny
Barry Island Beach Huts
Avoid the crowds, avoid the scorching midday sun, and rent a beach hut on a cloudy day. It’s the perfect way to enjoy Barry’s Beach – no more fighting for the optimal position on the sand.
Prices start from £ 11.50 for a half day and £ 19 for a full day. You can book your refuge via this connect.
Sunflowers, Rhossilli and Cardiff
Sunflowers are in full bloom in Rhossili again this year. Run by the same people who give us the Gower Fresh Christmas trees, so there’s even a reindeer for the kids to see. This year is very special because there is also a Gruffalo trail to keep the little ones entertained during the walk.
It is not necessary to book in advance and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is just £ 2 per person and for an additional £ 1.50 you can pick your own sunflower to take home. With flowery arches and stunning views of sunflowers meeting the stunning views of Rhossilli, be sure to bring your camera.
You will find information on how to get there and where to park here.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy a maze of sunflowers at Clearwell Farm on the outskirts of Cardiff. You can read all about it here.
Jurassic Encounter, Bute Park, Cardiff
Don’t worry, this park isn’t like the movie and is more than ready for visitors to go. There are 50 life-size animatronic dinosaurs from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods.
Tickets are available from August 21 to September 5 and are priced at £ 12.33 for adults and £ 10.18 for children over 3 years old.
Kids can try their hand at paleontology at the excavation pit and even ride a dinosaur.
Reservation is available online here.
Water park, Cardiff Bay
Kids ages eight and up and adults can slide, slide, splash and swing at Cardiff’s latest inflatable treat.
They are open seven days a week during summer vacation, but reduce to weekend hours in September. Walk-in reservations are available the same day but cost more than online reservations.
Tickets start from £ 20 for an hour and combination hire is available from £ 5. Delivered here for tickets.
Wetlands, Newport
The nature reserve was established in 2000 to mitigate loss of wildlife habitat when the Cardiff Bay Dam project was undertaken.
A specially designed reception and education center was opened in March 2008 by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The reserve covers over 1,000 acres of the Caldicot level and among the species that you will be able to see are nesting birds such as lapwing, king prawns, oystercatchers, ringed plovers and ringed plovers.
The visitor center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.
For more information, see their website.
Pontypridd Lido
We can’t put together a list of summer entertainment without Pontypridd Lido showing up somewhere.
Based at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd, the lido reopened in 2015 after a £ 6.3million restoration.
Tickets are only available online up to seven days in advance. Tickets sell out extremely quickly, so advance planning is a must.
Children under 16 swim for free and adults are charged £ 2.
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