Last Updated on 2 October 2023 by Colette
This post features gifted experiences
Sunday morning arrived grey and miserable – I couldn’t have been more glad that the activity Attractions of Snowdonia had planned for the day was to be indoors! Wet Sundays and soft play do rather go hand in hand don’t they?
GreenWood Forest Park, based in Snowdonia, has been voted as Best Family Attraction in North Wales and I can see why.
We were booked to see Father Christmas at 11.30am, there was no queue and having followed the snowy footsteps round the the grotto we were greeted by a friendly elf and welcomed straight in to see the big man himself.
The grotto was beautifully decorated and Father Christmas himself was lovely with a bit of personality. He had a good chat with us, complimented Ben and Chloe on their special Christmas jumpers and asked them plenty of questions, we didn’t feel at all rushed. Chloe was much happier this time and was more confident in asking for her Frozen dolls! As you can see in the picture Amy surprised me by being absolutely terrified!
Once we had finished our visit to Father Christmas and received our gifts it was time to go and explore the soft play (at £7.50 for a visit to the grotto, a present and time to play in the Enchanted WoodBarn it was great value!)
Now I don’t know about you but my experience of soft play is not all that positive, we go because the kids love it but it’s usually in a cold, vast warehouse space, with over-priced, poor quality food and just generally hard work. Not so at GreenWood Forest Park. There’s nothing cold, cavernous and echoy about this beautiful cosy barn. They’ve really thought about the parents here. Of course the gorgeous comfy sofas next to the log burner were already taken but this was probably just as well as I think I might have just nodded off!
The atmosphere was relaxed with groups of parents chatting to one another, but not ignoring their children. The staff were also keeping an eye on what was going on and ensuring safe behaviour – particularly on the large, very fast, slide. I got chatting to another mum who said she visits GreenWood Forest Park regularly loves it.
The play area was large enough to occupy Ben and Chloe but laid out in such a way as we could see them most of the time (if not hear them!) and the wavy slides were a big hit.
Amy was in her element in the perfectly proportioned Under 3s area. She was able to roam, clamber and explore to her heart’s content whilst Dave and I enjoyed a hot drink at a nearby table. She could see where we were and kept coming back to check on us then went off to play again. It was lovely to see her enjoying a bit of freedom!
We ordered some lunch from varied & fairly priced menu – rather than opting for meals from the children’s menu we decided to order sausage butties for the kids, I had a breakfast butty (bacon, sausage, egg and a hash brown – oh yes!) and Dave ordered a burger with a side of onion rings (which, in his words, were superb!)
We could have easily sat there for a good couple of hours while the children played however the long drive back to Manchester was looming so we set off shortly after lunch. I asked Ben what he thought of GreenWood Forest Park and he said “It’s the best soft play I’ve EVER been too” and I can’t say I disagree with him!
I’d love to return in the Summer to try out all the outdoor offerings!
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas for festive days out and places to see Father Christmas
*Disclaimer – We were invited to visit GreenWood Forest Park free of charge for the purposes of review however all thoughts and opinions are our own*
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Oh this looks so much fun – your kids are so cute!! 🙂 x
THanks Donna 🙂 x
We love it there but have only ever visited in the summer and there was so much else to do we didn't spend a lot of time in the Play Barn, I remember the food at the cafe being great though! Looks like a great place to visit Father Christmas!
It really was lovely – I'd definitely love to go back in the Summer 😀 x