Last Updated on 16 June 2023 by Colette
This post features gifted experiences
This is the third in a series of posts about our hosted weekend in Swansea Bay last month and concentrates on our trip to the Gower Heritage Centre.
After filling up on our fabulous hotel breakfast we piled into the car and set off up to Gower Heritage Centre. As part of a special half term event Gower Heritage Centre were holding a “Pirate Week” – offering face painting, pirate crafts and story telling along with a bouncy castle and even some parrots!
We arrived at Gower Heritage Centre in time for opening (bearing in mind we had a lot to fit into our day!) so it was really quiet when we first arrived.
We walked straight through into the courtyard area which had been covered over and decorated with some piratey decorations. Of course Ben and Chloe were immediately drawn to the big bouncy castle and their shoes were off before we’d even opened our mouths! Alongside the bouncy castle (which I assume was a temporary half term treat) there was also a small soft play area and a section for ride ons (tractors and the like).
Ben and Chloe enjoyed the bouncy castle so much that I think that in all honesty I think they’d have stayed on there all day. They weren’t impressed when we asked them to put their shoes on so we could have more of a look round!
We had a little chat with some visiting parrots – this was a bit of a strange experience and not something I think any of the kids were especially keen on but of course it did fit with the piratey theme.
We made our way out of the courtyard to explore Gower Heritage Centre a bit further – we found a range of old farm machinery which, whilst I was quite interested, I’m afraid Ben and Chloe couldn’t have cared less and stormed on past. They were excited to see the little stream which plays host to a Duck Race unfortunately this wasn’t taking place till much later in the afternoon so we weren’t able to take part.
We walked all the way down to the end of the path stopping to visit the animals along the way – quite a lot of the pens and cages were empty which I assume was due to the time of year. I imagine the little animal farm would be a quite a hive of activity later in the Spring and Summer however on a cold February day it was just a little drab and disappointing really. Ben and Chloe were keen to make their way back to the play area and sandpit.
The play area, whilst not especially big, was lovely and had plenty to keep all three children entertained however Mummy and Daddy were far too cold to be standing around watching them play for long and ushered them inside for lunch! After spending quite a while outside it was a real joy to sit down in the cosy little Tea Rooms and order a nice hot lunch! Ben and I ordered a hot chocolate and I was impressed when the gentleman taking the order questioned if the drinks were for the children before offering to put Ben’s hot chocolate into a lidded cup and add a little extra milk to cool it down for him – this was a really thoughtful touch. I couldn’t resist ordering the Welsh classic “Welsh Rarebit” – when in Rome Wales and all that! It was absolutely delicious!
Unfortunately due to the time we had sat down to eat our lunch we missed the next scheduled pirate storytelling session which was a shame. As part of the Pirate Theme there was the opportunity to take part in pirate craft sessions, face painting and puppet shows however these were all at an additional cost to the entry fee and as such were swerved by our family. I’m afraid expensive add on activities are something which really annoy me when we’ve paid to go somewhere – a family outing for five is already expensive without having to pay out for three lots of face paint or craft activities. I rather felt that this should have been included in the entrance cost if they were advertising a pirate theme – it meant beyond the parrots and piratey decorations the pirate theme itself was only really available to those who were prepared to pay for it.
So costly pirate themed activities aside? The Gower Heritage Centre has the potential to be a really lovely day out with plenty going on to fill your day and make the most of your entrance fee. On a cold February day we found it hard to get our money’s worth and were done within a couple of hours however on a sunny Spring day I think it would be an absolute joy to visit!
Why not check out our suggestions of things to do in and around Swansea with kids next
You can read more about our #SwanseaBayMoments here:
A Visit to Swansea Bay
Swansea Waterfront Premier Inn
National Waterfront Museum – Swansea Bay
A visit to Mumbles – Swansea Bay
We were invited to visit Gower Heritage Centre as guests of Visit Swansea Bay. All thoughts and opinions remain our own*
Wowee this looks great! I love the variety of things to do and stuff for all ages x
Hi. Im glad you had a lovely time and the photos look lovely. But am sad that you didn't get to experience everything the whole event has to offer. I very much love entertaining during pirate week. There are three different inter-active stories a day full of games, a baby bucaneers sensory story for the 0-3 year olds, a daily treasure hunt, fancy dress competitions, Captain Jack Sparrow is also found to be lurking about most days.There are quizzes and the puppet show which is inclusive of the entry price, as are all the prizes, stories and hunts. Sorry to hear that you missed some of my personally favourite parts of the pirate week experience as a pirate.
Thanks so much for your comment Lisa – it was a real shame the story times and puppet show didn't fit into our day as I'd been looking forward to those! We saw one lovely and enthusiastic lady pirate who chatted to us – which I'm assuming might well have been you but otherwise the pirate theme did seem to slip us by.