As well as two working farm visitor centres (Sandwell Park Farm and Forge Mill Farm) there are nature areas, an aerial assault course (managed separately), an adventure playground, an RSPB Visitor Centre, woodland, meadows, farmland.
Parks and Gardens
Parks and Gardens
What are they and what do they involve?
As a type of outdoor activity, parks and gardens are organised areas that usually feature a grassy open space with extras such as mazes, outdoor sculpture and adventure playgrounds. They are different to wildlife/nature venues in that the contents of a park or a garden have been designed for a specific purpose, and
What are the benefits?
Parks and gardens are excellent for ensuring students don’t spend all their time indoors, are great ways to get them interested in nature and the outdoors in a relatively safe environment.
What students is it suitable for?
Although generally suitable for all ages, younger students will probably enjoy the novelty and excitement of parks and gardens more than older teens; however, if there are activities aimed for all ages everyone can have fun!
Costs?
Parks and gardens are usually public areas and therefore free to access, but some privately owned venues may charge a small entry fee.
Safety Implications?
As with all outdoor venues, younger groups should be carefully supervised to ensure they don’t run off!
National Organisations?
Venues for this Category
Thornton Reservoir is a peaceful and picturesque location that offers a network of trails and footpaths around the reservoir and through the neighbouring woodland areas. There are also links with longer trails including the Leicester Round and various other public footpaths. This scenic reservoir also has a popular fly fishery, attracting anglers from all over the midlands.
Well kept parkland with play centre, light railway, splash pool, pitch and putt golf, stunning horticultural displays, a fishing lake and football pitches.
This scenic park has over 207 acres of parkland and is one of Derby's largest parks attracting over one million visitors a year making it one of the most popular parks in the East Midlands.
Newly restored to its former glory, historic Leasowes Park was designed by the poet William Shenstone beginning in 1743 and continuing until his death in 1763.
A wonderful place for kids to let off steam and enjoy the outdoors. Follow the streams, dodge the waterfall and find Foo Dog and the Big Buddha hidden in our arboretum and wild garden.
Smethwick's 100-acre, Green Flag award winning community park which is managed through a Community Trust - with its mix of open meadow and nine-hole golf course - has some of the region's most beautiful woodland, offering nature walks, trails and free parking. Only three miles from the centre of Birmingham, it really is the perfect retreat.
Activities include Tri Golf fun course, adventure playground, the visitor centre where you can pick up trail maps for the circular walk and sculpture trail, plus plenty of open space to ramble and explore.
Fifteen acres of safe, secure, clean landscaped gardens with lawns and four glasshouses for children to explore. Indoor and outdoor activities for children and all the family. Picnic areas, outdoor theatre and music during the summer months.
Colourful floral displays from spring to autumn!
Flower-filled park containing a sensory garden, an exotic glasshouse, a lake with ducks and swans, and a boating pond. There is also a nearby ship-themed adventure play area (see full details for information).
Things to enjoy
Peaceful Memorial Garden with bandstand, plus recreation ground that has 2 sports pavilions, a cricket pitch, 2 football pitches, a junior football and rugby pitches, and a bowling green. Great children’s play area. Free to visit.
Whether you come to unwind or have fun, there's plenty for all at Draycote Water. Activities range from birdwatching and game fishing to walking and water sports. Dogs are only allowed in the Country Park.
War Memorial Park is Coventry's premier park and attracts around 400,000 visitors from all over the city and further beyond every year. Many come to enjoy a casual visit, while others come to take part in some of the many special events that take place throughout the year.
The park is a pleasant stretch of open grassland for running and frisbeeing, with a Children's Playground. The main feature is an imposing ruin of part of the castle, surrounded on three sides by a moat.
Crazy golf, children's play area, 18 hole golf course, and plenty of open space and garden walks: all recently refurbished and well maintained.
The refurbished play area has a wide range of play equipment to offer a variety of physical and interactive challenges for all ages.
There's lots of fun to be had at this family friendly country park! With play areas, cycling and walking on surfaced paths and a large picnic meadow you can't go wrong for a family day out!
Feed the ducks at Ryton Pool, play games on the picnic meadow and burn off some more energy on our two play areas.
Trimpley Reservoir is in a idyllic location, nestling between the River Severn on one side and the historic Severn Valley Steam Railway on the other.
Adventure playground, sensory garden and fitness equipment are dotted about this picturesque freebie.
Among a host of new features and improvements carried out are the creation of a new main entrance, an adventure play area for 10 to 16 year olds, a sensory garden, new fitness equipment, pathways being built, enhanced signage and additional seating and bins installed.
360 hectares of parkland to enjoy, with plenty to do, from a gentle stroll to wakeboarding! Rare habitats to discover and plenty of wildlife to spot. Also great for cycling and the site of the Chasewater Railway. Free to visit.
Baggeridge Country Park is a beautiful area of countryside on the doorstep of the Black Country. Being set back from the roads, its secluded delights are revealed to you as you explore further. The creation of today's scenery however, is very diverse.
The park offers the people a green retreat, somewhere to relax and enjoy being outdoors. The recently refurbished play area is very popular and the park comes alive at the weekend to support the thriving Leys football clubs.
The park is open all year round, offering space to:
The park is open all day every day.
Activities
- Play area
- Multi Use Games Area
- Tennis courts
- Bowls green
- Kickabout goal
- Community centre
- Walks to Thames and canal
Bury Knowle is one of Oxford's most beautiful parks and the historic Bury Knowle House and its parkland setting provides a picturesque back-drop for picnics and events.
South Park occupies 50 acres of open space, with magnificent views overlooking Oxford.
What can I do there?
This Garden is a national reference collection of 7,000 different types of plant, making it the most compact yet diverse collection of plants in the World: there is even more biological diversity here than there is in tropical rain forests!
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