City
8 Best Activities In South Shields
Seven of the eight places listed in South Shields keep you dry, which for a seaside town is a surprise and a genuinely useful one. Arbeia Roman Fort is the standout for anyone with a child currently obsessed with Romans, and Haven Point covers swimming. Laser Force and The Little Play Cafe handle the two ends of the age range without much overlap in between.
Showing 1–8 of 8
Sports & ActivitiesNorth Lizard Riding School
MuseumsArbeia Roman Fort
Swimming PoolsHaven Point
MuseumsSouth Shields Museum and Art Gallery
Theme ParksOcean Beach Pleasure Park
Indoor PlayThe Dunes Adventure Island
Indoor PlayThe Little Play Cafe
Laser TagLaser Force
12 more within 10 miles of South Shields
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Tynemouth Treasure Trail
KiKis Kabin
Pots and Pancakes
MFA Bowl North Shields
Longsands Beach
Inflata Nation Inflatable Theme Park Newcastle
Tynemouth Aquarium
Override Skate Park
Whitley Bay Ice Rink
ODEON Silverlink
The Splat Centre
South Shields is one of the better British seaside towns to visit on a bad forecast, because most of the list works under a roof. Check opening times and book swimming sessions, which fill fastest in the holidays.
Visiting South Shields with kids: FAQs
What can we do in South Shields with a toddler?
The Little Play Cafe is the obvious start, since indoor play with coffee attached is the format that makes a toddler morning survivable for the adult involved. Haven Point covers swimming, and small children usually get more out of a pool than out of anything else on a grey day. South Shields Museum and Art Gallery asks nothing of a child, which is what you need at that age for an hour or so.
Where do older children and teenagers go?
Laser Force is the direct answer, since laser tag suits the age at which enthusiasm has to be disguised as irony to be expressed at all. Ocean Beach Pleasure Park is the other one that works for that group, covering ground under shelter and in the open. North Lizard Riding School suits a child who keeps raising the subject of ponies, though it is an open-air yard, so weather counts.
Is there anything historic that children will actually enjoy?
Arbeia Roman Fort is the one, part under cover and part open ground, so a shower will not end the visit halfway through. It works best with a child who has done Romans at school and wants to see the real thing rather than another worksheet about it. South Shields Museum and Art Gallery is the indoor follow-up if there is time and patience left over.