City
8 Best Activities In Whitley Bay
Small children get the best of Whitley Bay. Four of the eight places listed here are indoor play centres, which is a lot for a town this size, and it tells you who the seafront is set up for: walkers, toddlers and infant-school children who need somewhere warm to burn an hour.
Nobody older is stranded, mind. Whitley Bay Ice Rink asks something of a child that a play frame never will, and Whitley Bay South Beach is a long open stretch that works at any age once you have made peace with the wind.
Showing 1–8 of 8
Indoor PlayRetro Bay Cafe
Indoor PlayLittley Bay - Little Town of Play
BeachesWhitley Bay South Beach
SightseeingSt Marys Lighthouse
Indoor PlayThe Whitley Bay Treehouse
Indoor PlayThe Splat Centre
Swimming PoolsWaves Leisure Centre
Sports & ActivitiesWhitley Bay Ice Rink
12 more within 10 miles of Whitley Bay
Tynemouth Aquarium
Murton Equestrian Centre
Longsands Beach
Tynemouth Treasure Trail
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
KiKis Kabin
Pots and Pancakes
Stephenson Railway Museum
ODEON Silverlink
Arbeia Roman Fort
Haven Point
South Shields Museum and Art Gallery
Seven of the eight listings have indoor space, so a poor forecast does less damage here than it does elsewhere on this coast. Take one roofed thing and one open one, in whichever order the sky suggests, and ring round for hours first, because half-term shifts them.
Visiting Whitley Bay with kids: FAQs
What age does Whitley Bay suit best?
Under-eights, judging by what is listed. Half the entries are indoor play centres — Littley Bay - Little Town of Play, The Whitley Bay Treehouse and The Splat Centre all sit in that bracket, pitched at children from walking age to roughly seven. Above it, the rink and the sand carry the day, and a teenager would pick either of those over a play frame without being asked twice.
We have a five-year-old and a twelve-year-old. Can one day work for both?
It can, if you split it. The sand is the common ground: a twelve-year-old will find something to do at Whitley Bay South Beach while a five-year-old digs. After that, send them different ways — the older one towards Whitley Bay Ice Rink, the younger to any of the play centres — and regroup afterwards. Making both of them enjoy the same room is the harder route.
Is there anywhere to swim?
Waves Leisure Centre is the swimming listing in Whitley Bay. Leisure pool timetables move around a lot between term time and school holidays, and family slots are often the ones that need booking, so look at the programme or ring before you drive over with armbands and towels already in the boot.
Our eldest hates crowds and shouting. Anything for her?
Play centres in school holidays are loud, and there is no getting round that. St Marys Lighthouse is the gentler listing — a sightseeing entry with both indoor and outdoor space recorded — and the beach at a quiet hour of the morning does the same job. Retro Bay Cafe is a sit-down option rather than a run-around one, which some children want more than adults expect.