On our way home from our visit to Knockdow House in the Cowal peninsula we knew we needed somewhere fantastic to stop with the kids. We needed to release them from the car like wee rats, let them dart about, run, jump, eat, play, fight, make up, repeat, before we bundled them back in the car again. This is how we discovered Active Kids in Perth.

The colourful cafe at Active Kids
First off, it’s ideally situated just off the A90 so it’s easy to find and handy for anyone in Perth, visiting the area or passing through.
When we arrived the priority was food. The colourful cafe stocks a range of children’s favourites, from snacks, to juices, lunch boxes and main meals. It’s also possible to eat at the outdoor picnic tables, either bringing your own food or buying in-house. From the cafe the tots plunged into the indoor soft play area (for under 7s) and bounced, slid, weaved and climbed for a good twenty minutes till we dragged them outdoors to the ‘Adventure Park’.

Indoor Soft Play at Active Kids
Outdoors is where the action happens. I was impressed by the scale and variety of what’s available. After a whizz around on the toy tractors in the Tractor Ted zone, we ventured to meet the farm animals which included sheep, goats, rabbits and even a two day old alpaca (much cuteness) with its parents. Active Kids is set on farmland, part of Burnside Farm, so having animals on site is a natural part of the package.
From there the tots discovered the huge inflatable pillows, or jelly bellies as they call them. My kids bounced themselves into a delirium for about forty minutes on these bad boys. We just had to sit and watch, how peaceful. What worked especially well is that the trampolines are zoned into suggested age groups so there was a jelly belly for Under 7s, and a separate one for over 7s. This saved my two year old being flung into a ditch by a heavy ten year old jumping enthusiastically next to him and propelling him skywards.

Bouncing themselves loopy
The playground area is excellent with the usual array of wooden swings, flying foxes and climbing apparatus but these great facilities were merely overlooked as the tots raced to explore the pirate ship. Who can blame them? With jolly rogers flying proudly in the wind, climbing ropes ascending the side of the vessel, and slides twisting down the side of the boat it was ideal for active kids.

Aaaargh. Pirates.
Next stop was the fort. The St Andrews cross flew from the tower as my eldest skulked in the ‘Jail’ cell. He then carefully crossed the wooden walkway before finding the internal slides and descending them about fifteen times each. Watching the kids playing here almost made you dizzy. Truth be told there’s so much to do here that my husband and I had completely lost each other by this point, me chasing Mr Tot Snr, my husband pursuing Mr Toddler. They were having a ball.
Also on offer is crazy golf and go karts, the latter proving really popular with slightly older children. There’s also a toy and gift shop, and we saw local kids hosting lively birthday parties. At the end of July (Thurs 27 and Fri 28) Active Kids is hosting a Tractor Ted Party in the Park so that’s perhaps a date for the diary.
In summary I can safely say that the title of this attraction, Active Kids, says it all. They will not sit still here, they will be running about in the Scottish countryside utterly besides themselves, and you’ll be chasing them. It’s great.
THE LOWDOWN – The Adventure Park is OPEN until 29th October 2017. The Soft Play, Coffee Shop and Toy Shop remain open until just before Christmas. For pricing click here – you can pay for indoor access (for under 7s only), outdoor access (for all) or access all areas. Slightly complicated but the explanation is here.
OUR STORY – We drove from Dunoon, spending about two hours at Active Kids, before driving back to Aberdeen. I’d say we could easily have spent more time here if we weren’t on the return leg of a ten day holiday so I’d pencil out an entire morning or afternoon here.
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Kevin
Wow! Tractor Ted and Pirates – these are two things that score big points with our two boys. Not sure we’re going to make it as far north on our summer travels this year but there is definitely a Scottish adventure in our near future and this is a destination that sounds amazing! Thanks for the heads up (and gutted we can’t make the Tractor Ted party!)
tots2travel
Hope you do get to Scotland soon. Enjoy.
Leta
Looks like a fantastic play space with so much to do. That trampoline looks fantastic, perfect for littlies, and mine would all love the pirate ship!
tots2travel
They bounced themselves silly!
Dean B
Soft play and outdoor play, what more can a kid ask for? 🙂 Looks like the little ones had a fab time indeed 🙂
tots2travel
The trampolines won the day.
ajennysaved
How fab! A kids play area and goats!! 🐐 I would have loved this if I was a kid 😊
tots2travel
And a 2 day old alpaca. V cute.
motherhoodtherealdeal
I love the fact they have a children’s play area and goats – a winning combo for any child!
tots2travel
They were well entertained 🙂
sabrina
Oh wow, what a find for a car journey stopoff! Bet you were glad to find this, it looks so much fun. My boy would be in the soft play the whole time I think! x
tots2travel
Planning pit stops for the kids, especially if they’ve been really patient for hours in the car, I feel is a good investment
cvnxena
love this, looks like a fantastic place to visit and one my little guy would love! Particularly the pirate ship, he’s big into them at the moment
tots2travel
What is it about pirates? Kids love them but they’re not the nicest chaps!
countryheartdeb
Aww that looks amazing especially for little ones, so much to do!
tots2travel
It was an ideal stop for us.
ljdove23
Oh this looks like the best place for kids! I love that there is indoor and outdoor area, that’s perfect for all weather!
tots2travel
Get to have your practical hat on in the UK!
Ana De-Jesus
I love that there is a pirate area and that there is also indoor and outdoor play. It means that everyone stays happy x
Jayne (@SMABLblog)
What a fab play area! My boys would just love the pirate ship 🙂
tots2travel
A whole crew of little pirates 🙂
tots2travel
Having play undercover makes a big difference in Scotland’s unpredictable weather.
Musings of a tired mummy...zzz...
Looks like a great place to burn off some excess energy. Hope you get to visit again 🙂
tots2travel
Ours were exhausted bundled back into the car.
Kara
It looks like a fab place to stop and play – that pirate ship would have mine sold
tots2travel
Really appealing for even older kids.