Little Play Town Heywood Ltd

What it’s like

Themed role-play town for under-eights, booked in timed sessions with shoes off and socks on throughout.

This one's built around pretend play rather than a big soft frame to climb. The site talks about themed areas where kids act out real-life environments, so it suits the toddler and pre-school crowd who like dressing up as a shopkeeper or a doctor more than they like a slide. Ages one to eight are the guide, though they say an older sibling who still fancies it is welcome too.

Everything runs on timed sessions rather than open all-day entry. Term time weekdays give you two slots, school holidays and weekends split the day into four, so check which pattern applies before you head over. Sessions look to run around an hour and a half to two hours, and arriving early won't get you in sooner as they need that gap to clean and reset. Turn up late and you still leave at the scheduled end time, which stings a bit if you're stuck in traffic.

Shoes come off for every child, socks go on, and there's a small stock to buy if you forget. It's £7.95 a child with £3.50 for an extra adult, and there's a proper café on site for hot and cold drinks and snacks, though food stays out of the play areas and the café itself shuts between sessions. Parking is free in the car parks off Longford Street, and it's a thirty-second walk from Heywood bus station if you're coming without a car.

Birthday parties get exclusive use of the place. The catered package is £330 for up to twenty children over ninety minutes and includes food and a party bag, or there's a self-catered option at £225. Either way there's a £100 non-refundable deposit, and cancelling a party with less than two weeks' notice means no refund.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

1 to 8, built around pretend play rather than big climbing frames

Booking

Timed sessions required. Arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before session start

Parking

Free parking in 4 car parks on Longford Street, accessed via one-way road near Morrisons

Food

Small café selling hot and cold drinks and a small selection of snacks

Getting there by bus or train

30-second walk from Heywood bus station (direct services from Manchester, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Bolton)

Parties

Two party packages: Exclusive Use - Catered (£330 for up to 20 children, 1.5 hours, includes food and party bag) or Self Catered (£225)

• Sessions are strict on timing: you can't arrive early and late arrivals still leave at the scheduled end
• Opening hours change between term time, school holidays and weekends, so the number of sessions on offer varies
• It's a short walk from Heywood bus station, with bus links in from Manchester, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Bolton
• Adults can keep shoes on if staying out of the play areas, as long as they're clean and not stilettos

Plan your visit

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