The Pavilion On The Park
ENTRY
from £3
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Eastleigh
What it’s like
A community park base in Fleming Park with a sensory suite, stay and play sessions, and adapted cycling on specialist bikes.
Sensory play is the heart of it here. Little Pixies Stay & Play runs for £3 a child, and the Sensory Suite is set up for 0-5 year olds with games, arts and crafts folded into a two-hour session, split between indoor activity and time out in Fleming Park itself. There's also a separate Sensory Playgroup at £5, and specific music and textural sessions built for visually impaired babies and young children, which isn't something you find advertised at most soft play style venues.
If you've got an older child who fancies something more physical, Cycles4All is worth knowing about. It's adapted cycling on specialist bikes around the Fleming Park trails, up to an hour for £7, and the site is clear it's built for all ages and abilities rather than being a token gesture. For a private option away from a group session, there's a 55-minute sensory hire for up to 15 people at £25, which works out reasonable if you're splitting it between a few families.
The building itself is run by Eastleigh Youth and Community Trust, and it shows in the practical bits: a Changing Places facility, free parking on site with no faff about registering your car, and dogs welcome both in the café and out in the park. The Blackbird Café does hot and cold food, homemade cakes and coffee, mains running £3 to £9.95, and it's open until 4pm on weekdays and 3pm on Sundays, so plan a late lunch rather than an afternoon one.
It's not a big-ticket attraction with queues and mascots, it's a proper local base for sensory and inclusive play, which is exactly what makes it useful if standard soft play isn't quite right for your child.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Free on site, no registration needed
- Food
- Blackbird Café serving hot and cold food, homemade cakes and coffee
- Dogs
- Dog-friendly. Dogs welcome at café and park
- Getting there by bus or train
- Bus routes Bluestar 2 & 5 stop at Nightingale Bridge (5 min walk)
- There's a Changing Places facility on site, useful if standard accessible toilets aren't enough
- Café hours run shorter on Sundays, so a late Sunday lunch is a gamble
- A free period products pick-up point is available
- Private sensory hire fits up to 15 people, handy for splitting the cost across a few families
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Little Pixies Stay & Play is £3 a child, the Sensory Playgroup is £5, and Cycles4All is £7 an hour. A private sensory session is £25 for up to 15 people over 55 minutes.
Do we need to book?
The site doesn't list a booking link, so it's worth turning up or giving them a ring to confirm session times.
Is there parking?
Free on site parking with no need to register your car.
What's in the Sensory Suite?
Sensory play aimed at 0 to 5 year olds, plus specific music and textural sessions designed for visually impaired babies and young children.
What's Cycles4All?
Adapted cycling on specialist bikes around the Fleming Park trails, open to all ages and abilities, up to an hour for £7.
What food is there?
The Blackbird Café does hot and cold food, homemade cakes and coffee, with mains from £3 to £9.95. It's open 9am to 4pm on weekdays and 9am to 3pm on Sundays.
Can we bring the dog?
Dogs are welcome at the café and out in the park.
How do we get there without a car?
Bluestar buses 2 and 5 stop at Nightingale Bridge, five minutes' walk away. Eastleigh Railway Station is a 30 minute walk or about six minutes by car.
Featured in 1 Huddlepin list
See all Sensory Rooms & Play Sessions in Southampton · Things to do in Southampton
MAKE A DAY OF IT
