Family Activities in Ponteland: Things to Do With Children All Year

Ponteland is a good place to bring up children, and not just for the schools. Within a mile or two of the village centre there is a leisure centre with pools and soft play, a zoo run by the local college, a garden centre with a busy events calendar, and plenty of open space. This guide covers the things families can do all year round, in any weather.

Ponteland Leisure Centre

Ponteland Leisure Centre on Callerton Lane is the obvious first stop. It has a six-lane 25-metre pool and a separate learner pool for family swimming, a four-storey rainforest-themed soft play area, and a Clip 'n Climb climbing arena for older children. Swimming lessons for children run through the week.

It is also the answer to most wet afternoons, and runs holiday camps in the school breaks. Check the centre's timetable for family-swim and soft-play times before you go.

Best for: swimming, soft play and climbing under one roof, whatever the weather.

Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens

Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens, run by Northumberland College as Northumberland College Zoo, is a few minutes' drive north of the village. Children can see mammals, birds and reptiles, catch a keeper talk and walk the trails through the hall's grounds. The zoo is a BIAZA member and won the Small Visitor Attraction award at the North East England Tourism Awards 2025.

It opens at weekends and in the school holidays, from 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3pm, so plan around term time.

Best for: a proper animal day out, minutes from home.

Dobbies Ponteland

Dobbies Ponteland at Street House Farm is more than a garden centre for families. It runs Little Seedlings children's workshops, seasonal craft sessions and a Halloween experience, and at Christmas a grotto, including a quieter grotto session for children with additional needs. The restaurant makes it an easy place to finish with lunch.

Events are listed and booked through the Dobbies events site, and the popular Christmas slots go early.

Best for: children's workshops and seasonal events with a café on site.

Ponteland Library

Ponteland Library shares the civic building on Callerton Lane with the leisure centre, which makes a swim followed by a library visit an easy combination. Children can borrow books and there is free WiFi in the building. Ask the library about current children's sessions, as they change through the year.

Best for: a quiet hour with books, next door to the pool.

Parks and play areas

Ponteland Park, run by the town council, has open grass, riverside paths and picnic space by the River Pont. There are children's play areas in the village, including on Callerton Lane and at Twizell Place, which are handy for a quick run-around after school.

For longer outings on foot, our guide to the best walks in Ponteland covers family-friendly routes, and free things to do in Ponteland rounds up the no-cost options.

Prestwick Carr

On the eastern edge of the parish, Prestwick Carr is a wild wetland where barn owls and short-eared owls hunt over the grassland, and wildfowl gather in winter. There is no public access to the site itself, but older children with binoculars can watch from the surrounding lanes and the viewing platform, especially around dusk in winter.

Further afield

When you have done everything in the village, Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens is around six miles north-west, with a castle, gardens and woodland to explore. Our guide to days out around Ponteland covers more trips within an easy drive, and for wet weekends see rainy-day ideas in Ponteland. Planning a party instead? See birthday party venues in Ponteland, and for the school break, summer holiday activities in Ponteland.

Run a children's club or family activity in Ponteland we should feature? Get in touch.