Very occasionally we have children come to visit us here in St Ives who don't want to go to the beach. Shock horror, really??!!
Fortunately there are lots of other things you can do here which doesn't involve much sand.
1. Pitch and Putt
Penwith Pitch and Putt is a great place to visit with the children.
- 12 hole pitch and putt
- 18 hole crazy golf
- 9 hole football golf
- play park
- cafe
- car parking
2. Go Karting
There is a super Go Karting track right by the A30 flyover near Hayle and St Erth. You will have probably seen it driving to St Ives.
- outdoor go karting track
- 12 corners and hair pin bends over a scenic track
- sessions suitable for all skill levels, including first-timers.
- safety briefing, suit, helmet, balaclava, gloves, and kart orientation
3. County Skittles
County Skittles near Hayle is a really fun place to visit, especially for a good evening out with the family. You can eat there and play 9 pin skittles, giant draughts, air hockey, lots of arcarde games, board games and they have a pool table.
- family entertainment venue
- 4 automated traditional 9-pin skittle alleys
- Arcade machines (e.g., Guitar Hero,
- Air hockey, pool tables, giant draughts, Batak, and board games
- Mini crazy golf and a shooting gallery
- restaurant serves freshly cooked meal
4. Castle Brea Farm
5. Paradise Park
Paradise Park is actually in Hayle, but it is worth the 15 minute drive. It has a great wildlife park full of some really fascinating birds, red pandas, otters and farm animals. There are outdoor play parks, a little train, and a very good indoor soft play with a cafe.
- loads of birds including flamingos and choughs
- penguins, red pandas, otters
- small farm animals
- little train
- outdoor play areas
- picnic areas
- indoor soft play Jungle Gym
- cafes
- shop
- parking
6. Trevaskis Farm
- pick your own fruit (in season)
- farm to walk round
- shop
- restaurant
7. Clip and Climb
At the Gwel an Mor resort in Portreath is an Indoor/Soft play centre which anyone can visit. Inside is a great soft play for younger kids, and an amazing clip and climb experience for the older ones.
- soft play
- clip and climb
- cafe
- lots of other bookable activies onsite include animal experiences and archery
8. Soft Play
There are lots of soft play centres near St Ives - but none in the actual town itself. You do need to drive out to Hayle, Penzance or further afield.
- Jungle Barn at Paradise Park in Hayle
- Brewers Fayre at the McDonalds roundabout in Hayle
- Base Camp in Portreath
- Roar Jungle Play in Portreath
- Soft Play in Penzance
- Helston Soft Play
Read More About Soft Play Centres in the area >>
9. Rollers Rink Disco
We love Rollers Rink Disco in Redruth. We've been to lots of kids parties there, and just to skate around.
- roller skating rink
- skate hire
- arcade games
- cafe
- evening adult sessions
10. Slip and Slide
- 120 meter slide with water running down it
- 3.5 meters tall
- wear swimmers and wetsuit shoes
- you can wear wetsuits too
- if you don't have wetsuits shoes, buy their socks on site for £2
- choose what to go down the slide on - single ring, double ring or body board
- kiosk selling drinks
- portaloos
- parking
11. Mount Hawke Skate Park
Mount Hawke is one of the largest indoor skate parks in the UK. It is housed in a purpose built building and is brilliant if the weather is ghastly!
- Multiple ramps: mini ramps, a 13 ft professional vert ramp with ~19–21 ft roll ins, spine ramps, grindboxes, rhythm sections, hips, banks, ledges, rails, volcano feature, and large street course.
- Outdoor concrete plaza & pump track
- Social area offering pool table, table tennis, foosball, a small skate shop, and a community music studio
- Cafe
12. razeVR
Raze The Roof in Penryn (near Falmouth) is our closest VR centre. My 10 year old and his mates love it!
There is also a VR centre in Truro - we have yet to visit it.
- VR arena for up to 20 players
- huge range of games
- F1 simulators
- solo pod sessions
- large soft play outside of the VR arena
- cafe
13. Tehidy Lake
We love visiting Tehidy Lake near Portreath. It is about a 20 min drive from St Ives and provides a real contrast to the coast.
The lake has lots of swans, ducks and birds which always want feeding (no bread though!), and the woods are full of very friendly squirrels (so take some nuts).
The pathways around the lake are great for cycling and scooting on, and the little river with a bridge running over it is perfect for playing Pooh sticks. There are often some amazing dens there too which are great for playing in!
There is a cafe near the car park with toilets.
14. Lidos
We are so lucky to have access to 2 lidos near St Ives.
The Jubilee Pool in Penzance is an amazing place, with a large seawater pool (often fairly cold so wear a wetsuit if you don't like cold water) and a geothermal pool which is like taking a bath!
The Hayle Outdoor Pool is also lovely. It is much smaller pool but really lovely too.
Both of the pools are not open during the Winter, so please do check the websites to make sure they are open!
15. Leisure Centre
The leisure centre in St Ives is located on the hill at the top of town (by Trenwith Car Park). It has a large main pool, and small childrens pool. Often during the school holidays there are inflatable sessions.
There is also a great cafe here, plus a small shop in case you have forgotten your swimming costume or goggles.
16. Porthminster Pitch and Putt
- 18 hole mini course
- clubs and balls provided
- childrens clubs available
- call 01736 795352 to book
17. Museums
Museums aren't all boring, honestly they aren't.
My children love the St Ives Museum as it is packed full of curios and cats.
They also love love love (yes they love it) the Maritime Museum in Falmouth, where you can ride a jet ski, see fish underwater and often do crafts and other activities.
18. Boat Trips
All the boat trips which go out of St Ives are very child friendly. It is a chance to see St Ives and the coastline from the sea (which always looks incredible) and you might be lucky enough to see seals, dolphins and even the occasional passing whale! Wildlife spotting isn't guaranteed though, so don't build up your kids hopes!
19. Chocolate Workshop
For those children who are chocoholics (like mine) I Should Coco run chocolate workshops where you make your own chocolates. You also get to eat them which is obviously a big bonus!
20. Escape Rooms
There is an Escape Room in St Ives! It isn't recommend for under 8 years old, but your older kids will love it.
21. Explore Woods
A stomp through the woods is always a good way to spend an afternoon.
There are lots of woods around, our favourites are Trevalyor near Penzance and Tehidy near Portreath. In Tehidy there is a lake, a rope swing and lots of dens to play in. And a twisty tree and a secret garden. It is also a brilliant place to see the bluebells when they come out.
22. Ghost Walk
The legendary Shanty Baba runs ghost walks for all the family around the town. They can be a little spooky, so only take those who are brave enough!
23. Gardens
Although it might sound a bit tame/lame to some children, there are some really lovely gardens to visit in the area. Mine especially love Trengwainton (National Trust) and Tanglewood near Penzance.
24. Sporty Stuff
There are all manner of sporty things you can do in and around St Ives.
- Surfing
- Body Boarding
- Kayaking
- Paddleboarding
- Sailing
- Coasteering
- and lots more!
25. Entertainment
There are lots of theatres and entertainment to be found in the area. In St Ives itself is the amazing Kidz R Us theatre group who put on incredible shows and pantos.
Further afield look for:
- Rogue Otherworld
- Penlee Open Air Theatre
- The Minack
- Acorn Theatre
- Hall For Cornwall
26. The Train
The train from St Erth to St Ives is one of the most lovely train trips you can do. It is unbelievably picturesque and is a real treat to do as part of the Summer activities. It may only be a short journey, but on a clear, sunny day it is a real treat!
27. Arts and Crafts
If your child is of the artsy and crafty type, there are often lots of workshops and art sessions they can take part in.
Places that run workshops are:
- The Tate
- Porthmeor Studios
- Barnoon Arts
- Leach Pottery
- The Core
- St Ives Library
28. The Cinema
The St Ives cinema is often our saviour on a rainy day. It is small but it shows the latest releases, and they also do a "Mini Merlin" session which is super cheap!
29. Horse riding
There are lots of horse riding schools around St Ives. Many of them offer own your own pony days which our children have really enjoyed.
We have used the Old Mill Stables in Lelant at lot - nothing against any of the other stables, we just haven't tried them personally. I've heard good things about them all.
- Old Mill Stables
- Standing Stone Stables
- Penhalywn
30. The Arcade
The Arcade is a proper good old fashioned type of arcade, with 2p machines, a shooting gallery and loads of arcade game. It is a firm favourite with our children. Drop them in there for an hour or so with a load of 2ps and sit with a coffee on one of the benches outside. A great way to spend the afternoon.
31. Play Parks
There are 3 play parks in St Ives.
- Palemon Best (often called Penbeagle) is the largest and also has the Orchard and Skate Park next to it.
- Ayr Field and Play Park - up the hill from Porthmeor
- Richmond Play Park - Carbis Bay
32. Skateboarding
Behind the Palemon Best / Penbeagle Park there is a brilliant and fairly newly built skatepark.
Both Penzance and Hayle also have good skate parks, and Penzance prom is good for skateboarding, scooting, cycling and roller skating.
33. Cycling
Cycling in St Ives can see a little offputting due to the steep hills. Fortunately, St Ives E-bikes have started up, hiring out their electric bikes.
They are located on Chapel Street in St Ives (recently moved from the top of Porthmeor Hill) and they do really reasonable rates for hiring their bikes out.
Find out about St Ives E-Bikes >>
34. Animals
There are lots of places near St Ives where you can visit animals. The closest ones to town are Castle Brea Farm (check them out on facebook), Paradise Park and Trevaskis Farm. Further afield in Portreath (not that far) is the Gwel an Mor Feadon Farm.
35. Rockpooling
For those children who don't want to simply play on the beach, rockpooling is a brilliant (and free!) way to pass the time - while you still get to be on the beach.
The best places in St Ives to go rockpooling are on Porthmeor West Beach at low tide.
Other good spots are on the causeway going over to St Michael's Mount at Marazion.
36. Crabbing
You can easily while away a few happy hours sitting on the pier dangling a line into the water to catch crabs. In St Ives it is best to do this on New Pier (the bit behind Smeaton's Pier) as you don't want to get in the way of the fishing boats.
Another good place to go crabbing is on Dynamite Quay in Lelant.
Read more about crabbing in St Ives here >>
37. Tombstoning
Love it or hate it, kids (both big and small) will tombstone off the pier in St Ives. They have been doing it since forever, and the more sensible people have always frowned upon it.
Tombstoning is basically jumping off the end of the pier into the sea.
WARNING: Do it only at high tide and always avoid the boats and fishing gear.
38. Sea Glass Collecting
Seaglass collecting is one of my daughters favourite things to do. Wander along the beaches near the tide line and you will find what looks like little gems.
The glass is fine to collect as it is considered "rubbish". We turn it into lovely pictures and mosaics.
39. Pool and Snooker
For older children there are several places to play pool and snooker in St Ives.
The Harbour Pool & Billiards club is on Wharf Road and has a good selection of full sized snooker and pool tables to play on. They also have darts and other games, plus sky sports. You can buy temporary membership for £5 a week, or yearly membership for £25 a year. I don't think under 18's are allowed in on the temporary membership, but I think they are for the yearly one - you would have to check!
The Queens Hotel on the High St, The Golden Lion and The Three Ferrets all have pool tables, and allow younger ones in to play during the day.
40. Big Days Out
If you are wanting a big day out, there are plenty to choose from.
Some of the ones we like doing are:
- Pendennis Castle
- Tintagel
- Lost Gardens Of Heligan
- St Michael's Mount
- The Minack/Porthcurno
- Newquay Zoo
- Eden
I've written a huge blog post listing lots of details here >>
I hope this gives you some good ideas of things to do and you have a fanastic time in St Ives!
