Family Features

• Features
  • Activity Holidays
  • Adventure Holidays
  • Hotel and Resort Holidays
  • Self Catering Holidays
  • Budget Holidays
  • Green Holidays
  • Family Breaks
  • Writer's Favourite Holidays
  • Days Out and Attractions
  • Eating Out
• Writers
  • Teresa Hardy
  • Abigail Flanagan
  • Andrew Eames
  • Annemarie Flanagan
  • Beth Rubin
  • Dea Birkett
  • Deborah Stone
  • Dinah Hatch
  • Emma Perry
  • Geoff Husband
  • Georgina Allen
  • Helen Ochyra
  • John Oldale
  • Jos Simon
  • Judy Reynolds
  • Lily Dunn
  • Liz Wyse
  • Louise Rogers Lalaurie
  • Lynette Lowthian
  • Maxine Jones
  • Nick Dalton
  • Nicole Grimsdale
  • Rachel McLeod
  • Rhonda Carrier
  • Saffia Badat
  • Sarah Ebner
  • Suzanne Baum
  • Tracey Davies

Sign up for the latest family news and some very exclusive deals.

Space Museums: The National Space Centre (Leicester) and Spaceport (Wirral)

by Rhonda Carrier

Now my four- and five-year-olds are ardent fans of Star Wars and all things relating to ‘out of Space’, the time seemed ripe to take them to see some Space-themed attractions  – especially given that Britain’s largest, the National Space Centre , is rather curiously located in my home-town of Leicester. The latter’s not known for its array of family-friendly attractions (the Space Centre is here because it was the brainchild of Leicester University’s space department), so it was good to have something to combine with our trip to Granny’s 60th birthday celebrations.

The centre’s distinctive futuristic rocket-tower rises up out of the rather grey Midlands townscape, generating excitement even from a distance. Once inside, you can take a lift up this tower, which is home to a number of satellites, capsules and the like, as well as mezzanine galleries with interactive and other displays. Many of these were suitable for younger kids – the minimum age for enjoying the Space Centre is probably about three.

The attraction is focussed around the domed Space Theatre, which hosts changing surround-video shows – on our visit, Astronaut, narrated by Ewan McGregor and depicting in an amusing way the various stages on the road to becoming a space explorer. Although this is billed for ages five and up, it seemed to please the younger kids in attendance, even if most of it went above their heads.

Afterwards, we spilled back out into the entrance foyer (the layout of the place is somewhat confusing) and re-entered the main ground-floor exhibition, where our sons got very taken by a life-size launch pad that they could play in, with buttons and levers galore. ‘I’m a real space man!’ shouted Ripley over and over, and we couldn’t tear him away.

For our eldest, Ethan, the highlight came just as we were leaving, when over the tannoy came the announcement that an alien was loose in the galleries. We spotted him and he prowled over – Ripley hid behind my legs at once; Ethan was unsure for a moment or two but soon made friends with the convincing critter.

At nearly £40 for a family of four, the Centre doesn’t make for a bargain day out, and we weren’t impressed by the fact that many of the hands-on displays were coin-operated and that we had to pay to park. On the other hand, very good money-saving deals (nearly 50% off) are available in conjunction with other local attractions, such as the Conkers woodland discovery centre, as well as packages with local hotels, including the Marriott and the Holiday Inn, both with swimming pools; see http://www.stayplayexplore.co.uk/ for details.

Our subsequent visit to the Wirral’s Spaceport meant seeing the same Astronaut movie all over again in the venue’s own planetarium-like cinema – but the boys didn’t mind that. And though this is a smaller-scale (and slightly cheaper) attraction, there was the same focus on hands-on displays to help kids explore the mysteries of the Universe, although it’s true that most of the exhibition is aimed at ages seven and up. Most popular with my boys this time was the juddering Explorer 1 motion ride simulator, but the Space displays were far outstripped by the temporary exhibition on the first floor – The Art of Doctor Who (now ended), where they could ogle all their favourite monsters and learn about how the hit series is made.

Spaceport is part of the Seacombe ferry terminal, which means you can reach it by taking a ferry across the Mersey (joint Spaceport/River Explorer tickets available) from Liverpool . The terminal, which also has several kids’ attractions, is currently being renovated.

Other UK venues with Space-themed displays are Thinktank , Birmingham’s space museum, and the Science Museum in London.

Other feature articles by Rhonda

• onefinestay)
• Le Lodge Kerisper)
• A Holiday in Southern Brittany)
• From Camping to Treehouses)
• A Forest Holiday in North Yorkshire)
• Glamping and Unusual Camping in Northern France)
• World Cup Fever: Football Holidays with Kids)
• Take the Family Emergency Kit)
• Amsterdam With Young Kids)
• Sunparks Zandvoort, Netherlands )
• Family fun in London this Christmas)
• Fun or Learning, or Both?)
• Florence with Young Kids)
• Getting Regal with Maharajas at the V&A Museum)
• Halloween French-Style)
• The Chain Game)
• The Big Draw 2009)
• A Mum's Break in London)
• Roald Dahl Day and Beyond)
• An Indian Summer and Exciting Autumn at British Themeparks)
• Gastronomic Adventures in Tuscany)
• A Checklist of Family Travel Essentials)
• Winter Sun on a Budget)
• In the Footsteps of Roald Dahl in the Chilterns)
• Late Summer Festivals)
• Mexican Magic at the British Museum)
• Nature’s Bounty)
• Home or Away?)
• A Five-Star Family Break in the South of France)
• Sun Protection Awareness The Facts)
• Post baby)
• Morecambe Bay – A Taste of the Great British Seaside)
• Babymoons)
• Eureka Museum)
• Chill Factore, Manchester)
• The Clos Lucé, Loire Valley)
• Newby Hall, Yorkshire)
• Latitude Festival)
• Disneyland with Young Kids)
• Mother's Day With or Without the Family)
• The Year of the Comic Strip, Brussels)
• Belt tightening family holiday ideas)
• Darwin 200th Birthday Celebrations)
• To ski or not to ski)
• Family Breaks With, Without and For the Kids)
• La Cucina Caldesi - 'The Italian Cookery School')
• Winter Wonderlands)
• Motor-homing)
• On a family sized budget)
• Liverpool City of Culture 2008)
• Pitching Up)
• My favourite family holiday)
• The 5 best summer music festivals 2008)
• Forest Parks, Kids Bookshops and Football)
• Christmas Family Short Breaks)