Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0Eastleigh is a railway town north of Southampton, with Lakeside Country Park and the River Itchen close by.
Photo: Christine Johnstone, CC BY-SA 2.0Lakeside Country Park is a 22-hectare park in Eastleigh with lakes, wet meadow and woodland. People come for walks, fishing and watersports, and wildlife includes birds, deer, foxes and bats.
Kids2Day is an indoor soft play centre in Chandler’s Ford, with a café and a pre-school on the same site. The centre is now run by The Play Park and offers open play with no timed sessions.
Photo: Christine Johnstone, CC BY-SA 2.0A seven-hectare site in Chandler's Ford with two acres of lakes, pine woodland and ancient woodland, with the Monks Brook flowing through. The site is a designated historic park and garden.
Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0Itchen Valley Country Park is a woodland park on the A27 near West End, with forest trails, play areas and a café. Go Ape runs treetop adventures in the woods, and the park holds family events through the year, including Halloween trails and outdoor Little Explorers sessions.
Photo: Hugh Venables, CC BY-SA 2.0A park beside the River Itchen with football and cricket pitches, two play areas, a skate park and a miniature railway on summer Sundays. The river is a chalk stream designated as a site of special scientific interest, with kingfishers, otters and water voles.
Photo: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0A wildlife park near Colden Common, eight miles from Winchester, with animals from around the world. It is open all year except on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Photo: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0Southampton's largest open space, with 365 acres of woodland, ponds, lakes and grassland. The nature play area has zip wires, a climbing tower and water features, and The Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre is nearby.
Photo of Southampton: Christopher Hilton, CC BY-SA 2.0The Venny is a small local park at the northern end of Northumberland Road in Southampton. It has a play area, seating and planting that is managed to encourage wildlife.
Photo of Eastleigh: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0Father Christmas visits The Point for the weekend of Eastleigh's lights switch-on, welcoming families with a song and a story before each child collects a gift and has a photo with him. It is a low-cost group session.
Photo of Eastleigh: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0Eastleigh's switch-on fills the town centre with a day of festive entertainment, ending with the lights and a firework display. The Point runs its Christmas Grotto and a makers market the same weekend.
Photo of Eastleigh: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0A walk-through forest trail inside The Point, with twinkling lights and snowy paths leading to the Snow Queen at a living snow globe. Children finish with a craft to take home.
Marwell Zoo's October half-term programme includes an autumn maze, pumpkin carving and pumpkin patch games, face painting and storytelling with Esme the Witch in Marwell Hall. Animal feeds and keeper talks run each day.
Marwell runs a festive day at the zoo, a new after-dark trail called Fire and Ice, and a 45 minute Santa's Grotto journey in historic Marwell Hall. The evening trail is themed on how animals survive winter, with illuminations, fire performers and an ice maze.
Ampfield Golf and Country Club holds its annual fireworks night, with food and drink from 5pm and the display from 7.30pm. Guests can win the chance to set off part of the display.
KD Theatre Productions' sing-along show follows Santa and Jingleberry the Elf as they try to fix the sleigh before Christmas Eve, helped by Frosty and Rudolph. Every child meets Santa afterwards and receives a present.
Darling Productions' hour-long family show sends Santa's elf Muddles across the North Pole to sort out the mixed-up presents, meeting Frosty, Rudolph and the Gingerbread Man. It is packed with Christmas songs to sing and dance along to.
Kids2Day is an indoor soft play centre in Chandler’s Ford, with a café and a pre-school on the same site. The centre is now run by The Play Park and offers open play with no timed sessions.
Photo: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0A wildlife park near Colden Common, eight miles from Winchester, with animals from around the world. It is open all year except on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Photo: Christine Johnstone, CC BY-SA 2.0A seven-hectare site in Chandler's Ford with two acres of lakes, pine woodland and ancient woodland, with the Monks Brook flowing through. The site is a designated historic park and garden.
Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0Itchen Valley Country Park is a woodland park on the A27 near West End, with forest trails, play areas and a café. Go Ape runs treetop adventures in the woods, and the park holds family events through the year, including Halloween trails and outdoor Little Explorers sessions.
Photo: Hugh Venables, CC BY-SA 2.0A park beside the River Itchen with football and cricket pitches, two play areas, a skate park and a miniature railway on summer Sundays. The river is a chalk stream designated as a site of special scientific interest, with kingfishers, otters and water voles.
Photo: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0Southampton's largest open space, with 365 acres of woodland, ponds, lakes and grassland. The nature play area has zip wires, a climbing tower and water features, and The Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre is nearby.
Photo of Southampton: Christopher Hilton, CC BY-SA 2.0The Venny is a small local park at the northern end of Northumberland Road in Southampton. It has a play area, seating and planting that is managed to encourage wildlife.
Photo: Christopher Hilton, CC BY-SA 2.0The remains of a grand medieval residence of the Bishops of Winchester, including a three-storey tower and the great hall windows built by William of Wykeham. The old lodging range now houses Bishop's Waltham Museum.
