Stoke on Trent...Things to do !

windswept

creased-leach wrote: »

Hanley museum is good...be warned, there will soon be a charge to walk around Trentham lake! £5 a head. Festival park may be worth a walk around- although I've not been there since it was the site of the National Garden Festival! Thats also where you'll find waterworld, a ski slope, and the usual suspects of cinemas, shops etc.

Make sure you try Oatcakes whilst you're there- cheap, filling, and oh, how I miss them!

Festival "park" is now just a soul-less retail park!:rotfl:

The Monkey forest is fantastic and Trentham alpine village is nice, the cafes are expensive though, but parking is free and the huge garden centre is nice for a wander - the gardens themsleves are lovely but unless it's a nice day I wouldn't bother.

I would ignore Hanley ( unless going to the fab museum) and head for Newcastle ( I live here) it's a nice little market town with plenty of cafes - for something different to eat, go to Castle oatcakes near to Sainsburys ( park there for £1 for 2 hours) Oatcakes are our regional speciality. We have a nice museum called the Brampton - http://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/leisure_index.asp?id=SXEDE3-A780BC50&cat=1243

It has a nice play park and an outdoor bit with a few animals.

Biddulph grange gardens are lovely but it's the wrong time of year really.

For fantastic chips - go to Shaws at the bottom end of the high street - they are world famous ( well they should be) - you can sit in , it doesn't look much but the chips are amazing!
Pizza hut have some good meal deals - it's in the walkway to the cinema, otherwise the pubs do 2 for 1 meals etc. if you're coming in the week.

paul2468

Thanks for all the help...can anyone tell me how far from the town centre is the innkeepers lodge ?

fraz_babe

Most of the best places have been said to be honest!

Gladstone pottery museum is really enjoyable. When i went on a school trip (few years ago mind) you could make & paint your own pottery. Trentham gardens is brilliant now. They have a monkey section and lots more. Heres a link: http://www.trenthamleisure.co.uk/

P.s i would not reccommend festival park ! Its HORRIBLE full of racers these days in my opinion !

windswept

paul2468 wrote: »

Thanks for all the help...can anyone tell me how far from the town centre is the innkeepers lodge ?

You really threw me with that one - it's locally known as the trentham hotel! I had to google it.:o

It's very close to Trentham gardens and about 10 minutes drive from Newcastle town centre - if you go to Frankie and benny's on Trentham Gardens, say hi to my Daughter - she works there part time.

creased-leach

windswept wrote: »

Festival "park" is now just a soul-less retail park!:rotfl:

The Monkey forest is fantastic and Trentham alpine village is nice, the cafes are expensive though, but parking is free and the huge garden centre is nice for a wander - the gardens themsleves are lovely but unless it's a nice day I wouldn't bother.

I would ignore Hanley ( unless going to the fab museum) and head for Newcastle ( I live here) it's a nice little market town with plenty of cafes - for something different to eat, go to Castle oatcakes near to Sainsburys ( park there for £1 for 2 hours) Oatcakes are our regional speciality. We have a nice museum called the Brampton - http://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/leisure_index.asp?id=SXEDE3-A780BC50&cat=1243

It has a nice play park and an outdoor bit with a few animals.

Biddulph grange gardens are lovely but it's the wrong time of year really.

For fantastic chips - go to Shaws at the bottom end of the high street - they are world famous ( well they should be) - you can sit in , it doesn't look much but the chips are amazing!
Pizza hut have some good meal deals - it's in the walkway to the cinema, otherwise the pubs do 2 for 1 meals etc. if you're coming in the week.

When I said park, I meant the bit thats still green! I remember the trading estate being built vividly- I was going out with a scottish labourer at the time who was doing all the electrics at Waterworld- he sneaked us past security and suggested we, erm, well....christened the then empty pool :rotfl:

And I remember vividly the little train at Brampton- and posing for pics on the cannon! A habit that's stuck with me to the square rigger I crew :grinheart

littlestar1981

The Toby Carvery attached to the Innkeepers Lodge is nice. Definitely go to Trentham, though I can't believe they now charge you to walk round the lake as well as for the Monkey Forest and Italian Gardens!!
Festival Park... as commercial and cheesy as it sounds but am sure the little one would like Waterworld... or take them on Festival Park Ski Slope!
Also Stapeley Water Gardens isnt THAT far.

OH lives in Kidsgrove (north of SOT) and we tend to take the A53 (stop at Toby in Endon!!) beyond Leek and go for a nice walk around Tittesworth Reservoir and go to The Lazy Trout for lunch. Also Dovedale is nice (I'm forgetting about your 5 year old now sorry)

Alton Towers? And definitely call at an oatcake shop!!

windswept

They now have Meercats at Stapeley water gardens. That's if you fancy comparing the meercat!:D When we went they had lots of babies, there was also a very large porcupine who was trying to dig himself out.

Stapely's about half an hour away, near to Crewe and Nantwich - Nantwich is nice and has a Chatwins cafe, lovely cakes.:p

stapeley

paul2468 wrote: »

Hi, we will be visiting Stoke on Trent for 2 days later this month and are looking for things to do...2 adults 1 child age 5....can anyone point us in the rights direction for things to do and places to eat without breaking the bank.

Drive a little further into Cheshire !

Bobby`s_girl

Hi! We came down for a few days last summer to visit Alton Towers & stayed in Stoke-on-Trent. Our B&B was near Hanley Bus Station and there was a nice enough Wetherspoon`s pub just up from it (can`t remember the name of the pub tho, sorry) We went to the Monkey Forest at Trentham and it was fantastic, loved it & I`d definately recommend it.

soba

windswept wrote: »

For fantastic chips - go to Shaws at the bottom end of the high street - they are world famous

Which High Street? Biddulph or Newcastle? I've got no kitchen at the mo and we're on the lookout for a reasonable chippy. Our local one is pants!!