money saving in Exeter

furrypig

My husband is working regularly in Exeter at the moment and has found a B&B to stay in. Any Money Saving things to do of an evening down there??

Also I have managed to book family rooms at the Travelodge over Easter for £15 a night and wondered if anyone had any recommendations for cheap things to do with a 5 and 8 year old??

I don't know the area at all so any ideas are appreciated including places to eat.

Thanks for any tips.

susieb

Its not cheap - but you can use clubcard vouchers - but Crealy is fantastic for kids that age, loads of rides, indoor slides small farm.

furrypig

Is it a theme park type place?

Thanks for you advice

martindow

A lovely city. The waterfront is interesting to wander around and go for a drink or a meal. It will be better in the spring and summer when the weather improves. There is an excellent free evening of entertainment and fireworks as part of the Exeter Festival there. Next to Central Station in Queen St (not St Davids Station) in the city centre is an excellent juice bar juice Moose - not sure if that counts as money saving though! The Picture House is an lovely cinema with interesting films. You can pay to become a member to get cheaper tickets and some freebies.

furrypig

wow sounds lovely, must let my husband know re the picture house as it would be good for the evenings

kr15snw

Im from Plymouth which is just down the road (about 30 minutes).

There is tonnes to do in Plymouth and the surrounding area. In Plymouth there is the National Marine Aquarium, the ski centre (make sure you book first though).

If either of them are sporty there is also Plymouth Argyle Football club which is a championship team (one league below premiership) and so are regular games against big name teams.

The aquarium has lots of tanks and has huge sharks aswell as pretty seahorses. Ive never got bored of it.

If you want the kids to learn something theres a lot of history in and around Plymouth, especially on the barbican and the hoe. The hoe is where Sir Francis Drake was playing bowls when he heard the spanish Amarda was coming.

As someone suggested crealy is great, its a family park really. There is a rollercoaster (not a huge one), log flume, indoor activity barn (for all ages! I still love this) and an animal centre. Which has horses and lots of cute fluffy things that the kids can help feed / hold.

Theres also Woodlands which is a bit more of an acitivty place. But theres tonnes to do with kids!

Any questions feel free to ask, Ive lived here all my life

VickyM_2

If the whole family is down there over Easter, it is very easy to hop on the train (from Central Station). You can go to Exmouth, where there's a huge sandy beach which goes on for miles and miles. across the estuary, and also accessible by train, is Dawlish, which again has a great big beach, and funfair type attractions (not sure when they're open but I should think they'd be open at Easter).

for really cheap options, take the kids bikes down with you and cycle down the towpath - there are a couple of really nice pubs which are family friendly - the Double Locks, and much further down, the Turf Locks. Or you can take a cruise down the river (less money saving)

http://www.exetercruises.com/

ooooh, I think I'm jealous!

papworth

It's only free up to age 4 but Pecorama at Beer is well worht a visit. Indoor model trains, outdoor train rides, entertainment eg clowns some days (check) free face painting, short walks, good outdoor playground and a lovely cafe that won't rip you off

The royal albert memorial museum in Queen St Exeter, next to central station, is free and sometimes has kids workshops. It also has lots of kids activities including 'discovery boxes' - ask for the key at reception

There are free playdays in Exeter. Very good with things like circus workshops, mini golf tournament, clowns, storytellers etc 2007 list is here
http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6516

If you are driving, take the A38 towards Newton Abbot then at the top of Haldon Hill (10mins from Exeter) turn sharp left at the racecourse turn off. Follow signs to Haldon Forest (5 mins). Parking costs £1 for half a day and £2 for the whole day then there are play trails (walk with activity stations) and family cycle trails.

Almo

Re the picture house - the bar really is superb, and they let you take drinks into the cinema screens themselves (just ask in advance, they will put it in a plastic cup) so no rushing to finish your pint!

martindow

Almo wrote:

Re the picture house - the bar really is superb, and they let you take drinks into the cinema screens themselves (just ask in advance, they will put it in a plastic cup) so no rushing to finish your pint!

And it improved no end when they made it non smoking.

Voyager2002

furrypig wrote:

wow sounds lovely, must let my husband know re the picture house as it would be good for the evenings

He should also check out Vue, the new cinema near the bus stop. It is not as nice as Picture house but is a bit cheaper, particularly if you pick up their discount vouchers.