This is an advertisement for August 2021.
Any shares / edits beyond this date have not been asked or paid for.
Teesside Park in Stockton-on-Tees recently invited us to #SeizeTheDay and enjoy some much needed family time together and have a spontaneous day of fun at their centre whilst enjoying some of the activities we had missed over the last year or so.
We honestly had the best time and after a busy few weeks, it was so nice to re-group and spend a full day doing things we enjoy.
This was my first visit to Teesside Park and I was super impressed with both the range and quality of facilities on offer. I really hope this post inspires more of you to visit and it is somewhere I would 100% recommend to families as a destination for their next day out.
Let's take a peek at why we think you should #SeizeTheDay and visit Teesside Park.......
1 - A Wide Range of Dining Options
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to restaurants and cafes with lots of family favourites available including Five Guys, KFC, Nando's, Fridays and Pizza Express. We asked the kids where they fancied and of course they picked Nando's.
On the day of our visit, we were able to access refillable soft drinks ourselves and the big bottles of sauces were back. It's the little things like this we have missed.
There is a huge selection of retail and shops available at Teesside Park and I was so impressed. Our teens were very happy to see plenty of options for trainer shopping including Footasylum, JD Sports, SportsDirect.com and Skechers.
We were over the moon to find a huge TK Maxx and despite it being August, made a beeline for the Halloween section (my kids are obsessed!) and made a start on our 2021 decor.
Parents will be pleased to hear there is a large Mamas & Papas store and we raided the Back To School section of WH Smith which was extensive.
3 - Hotel Chocolat Cafe
Wow, they were worth the wait and such a treat. The staff signed us up to their free VIP.ME loyalty card as we waited which entitles us to 20% off drinks. Which I say is a good reason to pop back in Autumn and try one of their signature hot drinks.
4 - The Best Cinema Ever
In 'normal' times, we are regular cinema-goers and we are so happy that there are a few new releases to catch this summer. Teesside Park is home to a Showcase Cinema De Lux and I let the kids pick the film choice. They went with Free Guy, which I must be honest, wouldn't have been my choice but maybe I should let them choose more often as it was so funny, poignant and a film that offers proper escapism.
I would definitely recommend this film to families with tweens and teens, we all thoroughly enjoyed it (the film has a 12A rating - read the parent's guide before booking).
Our film-watching experience was definitely enhanced with the choice of cinema. ALL seats are deluxe leather recliners with lots of legroom and space. The kids declared this to be the best cinema ever and don't want to go anywhere else now.
Prices are very reasonable too with a standard family ticket available for £30 with additional discounts available Sunday-Wednesday.
Christmas Movie Day at Showcase Cinema
Films include:
- The Polar Express
- Home Alone
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Elf
All tickets are just £5 and remember, all seats are luxury leather recliners with plenty of leg room. Find out more and book here.
There are also lockable breastfeeding rooms with plug sockets, baby change areas, parent and child parking bays and all of the restaurants we popped into had highchairs and options for little ones. The whole site is suitable for pushchairs too.
Hollywood Bowling is popular but extremely well managed and they have brilliant measures in place such as screens between lanes, booths and balls cleaned between groups, a designated set of balls with no mixing and you can order drinks through an app to be delivered direct to your lane.
I tried to remember the last time we all went bowling together and I think it was summer 2019. It was so nice to be back and we had such a good laugh. If you book ahead online, you choose your bowling name and if you would like bumpers on booking so it is all set up for your arrival too.
For those interested, I won! I think we need to go bowling more often. Family deals are available and very reasonable (£22.80 for a family of 4).
8 - Visit an American Diner
9 - Accessible Shopping
Teesside Park is accessible for wheelchair users, there are disabled toilets, disabled parking spaces and wheelchair hire is available. There is also plenty of seating and cafes for those who cannot walk far and Teesside Park is part of the hidden disabilities scheme. The centre is also dementia friendly and has introduced a quieter autism hour from 9am-10am on Saturday mornings.
It was lovely to see such inclusive facilities in place.
10 - Well Kept & Maintained Location
I couldn't help but notice as we walked around Teesside Park just how well kept and maintained it was. There is lots of (real!) planting, well kept seating areas and recycling bins are provided. It felt to me like thought had gone into the design and it generally felt like a nice place to be and spend time.
We spent 8 hours at Teesside Park but could have stayed longer. For us, it offered a perfect mix of family fun, shopping and places to eat or grab a drink with a few 'treat' options thrown in too. The facilities are brilliant and Teesside Park is very easy to get to.
We are already planning a return trip this Autumn (I am already dreaming of a Hotel Chocolat signature drink) and if you fancy a fun day out with your family, I would definitely recommend.
Find out more here: https://www.teessideshopping.co.uk/starts-here
Ahh! I spent most of the weekends of my teenage years at Teesside Park. I lived in Stockton. The outside of the Showcase cinema has hardly changed and it's so cool to see Hollywood bowl still there. That brings back memories. x
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