Fun at The Barn {Things to do in PE}

I know the holidays are but a distant memory now as we’re knee-deep in homework and lunchboxes. Taking you back though, moms…..dads…the struggle was real this holidays with entertaining the kids don’t you think??? I must be honest, we really didn’t manage to do that much with the kids as I worked pretty late into December and we all got sick at least once at different times. Great for my pocket I know, but a part of me has some guilt after seeing all the fabulous things my kids’ friends got up to! The mom guilt is a post for another day though…..

My friend over at In The Meantime mentioned to me that she’d been to a place called The Barn in Port Elizabeth and her kids had quite enjoyed it. One very hot day, we decided to venture there ourselves. Joshua though was very adamant that he didn’t want to go any ‘stinky barn’ to go and play. *insert cute sulky face*

The Barn is situated out in Greenbushes. The entrance fee is R15 per kid and if any parent is planning to swim, they also then pay R15. Children’s swimming is included in the R15 they pay for entrance.

Inside The Barn is the kiddies play area for kids under age 3. There are ball pits and bouncy toys, a ramp to ride down (a really low one). The great thing is that it’s enclosed so the kiddies cannot get out by themselves. There’s a confined space for them…any parent of a mobile toddler will tell you that is the best feature any play area can have!

Also situated inside is a game room with playstations, but I believe only for kids up to the age of 8. My husband was very disappointed at the age limit! Then lastly, inside is another play structure for kids over 3, but under 8. There are also picnic style tables inside, so you can have some lunch while the kids play 😉

Outside are your standard jungle gym type structures and then also a pool, that is enclosed (yay!). I think that they are building another pool as well that’s perhaps more suited to smaller kids, but I’m not 100% sure. There is also a touch farm and I believe you can buy feed to feed the animals. If your kids love animals, I’m sure they’ll enjoy that section immensely. I appreciate that the touch farm is at the back of the building, as I find the stench at a touch farm does not usually encourage me to want to eat at the establishment. Not to worry, because I can eat far far away from the animals 😉

This is really a lovely place that will definitely entertain the whole family and you can honestly spend a good few hours there. I like that I can take my kids of different ages, and there’s something for each of them to do or enjoy. The only major issue is that it is really hot inside, so I hope they consider bringing some fans in. In Winter obviously that will not be a problem.

The food is reasonably priced and they seem to run specials quite often (i.e. 2 for 1 meals). If you’re looking for a place to entertain the kids while we’re still in the sunshine season, definitely go check The Barn out. Joshua definitely gave it his stamp of approval despite his reservations before we got there 😉

Have you been to The Barn? What are your top kiddie friendly spots in Port Elizabeth? #ShareTheBay