GREAT SUMMER FAMILY DAYS OUT

Folly farm and Heatherton on shell, the rest in file.Wondering where to take the family for a day out this summer. Here are 5 top venues with fun activities for everyone to enjoy.

Downy Duckling Days at WWT National Wetland Centre Wales.
This summer, don’t miss the baby boom at WWT National Wetland Centre Wales. Ducklings, goslings, cygnets and other babies are hatching and can now be seen waddling around the grounds.From 23 May WWT National Wetland Centre Wales, Llanelli, will be holding special ‘Downy Duckling Days’ tours where visitors can take a special behind the scenes tour of the waterfowl nursery (duckery).   Here eggs are incubated and hatched and visitors can see hoards of newly hatched ducklings in different shapes and sizes at different stages from birth to adulthood.Newly hatched chicks spend their first few weeks here where WWT wardens act as surrogate parents, ensuring they are fed, kept warm and have plenty of water.  When they are two months old, they are moved back into the grounds to become part of WWT’s captive breeding programme.

Special duckling events and tours will be taking place daily at WWT National Wetland Centre Wales from 23 - 31 May and every Sunday during June and summer holiday fun begins from the 18 July.

As well as the stars of the show, the centre will be offering a range of other fun activities to keep your very own little ones entertained throughout the holidays. Canoe safaris, bike trails, guided walks, pond dipping and art and craft sessions will be happening throughout the Whitsun and summer holidays.

Visit the web site www.wwt.org.uk/visit/llanelli

OAKWOOD PARK Set in 80 acres of spectacular Pembrokeshire countryside Oakwood is one of the UK’s leading theme parks. There’s so much to see and do with more than 30 exhilarating rides and amazing experiences to discover.

Oakwood’s unique combination of attractions includes world-class roller, tower and sky coasters, spectacular family rides, children’s themed play areas and so much more.From the fast and furious world of the Extreme white knuckle experiences and the Family rides to the more gentle fun of the Kidzone and the extensive grassed and wooded areas, the park provides unforgettable experiences for everyone to enjoy.

Thrill seekers can brave Speed, our newest white knuckle ride and the UK’s first rollercoaster with a beyond vertical drop. Or why not try Megafobia, the award-winning wooden coaster with character!Not afraid of heights? Well, what about The Bounce, a 160ft Shot ‘n Drop Tower coaster which shoots riders into the air at speeds of 70 kph in under two seconds. Or maybe you fancy cooling off on Hydro, the steepest and wettest ride in Europe!For those who prefer a slightly slower pace we have fantastic family rides for everyone to enjoy. You can whiz around the slides of Snake River Falls, pilot a plane on Plane Crazy or take a relaxing paddle on the Boating Lake. Joining these great rides are The Waterfall, Bobsleigh, Spooky 3D, the Pirate Ship and many, many more the only problem is making sure you have time to squeeze them all in!For smaller kids there’s plenty of fun to be had in KidzWorld. There’s the undercover adventure playworld The Lost Kingdom where young adventurers can explore.

In The Wacky Factory, they’ll have a ball! Equipped with thousands of soft balls, banana blasters, air fountains and levitation tables, this is an amazing interactive play zone where kids can go wild! For the little ones there’s also Playtown, where they can ride the Clown Coaster, pilot a jet plane or cause chaos on the roads in their own trucks.

For a world class day out call or visit our website at www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk

PEMBROKESHIRE’S Folly Farm is a great day out whatever the weather. If you're looking for a fun day out for all the family, whatever the weather, then look no further than Folly Farm...with its six fun-filled zones there's something for everyone. New for 2009 the new 4000 sq ft giraffe house is the home for four giraffe brothers, Ja Ja, Taharqa, Khama and Rafiki who recently arrived at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire .Folly Farm, celebrated its 20th birthday last year, it now boasts Europe’s largest undercover vintage fairground, an undercover playground, and Folly Farm Zoo, which has more than 200 exotic animals.The Jolly Barn is home to a huge variety of farmyard friends and their popular bottle feeding shows. Visitors meet a huge variety of friendly farm animals, while at the pet centre; you’ll find many weird and wonderful pets.
With goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys, miniature horses, chickens and much more, including many rare breeds and a whole raft of babies each year, visitors get the chance to get up close to their farmyard favourites. There's even a life-size plastic cow you can milk!

There's loads of opportunities to get hands-on by bottlefeeding our kid goats and during the Pet Handling sessions in the nearby Pets' Centre which is home to rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, chipmunks, tortoises, mice, rats, parrots and lots, lots more.

For the more adventurous, at the Big Dig, you can learn how to test your construction skills with a one-and-a- half ton mini- digger.Heatherton Country Sports Park  Pembrokeshire Heatherton has both leisure and sport activities on site, with the option of adrenaline, relaxed, Sports and family fun activities for the customer to choose from. The Sports Park is an 'All Weather Attraction' with a large proportion of activities under cover, to provide a service both in the summer and winter periods.

Heatherton's relaxed activities are designed to provide a quiet escape for customers who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. The Sports Park has a 2 acre Coarse Fishing lake, a 4 rink Indoor Bowls Centre and an 18-Hole Golf Course, all of which is open to the public. The Sports activities include Archery, Baseball, Laser Clays and Pistol Shooting. So why not try your aim and challenge your friends by hitting an amazing home run or golden bulls-eye.

The 'family fun activities' can be enjoyed by the whole family and include Adventure Golf, Pembrokeshire Raceway, Bumper Boats and the Maize Maze. The activities are designed to accommodate the family and create a fun packed atmosphere for all ages, allowing for an enjoyable and bonding dayout.

Family fun at Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, with hair raising shows and holidays on Mars.Where can you launch a rocket, sink an oil rig, move half a ton of granite and find out about holidays on Mars…all in one day? 

Techniquest, the hands-on science centre in Cardiff Bay. The educational charity has well over 120 interactive exhibits on its main exhibition floor from a hot air balloon, and hydrogen rocket, down to chunky puzzles which challenge you to solve them. There’s also a Science Theatre – which stages curriculum linked shows for schools during term time…and shows for all the family at weekends and in the holidays.This month in Bubbles and Blasts you can find out why bubbles are round….and if you could make a square one. As the show’s title suggests…it’s sure to end with a bang!There’ll be a hair raising experience in the Science Theatre in June and early July.  It’s Electric is the title of the show all about electricity, how it can be generated, and how circuits are made.Techniquest also has a Planetarium, which means that you can gaze at the night sky – whatever the time of day, or weather.  The Planetarium comes into its own during the summer holidays when Techniquest focuses on the International Year of Astronomy with the TQ Guide to the Galaxy. 

There’s a brand new Planetarium show.  Stars in Their Eyes takes you on a journey through the last 400 years, meeting the people who changed the way we see the universe around us. From Galileo Galilei, and the British astronomer who beat him to observing the moon, right up to the most recent astronomical telescopes, and how we view the skies today. school holidays.As part of the TQ Guide to the Galaxy, there’s also a new Science Theatre show.  Out of this World explores why we want to find out more about space and how a space shuttle launches…and
what would it be like to be on the Moon or a distant planet? If you’re thinking about what it would be like in space you don’t have to wait until July or August…At Techniquest’s Planetarium until the end of May (weekends and school holidays) there’s Mission to Mars for under 7s.  Visitors can find out how long it would take you to get there, what equipment you would need, and who you might meet!For more information visit www.Techniquest.org