I cannot rave enough about Finkley Down Farm. I don't even have kids I can use as an excuse - I…read moresimply come here to relax and spend some time with the animals. The atmosphere is relaxed and peaceful and the abundance of cute greedy animals desperate for you to feed them is nothing short of delightful. Their animals range from goats and sheep to chickens to cows right over to the more unusual llamas and highland cows. Even if you're not into getting close to the animals or feeding them the buckets of food available at the ticket office, just watching them mooch around is still fun and relaxing. The llama took somewhat of a disliking to me (was it something I said?) and stormed at me, looking like it could easily clear the fence and gain its freedom. I wasn't going to hang around to find out. One look at my pathetic retreating hide running off into the distance was enough to reduce its anger to mere disdain, and instead he decided to spit all over me. In some sort of random heroic act, the pig sharing its pen flung itself at the llama as if to take the blow for me, and rather than reflect on the llama soaking I'd been given, I instead watched this pig take one for the team. Right in the eye, no less. From hereonin, I shall name this pig SuperPig. If you do have kids you can pretend are the reason for visiting, there's plenty to keep them occupied. Other than the animals you can feed, there are talks and handling sessions with some of the smaller or baby pets throughout the day. There's also a nice adventure playground and a couple of trampolines to wear them out on too. There's a small gift shop and a place to buy some food, as well as a picnic area if you're sensible enough to bring your own food. I love this place and can't wait to go back when it reopens for the season next year.

A lovely little petting farm for a day out with the family. Entrance fee is very reasonable. Farm…read moreisn't huge by anyone's standards but just about big enough for an afternoons walking about without it being too much for the little/older ones. Lots to see and many activities laid on for the children. Arm them with a bucket of food from the entrance first though or you will find yourself running back for some! On site cafe sells everything from fish & chips to ice cream or just a cuppa. Toilets well sign posted and clean. Lots of basins and hand gel dotted around for after you have touched the animals. Nice staff who are kid friendly. Congratulations to the farm for keeping the gift shop prices low, lots of souvenirs on sale for under £2.

Toad Hall Adventure play is open 7 days a week and offers soft play facilities for children from…read morebabies through to juniors. There's a good under 3s section with a ball pit and 2-stage climbing frame (soft). There are some sit-on soft toys and some blocks. The floor is a bit suspect and there's a bit of an old smell to the area - nothing terrible but you do notice it. The play equipment appears safe but could be in better condition. The main soft play is a triple height affair with climbing, balls, slides and chutes. It's safe and in better condition than the toddler area. At weekends and after school this place can get packed but, during the day it's not too bad. A cafe facility is available serving teas, coffees, soft drinks and snacks. The prices are reasonable. Tables are kept away from the soft play being behind a low wall. They are OK but there's not a good view of the play area meaning that it's hard to have a coffee and take care of your child. For many parents this just seems to mean that they don't watch their child and so you do have to be careful that your child doesn't get set upon by unrully kids. It's not a particularly comfortable place but it's a good local option for a rainy day. Car parking is available.

I'd lived in Oxford for years before I found Cutteslowe Park. Don't make the same mistake. It is a…read morewonderful park on the northern outskirts of the city. There is a children's play area, mini-golf, tennis courts to hire, a small avairy, amazing model steam trains that you can sit behind and whizz round the little track. There is a duck pond. There are football pitches and a basketball court. The top field is windy and great for kiteflying. There is also a mile circut marked out do the energetic can run round and know how far they've gone. You can get there by car - the car park is at the end of Harbord road. By bike - you can follow the bike path through the back roads of Summertown and over the specially built bike bridge that goes over the ring road. By bus - take a number 20 or a number 7 towards Kidlington and get off at Harbord Road.

A brilliant place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Don't fall into the trap of thinking it's just for…read morekids - students and adults can still enjoy having a picnic together, going for a walk or just chilling out with an ice cream and a book. I reckon it's the best place in Oxford for flying a kite and it's not bad for running either, although I prefer the proximity of the University Parks or the canal. It's certainly very useful for timing yourself if you've got targets you want to beat, and it's lovely to cycle there, go for a run, relax a bit and then head back.

What a delightfully fun day at this cute farm. Everyone was so happy to be out and about on this…read moresunny day. The atmosphere was super family oriented, kid friendly and very educational. There was a cute stand for food and hot drinks on this slightly chilly day. CARAMEL DOUGHNUT Fluffy doughnut with a delicious caramel glaze. It wasn't too sweet and it would be so easy to eat two of these without even blinking! FONDANT DOUGHNUT Fluffy doughnut with a sweet fondant glaze. This was tasty, but a little too sweet for me. My coffee helped wash this down for me. JAM DOUGHNUT Fluffy doughnut with a sweet and slightly tart jam filling. DELICIOUS. A perfect, classic jam filled doughnut. Could eat myself sick from these. Scrumptious! After having these delicious doughnuts, we walked around and fed the animals. This farm is so big on cleanliness and educating everyone about being friendly to all walks of earth. Absolutely loved learning more about farm animals, feeding them and seeing how well they are cared for. A great way to introduce children to learning so much about respecting animals and the environment!

Odds Farm Park is located between High Wycombe and Beaconsfield and is a great day out mainly for…read morethose with children. I went with my nephew and whilst he ignored most of the animals he loved all the tractors to play on. It was a reasonable entrance price and you could stay all day if you wanted. There is a fairly nice cafe on site which was priced fairly reasonably and obviously family friendly. The animals were all lovely and looked happy and well cared for. I would recommend Odds Farm Park for a day out for most ages of children.

Oxford Karate Academy is Oxfords only full time karate school and without doubt, one of the best…read moreyou could hope to find. The chief instructor, Paul Coleman, is graded at 7th Dan by the Japanese Karate Federation and teaches Goju-Ryu karate, one of the oldest and most authentic styles in the world. He is respected throughout the world and in huge demand to teach in many countries. As a black belt instructor, I have sampled many so called karate schools both in the UK and in the US. and none have compared to OKA. If you are serious about your training whatever your level of competence, I would recommend OKA without hesitation. M Beard Shodan Great Britain Goju Ryu

Another lovely park in Oxford, and a very conveniently located one at that, especially if you live…read morein Cowley. Unfortunately, Florence Park closes at night, which means no romantic strolls by moonlight, and it doesn't open until 8am, so no early morning jogging sessions either. The opening times change throughout the year, but in winter it can shut as early as 4pm, so make sure you don't get locked in! There are six tennis courts and you don't usually have to wait long to get a free one. Court hire costs around £3 for an adult for an hour, around £1.50 for a concession (children and OAPs) and around £7 for a family (2 adults, 2 children).

The Florence Park Family Centre has recently be rebuilt and is now a Sure Start centre. It provides…read morea place for parents of pre-school children to drop-in, do some craft activities, play with their children, eat a meal, chat to other parents and to get support from the staff if they need it. There was a big campaign to save the centre when it was threatened with closure a few years ago so it obviously is a popular resource.

Definitely not just another play barn!…read more Spread over two stories of an old department store this is a fantastic place to bring the kids. Areas to suit babies, under threes, under fives and upwards! A huge play frame to let the kids loose on and upstairs they can speed around the racetrack on electric go-karts (this costs extra), play air hockey, table football, table tennis or even play on the Wii A great place to eat with hot and cold menus, all freshly prepared in their kitchens. They do kids parties and have four themed rooms (Pirates, Princess, Pitstop and Undersea) for them to eat in before they're let loose on the equipment. A nice family run business, not just another franchised playbarn run by grumpy teenagers!

This Party was brilliant . Each child had lots of goes on the go karts. While they were waiting…read morethey had glitter tattoos and face paints to keep them occupied there was a bouncy castle and at the end they were given a driving licence each which the kids went nuts over, a medal and a really lovely certificate with their names on. All the staff were very friendly and organised the children well. We held it in Parliament Hill School Camden which had free parking and had a relaxed atmosphere. Claudio was amazing with kids. I would deffinately recomend having a party with him. He gave my boy a gorgeous trophy with his name engraved on it and Jack had a lap of honour. Jack said it was the best party he's ever had. He sleeps with his trophy next to his lamp. Hes very proud of it.

Nice enjoyable day outread more