I embarrassed myself on a trip to ‘Lancashire’s most exciting and unique leisure venue’

The summer holidays have started and parents will be looking for fun experiences to keep their children entertained over the six weeks. But if you’re looking to try something different this summer then I would recommend making the one hour and 40 minute trip from Liverpool to the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre.

With the typical British weather making an appearance, I searched for things to do one rainy Saturday and stumbled across a video of the entertainment centre in Preston. Describing itself as “Lancashire’s most exciting and unique leisure venue,” the centre hosts a variety of activities under one roof including bowling, crazy golf, and a three-screen premium cinema.

There’s no denying that these are fun activities that can keep kids entertained for hours, but these were not the ones that caught my eye in the video. The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre hosts something I’d never actually heard of before – Crazy pool. As you might have guessed by the name, the game is a mash-up of crazy golf and pool, where players use a pool cue to pot their ball into the hole.

Inside of the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre
Inside of the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre

The centre is also home to the North of England’s only dedicated curling hall. Sadly, my coordination and athleticism would only see one outcome – injury – so we stuck to the crazy pool. The game costs £7 per adult and £6 per child. The only downside is each game is a maximum of four people per group, so if you’re planning on attending as a large family, this is worth remembering.

Crazy pool was really enjoyable. Each hole is unique and has different obstacles to play around. The highlight was the final hole where each player relies on luck, as their ball races the other along a mousetrap-like course. Luck wasn’t on my side, sadly.

We also had a go on a virtual reality jungle boat ride, costing £6 per person for five minutes. Although we likely embarrassed ourselves in front of other visitors as we rocked from side-to-side on a plastic boat, it was a good laugh and I’d recommended it to anyone who hasn’t tried a virtual reality experiences before – like us.

Virtual Reality ride in the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre
Virtual Reality ride in the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre

The centre has a range of different dining options including the Ocean Fish and Chip Restaurant, Blooms Restaurant and Oasis Coffee Bar. We opted for the Knickerbockers Ice Cream stand and enjoyed two Ferrero Rocher milkshakes.

The only negative I found to the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre was the price, as you pay for each experience individually. If I were to visit again, this is something I’d keep in mind, as the cost did begin to add up.

The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre website has a list of prices and options to prebook experiences. Visit the website here.

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