With thanks to our guest reviewer Allan from Morley, who took his 18-month old Mini Mumbler Lily to The Deep earlier this month.
We had heard The Deep was a great family day out for children of all ages, and we had been wanting to go for a while. So we planned ahead and booked online, choosing a day when the weather was forecast to rain. Online booking is cheaper and it was really quick and simple to book.
Even though it was a busy Saturday in the school holidays, we were pleasantly surprised on arrival that there was plenty of car parking.
The drive from Morley in South Leeds took just over an hour, so it wasn’t too far at all. If you coordinate the journey with naptime, it’s the perfect length drive to set your little one up for a day out!
We arrived around midday so we headed straight to the café for lunch. It’s great for little ones as they have a whole section dedicated to warming baby food and bottles. The café was clean, well staffed, and we didn’t have to wait long. We had sandwiches and fish and chips, which were delicious. We took some sachets for Lily, which we warmed at the baby station.
After lunch, we dived into the aquarium area. It starts off by giving you a history of how life started in the water: with prehistoric fish first, then people as you walk further in. Unlike some museums, it’s a really interactive space. There’s probably more for older kids here, but Lily was still entertained as there was lots to look at.
As you walk through, you enter into the huge fish tank area, which she absolutely loved. You can walk around this big tank with sharks, sea turtles and stingrays. There are large bubble-shaped domes into the tank, which you can climb a ladder to look into.
Other big hits were the frogs and the penguins. We had to buy her a fluffy penguin afterwards, she was so excited about them – or rather, she wanted to buy it herself!
The aquatic life areas are split into zones for different parts of the world – for example piranhas in the Amazon area.
There’s an underwater tunnel you can walk under and around, plus a glass lift that goes up into the aquarium, so you feel completely part of it all. It’s a really immersive experience.
As first time visitors we were all really impressed with The Deep. It was very entertaining and you could easily take a young child round it twice – there’s so much for them to see and do. There’s even a small soft play area.
We spent four hours there including lunch but you could easily make a day of it if you set off earlier, so it’s a great value day out. We would definitely go again.
Click here for more information about The Deep.
Click here for more days out ideas, including rainy day ideas and places to see animals and birds.
*No payment was received for this review. It is an independent review written by a local parent.