Sadly, rainy days are not a rare thing when it comes to the Great British Summer, so when the heavens open we are well-stocked with things to do.
Suffolk is blessed with a wealth of activities for you and the children, if and when the weather throws a spanner in the works, from learning days to activity centres and from arts and crafts to a trip to the arcades.
See our guide here for a few ideas to keep your family entertained, even when the black clouds threaten to ruin your day.
1. Pop into your local library
It wasn’t that long ago libraries all over Suffolk were facing the axe - so make the most of these priceless local amenities.
A trip to the library is very different to what it used to be. Story telling hours, arts and crafts sessions and reading competitions are all hosted throughout the summer.
As well as borrowing books, children can also take advantage of the CD and DVD collections and some even loan out iPads.
Most activities are free, which is an added bonus.
2. You can still enjoy a day out at Felixstowe
The wet weather may mean a day out on the beach is out of the question, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t venture to the Felixstowe seaside.
There is a wide variety of indoor activities on offer on the promenade, ranging from amusement arcades to crazy golf and indoor rides, which can keep you and the children entertained for hours.
Huddling under cover with a bag of chips is a good option too.
3. Cinema clubs
Summer is often the time when children’s films are released onto the big screens, with plenty of showings throughout the day and into the early evening.
Most cinemas also run some form of kids club during the summer months, offering cheap tickets and screenings of some of the classic children’s films.
This summer’s big releases for children include Minions, Pixels and the Shaun the Sheep Movie.
4. Check out Ipswich Museum
Take a step back in time, and into the dry, at the Ipswich Museum on High Street, where you and the kids can learn all about history, wildlife and the geological past of Suffolk.
The stand-out attraction is the downstairs mammal gallery, with the woolly mammoth known as Wool.i.am an attention-grabber along with plenty of other exhibits.
Best of all, entry is free.
5. Indoor play centres
What’s more fun than an ensemble of slides, ball pools, tubes, tunnels and things to clamber on? There are a number of these soft play areas littered around the county, most of which don’t cost the earth and can provide hours of fun for the kids while you relax on the sidelines.
In Ipswich, Snakes and Ladders in Cavendish Street is good for younger children, while Play2Day in Martlesham is for those a little older, up to the age of 11.
Curve Motion in Bury is also a popular choice while there are other play options in Mildenhall and Stowmarket.
6. Pennikkity Pots Ceramics Café – Ipswich
This welcoming establishment is fun for the kids and is also a place where parents can sit and chat over one of the café’s Italian coffees, home-made cakes and fresh sandwiches.
The wide variety of ceramic bases start at £5, with a studio fee of £3 per painter, before completed projects are fired in the kiln and available for collection within a week.
The centre is open seven-days a week, 9.30am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11am-4pm on Sundays.
7. Make a splash in Suffolk’s swimming pools
It’s wet outside so why not embrace your surroundings by taking a dip in one of the county’s many swimming pools? Ipswich, Felixstowe and Sudbury all have good, family, pools, with courses and activity days for young swimmers common during holiday times. If you venture into north Essex, the pool near Castle Park in Colchester is particularly good if water flumes are more your child’s thing. 8. You can still enjoy the outdoors
Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean the Suffolk countryside isn’t still a great source of fun for all the family.
The wet weather can liven up a walk in the woods or by the sea, as long as you don’t mind your children jumping in muddy puddles along the way.
You never know, you might enjoy it too.
When the weather is a little better, why not check out our guide to the region’s beaches?
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