Stop the press: Bear Town is opening and it looks amazing!

A brilliant new attraction on the edge of Exeter is due to open in a few days.

Bear Town is a unique role play street – a place where young imaginations can run wild. And it’s the brainchild of Ben Jordan, the man behind the Bear Trail, so you know it’s going to be good!

Girl playing at bear town exeter

On the outside, it’s a huge warehouse-style building, but step inside and a transformation takes place, your youngsters can choose to be a cop or robber, dance on the stage of the theatre, examine a poorly (fake!) animal in the vets, or dismantle an engine as a mechanic in the garage. There are no stereotypes here, no restrictions, the only rules are that the youngsters play safely and have an amazing time.

Boy robber at bear town exploring exeter

What struck me is the absolute quality of the workmanship inside, every single area has been handcrafted from wood and painted to the highest standards, all the playthings are top quality and there’s even a learning element. The team at Bear Town has worked with a primary school specialist to create activities which fit in with the EYFS learning framework. Every area has a scannable QR code which will show how that particular activity is helping their child’s development – it really is next-level stuff. What this means is we can relax and enjoy a quality coffee and great locally-sourced refreshments, safe in the knowledge that our children are not only having a fantastic time playing, they’re developing loads of skills and learning at the same time – it’s a win-win! There’s even a team of Bear Town Playmakers who will enable your youngsters to get the best out of their experience.

girl police person at bear town exeter

It opens on Saturday, you’ll need to book tickets in advance because of covid restrictions – but make sure you do this sooner rather than later, this place is going to get very popular with parents of young children. There aren’t any age limits, but I’d say this mostly going to appeal to youngsters up to the age of about seven. The individual play areas at Bear Town comprise of a café, construction site, theatre, police station, bank, post office, farm shop, cottage, vets, fire station, garage and hairdressers. There are even secret tunnels for your youngsters to discover and explore. It really is an immersive experience and the only limitations are children’s imaginations – which, in my experience, are pretty limitless!

red phone and boy at bear town in exeter

I was also really impressed with its level of inclusivity; I know that’s something we’ve come to, and should, expect, but it isn’t always standard at children’s attractions. At Bear Town everything is wheelchair accessible, there are disabled toilets and static changing tables, even the room signs are reproduced in braille for children who are blind or visually impaired.

in the tunnel at bear town

All the sessions are being run with strictly limited capacity because of covid-restrictions, temperatures are taken as you enter, there’s loads of hand sanitiser and clear guidelines for the safest experience possible.

pushing the baby at bear town

This fantastic place is unique for the south-west, it’s been developed during lockdown from a spark of an idea, to a major south-west children’s attraction, it really deserves to be a huge success – get along and be the among the first to try it out. Book here https://www.beartown.co.uk/.

 

*This is an Paid Advertisement Feature – but remember folk; I never advocate anything that I think is rubbish!

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