BH Live Active, Littledown

BH Live Active at Littledown is one of the larger leisure centres serving the Bournemouth area, positioned a short distance from the town centre and offering a broad range of facilities under one roof. As the region's flagship BH Live Active site, it covers considerably more ground than a typical community leisure centre, with a well-equipped gym, group exercise studios, swimming pools, spa facilities, a sports hall, and a café and bar on site. Free customer parking is available for up to three hours, seven days a week, which makes a practical difference for families arriving with young children and kit in tow.

Soft play forms part of the family offering here, sitting alongside a dedicated junior football programme — Littledown Juniors — which brings together around 700 boys and girls aged 3 to 17 every weekend. The football pathway begins with an indoor coaching academy for children aged 3 to 5, providing a structured and age-appropriate introduction for the youngest participants. Swimming lessons are also available through the Swim England pathway, delivered by an in-house team of teachers, covering everything from early water confidence through to more advanced stages.

The centre operates parties for younger visitors, making it a venue worth considering for birthday celebrations as well as regular visits. The Lookout at Littledown bar is open to all, and the Terrace Café provides a practical stopping point for parents accompanying children to activities. The breadth of the centre means it caters to families at different stages — from toddlers in soft play or the pool to older children involved in football or other structured programmes.

A good choice for: families in and around Bournemouth looking for a leisure centre where children of different ages can all find something to do, from soft play and swimming through to junior football.

Families looking for soft play in Bournemouth, Dorset can explore a range of indoor play centres suitable for different age groups. SoftPlayList provides details on facilities such as parking, on-site cafés and age suitability to help parents compare options. Browse all soft play centres in Bournemouth to find more venues in the area.