St Albans City Football Club

The City ground isn't one of those cathedrals of football that stops you in your tracks. It's a proper working-class stadium, the sort of place where you can still hear the manager bellow from the stands and actually see the whites of the players' eyes. St Albans City Football Club plays in the National League - that step below the Football League - which means you get genuine, competitive football without the astronomical ticket prices of the Premier League.

For families with kids who actually like football, this is leagues ahead of sitting through a televised match. Your teenager won't be stuck in a 70,000-seat bowl watching dots move around; they'll be right in the action. The atmosphere's friendly rather than intimidating. Midweek matches can feel quite intimate, and if your lot are remotely interested in the sport, they'll get far more from ninety minutes here than anywhere else at this price point.

The club is bang in the middle of St Albans town itself, which means parking can be a bit of a faff on match days - arrive early or use the town car parks. Match-day programmes go for a few quid, and you can grab decent enough food without selling a kidney. The stadium's humble, nothing fancy, but that's rather the point.

If you're based at Frogmore Park Homes or Cherry Green Trees just down the road, catching a Saturday kick-off is genuinely convenient. It breaks up a park holiday nicely - something different from the usual attractions. Check the fixture list before you book, though; there's no point planning around a Tuesday night home game if you're only staying weekends.