Clifton Suspension Bridge is one of Bristol’s most recognisable structures. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it marks a turning point in the history of engineering and has come to symbolise a city of original thinkers and independent spirit. The Bridge is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year more »
At the Natural History Museum of Portsmouth you can take a walk through the A-Z of Natural History, get up close with a huge dinosaur, and visit their wonderful Butterfly House. Click here to find out more.
If you'd like to meet an array of farm animals including alpacas, chinchillas and turkeys go to Vauxhall City Farm in London where they have all of these and more to see for free. To find out more click here.
National Railway Museum in York has over 100 locomotives and exhibits on the history of the railways. You can immerse yourself in all things to do with train engineering and how travel went from horses to trains. There’s even a BRAND NEW virtual reality experience! Find out more here
The RAF Museum Midlands in Shropshire has teamed up with award-winning physical theatre company Highly Sprung Performance to create a thrilling 45-minute-long family show ’Bravo, Bravo’ telling the story of the RAF’s most famous helicopter – Bravo November. Watch as performers soar through the air in their own flying machine, glide with precision across the more »
Whitlingham Country Park, just outside Norwich, Norfolk, has so much to see and do with year round activities, from walking and cycling to outdoor cinema. Find out what's on now at whitlinghamcountrypark.com.
The Ghurka Museum, Winchester, is marking its 50th anniversary with a summer exhibition that showcases the past five decades of collecting and curating for the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the global and national events that have affected the Gurkha story. The Summer Exhibition runs from 1 to 29 August 2024. Admission is free for children, more »
Radipole Lake in the centre of Weymouth, is an urban home to some stunning wildlife, including Bearded Tits, Kingfishers, Otters and Water Voles. There's lots of activities taking place over the Summer so go to to rspb.org.uk to find out more.
Discover free immersive experiences at Outernet, Central London. Shows on the wrap around screens are free - go to outernet.com to find out what's on when.
The Butterfly Farm in Stratford Upon Avon is home to the UK's largest tropical butterfly paradise and this Summer you can also discover the fascinating world of beetles. There's talks about their life cycle with live specimens to look at. Go to www.butterflyfarm.co.uk to find out more.
Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Museum holds a collection of aircrafts, satellites, stimulators and other unique materials celebrating their world famous Royal Aircraft Establishment. Head to www.airsciences.org.uk for more info.
Redgate Farm Animal Sanctuary in Leicestershire has a variety of animals that you can meet for a small donation towards their care. www.redgatefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk has more information.
Go along the free Leeds Owl Trail to spot unique owls and find out more about the city of Leeds itself. www.leedsowltrail.com has more details and a downloadable guide.
Find out how Bognor Regis went from being a small fishing village to a famous seaside resort at the Bognor Regis Museum. Exhibits include vintage cameras, fossils and old radios. Go to http://www.bognormuseum.org/ for more info.
Explore new worlds and stories at Art Plays Games at FACT Liverpool. Discover a free interactive exhibition dedicated to games created by digital artists and video game developers. www.fact.co.uk has more info.
The wonderfully scenic Yeadon Tarn is a 17-hectare park, centred around an expansive boating lake. Situated just seven miles north-west of Leeds city centre, there are plenty of free things to do, including a sprawling playground and a huge BMX track.
Warburg Nature Reserve in the Chiltern Hills runs various projects to conserve our wildlife, including a badger vaccination and water vole recovery programme. See their work for yourself! Visit www.bbowt.org.uk for further details.
There are lots of horse chestnut trees in Beaumont Park, Huddersfield which makes it a great place to go conker hunting. This can be combined with a walk along the nature trail or a hunt for some interesting statues.
Well-known for its avenue of horse chestnut trees, Hamilton Gault Park in Taunton is a great place to start looking for champion conkers. There are also play areas, skate parks and football pitches to keep you entertained this autumn. Click here for more details.
Scenes in the Square, in Leicester Square London, is a free audio walking tour where you can discover more about your favourite movie and tv characters from DC Super Heroes to Disney with many more in between. To find out more go to www.leicestersquare.london/whats-on/scenes-in-the-square.
Take a walk on the wild side at The British Ironwork Centre and Sculpture Park and see dinosaurs and dragons on their extinction trail. Over 128,000 species are thought to be endangered, and over 16,000 animal and plant species are on the brink of extinction and this trail highlights some of these. Go to https://www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk more »
Haugh Woods, Herefordshire is famed for its butterflies and moths, with over 600 species living there! The very rare Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly thrives in the recently coppiced areas, as do the rare Wood White butterfly and Drab Looper moth. Try and spot them for yourself. Visit www.visitherefordshire.co.uk for more details.
Coram’s Fields, Central London is a children’s only park and playground open all year round for children under 16. The park is steeped in history and for 80 years Coram’s Fields has existed solely for children and young people like you as noted by their well-known policy that ‘no adult can enter without a child‘. more »
LittleBird.co.uk is your one-stop shop for family fun, offering amazing deals on handpicked experiences that make weekends and holidays unforgettable! With offers on theme parks, theatre, exhibitions, events, products, gifts, educational activities, and books, LittleBird offers something special for every family member—all at unbeatable prices. Check out their blog for insider tips, seasonal ideas, and exciting more »
The Black Swan Art Museum in Frome celebrates art by 5-19 year olds with an annual competition and entries can be viewed there now. There's also the opportunity to see other artists at work. www.blackswanarts.org.uk has more information.
Ferry Meadows, Peterborough has fun for all ages with their varied landscapes that include meadows, woodland and lakes, offering everything from fishing to walks to watersports. www.nenepark.org.uk/ferry-meadows has more details.
Check out the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill, London, for a whole host of global artefacts that celebrate human creativity, imagination and adaptability with everything from aromatic herbs to reindeer skin and a walrus! There's also special events throughout the year so go to www.horniman.ac.uk to find out more.
Want to go to a real windmill and look around... for free? Green’s Mill is a restored and working 19th century tower windmill in Nottingham, UK. In the early 1800s it was owned and operated by the mathematical physicist George Green, who the windmill is named after. Entrance is free and there’s a science centre more »
Located on the historic waterfront of the city, the V&A Dundee is Scotland's first museum dedicated solely to design. The museum building itself is an incredible feat of innovation and design to marvel at, before you even set foot inside. Delve into a world of creativity through permanent displays and ever-changing exhibitions which showcase the more »
The People's History Museum in Manchester is the National Museum of Democracy. Here you can explore the past to help make changes for the future and meet those that have done this already. phm.org has more details.
World Museum in Liverpool is packed with a planetarium, an aquarium, and exhibits showcasing ancient civilisations, the World Museum is ideal for curious kids. Special family-friendly events and hands-on science activities make it a standout destination. Find out more at liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.
Monster Supplies in Hoxton, London has the weirdest and most wonderful gifts ranging from Fairy Dust to Werewolf Letter Writing Packs. Recently voted No 1 Kids Shop, all profits go to Ministry of Stories, a creative writing and mentoring charity for young children. Find out more at monstersupplies.org
January is the perfect time to plan something fun. Is it time to get on some wellies and start running? Pretty Muddy Kids is an event run in aid of Cancer Research. Raise some money for charity and stomp around in some mud. It’s 5 kilometres and open to ages 6 to 12 and takes more »
Brandon Country Park in Suffolk, is a great park to explore. There's an arboretum with its copper beech and intriguing monkey puzzle trees. There are a variety of walks within the park, many on hard surfaces or on firm paths so suitable for all the family. These lead around the forest taking you to a more »
Bridging The Tamar Visitor and Learning Centre in Plymouth explores the history of the Tamar Bridge whilst offering you the opportunity to find out more about how operators manage and monitor the road bridge, the Saltash Tunnel and the tolling system. It's free to visit and there are various free tours too. www.bridgingthetamar.org.uk has more info. more »
St Abb's Head in Berwickshire is famed for its seabird colonies and stunning dramatic cliffs, making for a fun family walk and if you're lucky you'll spot seals and otters too. Go to www.nts.org.uk for more details.
Go back in time and find out more about the railways at the Monkwearmouth Station Museum in Sunderland. Housed in an outstanding Grade 2 1840s station building, you can enjoy a number of interactive galleries and sidings that include a wagon shed with two rare railway trucks and a classic Rover P4 car, and learn more »
Why would someone collect horse shoes? It turns out that donating horse shoes is a real thing and at The Great Hall in Oakham Castle, Rutland, there’s a unique collection of over 230 ornate ceremonial horseshoes donated by Royalty and nobility such as Dukes, Earls, Viscounts, Barons and Bishops. The exact origin of this custom more »
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich has 14 different galleries for you to explore and get up close to the actual uniform Admiral Nelson was wearing when he was fatally wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar. See the most experienced explorers being pushed to the extremes of human endurance through the stories of heroic explorers more »
Rice Lane City Farm in Liverpool is a great free animal farm where you can see many farmyard animals including rare breeds such as Ryeland sheep and Berkshire Pigs. There's also huge fields and woodland to explore. ricelanecityfarm.co.uk has more details.
Do you have an aeroplane fan in your family? Then they'll love a day out at Manchester's Runway Visitor Park where you can watch planes taking off from the busy Manchester airport runways from just a few metres away! The park is also home to a variety of retired planes, including the spectacular supersonic airliner, more »
Liverpool's World Museum is a wonderful, free attraction in the heart of the city. The museum really does give you a great choice when it comes to things to see and do: choose between the planetarium, dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt gallery, a bug house and an aquarium. Don't miss Little Liverpool, a daily, hands-on fantasy world more »
Find out more about money at the Bank of England Museum. Marvel at ancient gold bars and their modern market equivalent, then learn all there is to learn about bank notes and the people who have been celebrated on them. The Bank of England’s collection of interesting bank notes includes a selection of forgeries and more »
The Francis Crick Institute, in Kings Cross London, is a place for curious minds and what better way to explore the mysterious and marvellous world inside your head than an exhibition all about the brain! The Brain exhibition is free to visit and now open. Find out more at crick.ac.uk
The Library of Birmingham is not your standard library! It’s an outdoor Amphitheatre, surrounded by wild flower planting, in Centenary Square providing performance space for music, drama, poetry reading and storytelling. There are two outdoor garden terraces, and a panoramic viewing gallery at the summit, where you are able to enjoy stunning views from one more »
Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Aylsham is located in the pretty Norfolk countryside. It is free to enter and home to many rescued animals including horses, ponies and donkeys. Meet the residents and hear about their stories and how they ended up at Redwings. Full details at https://www.redwings.org.uk/.
Discover Roman history at the Mithraeum, London. There you can see Roman artefacts and an ancient temple that was only discovered when a building was to be built. Find out more at londonmithraeum.com.
The Little Liverpool gallery is a hands-on fantasy world, crammed with fun activities to help you play and learn. Find out more at liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.
Visit the Design Maker over at the Design Museum, High Street Kensington London to see how design has shaped the world around us. You can also construct and build your own micro city or create your own graphic, fashion or product designs. For more info go to designmuseum.org.
Crystal Palace Park in South London has so much fun for all and it's free. From dinosaurs to gorillas, mazes and rusty laptops it's a great day out. Go to crystalpalaceparktrust.org for more info.
Have you ever wondered where in the world museum objects come from? Or why as humans, we like to collect things? At The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge in Canterbury, their Curious Stories exhibition looks into the origins of the museum collections and questions how we present and share stories of objects today. Find more »
Blaze Farm in Wildboarclough is an award winning farm set on the edge of the Peak District. Walk along one of their nature trails and spot the different wildlife whilst taking in the breathtaking views through the meadows and woodland. Blaze Farm is free to enter and more info can be found at www.blazefarm.com.
See the Pelicans get fed in St James Park in London. First introduced to the park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador, over 40 pelicans have since called the park home. You can often see them being fed between approximately 2:30pm and 3:00pm each day, next to Duck Island Cottage. Find out more »
Irchester Country Park in Wellingborough is a former ironstone quarry with several long and short trails in nature, as well as a great play area. northnorthants.gov.uk has more info.
Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre in Southampton gives you all you need to know about the wildlife in Southampton and how the city's open spaces help protect and increase the variety of life on this part of the Earth. Go to southampton.gov.uk to find out when it's open.
Guildford Museum, in Guildford Surrey, has a great animal trail challenging you to find out how many different ones you can spot. For full details go to www.visitheritage.co.uk.
There is so much to see and do at Young V&A! A free museum in Bethnal Green, Young V&A is your space to imagine, play and design. Draw and create in the Open Studio, put on a show and perform on the Stage and get hands-on with interactives. What will you discover? Young V&A, The more »
Looking for free family activities in London? Look no further! The National Gallery’s Roden Centre for Creative Learning offers a vibrant space for all ages to explore, create, and imagine for free. Uncover one of the UK’s largest gallery learning centres and enjoy an exciting range of hands-on activities inspired by the National Gallery’s iconic more »
Saltwell Park in the heart of Gateshead is one of our most popular parks in the UK and a great example of a Victorian park. There's a play area, pets corner, maze and much more to explore. www.gateshead.gov.uk has more details.
St Albans Museum and Gallery in St Albans has newly created state of the art gallery spaces that showcase over 2,000 years of local, national and international treasures for you to see for free. www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk has more info.
In the heart of Tower Hill in London stands one of the largest and most impressive sections of the London Wall which was built around AD 200. This Roman wall provided security and defence for Londoners and is free for all to walk along. Head to english-heritage.org.uk formore details.
Ashton Court Estate in Bristol is a site of specific science interest with over 300 hectares of grasslands, woodlands, ponds and ancient oak trees. It has the UK’s oldest deer park with over 200 deer and is also home to lesser-horseshoe-bats, great crested newts and skylarks. Go to bristol.gov.uk to find out more, including free more »
Ruislip Lido in Hillingdon, London, has a 60 acre lake with sandy beaches, a splash pad and a railway line that takes you around the lake and the vast woodland. hillingdon.gov.uk has more details.
The George Miller museum Bristol, celebrates the amazing story of George Müller, who cared for and educated over 10,000 orphans in Victorian Bristol. The interactive multimedia museum lets you explore what day to day life used to be like for orphans in that era and between now and 17th April there's a free activity adventure more »
The Easter Bunnies trail in Painshill Park, Cobham, Surrey is on now until the 27th April. This family friendly event invites you to wander through the grounds and find the playful bunnies hiding amongst the trees and flowers. It's just for fun and free so head to painshill.org for more info.
For a free Easter egg hunt between now and 27th April you can take part in The Big Egg Hunt, a self guided art trail across London where you can find giant decorated eggs across the city. www.elephant-family.org has all the details.