Indoor activities
Find indoor activities for half term holidays, bank holiday weekends, seaside escapes and city breaks. Take your pick from indoor attractions and such as free museums and other indoor attractions such as aquariums and galleries, or if you’re feeling braver, there are climbing centres, underground caverns and cycle velodromes. You can tour television studios and explore living history heritage attractions, or even whet your whistle on a brewery tour. Whatever you fancy doing, England is packed with indoor activities and things to do on a rainy day.
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Discover Cornwall's Eden Project
Five biomes nestled under five giant bubbles in the hills of Cornwall make for one of Britain's most impressive indoor eco-attractions.
Location: St Austell, Cornwall
Rainy Day Activities: Step back in time at York Castle Museum
Travel back in time on a rainy day at this trend-setting museum, which transports visitors back through 300 years of history.
Location: York, North Yorkshire
See the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London
See the stunning Crown Jewels on display at the historic Tower of London, and learn about their profound religious and cultural importance.
Location: Tower Hill, Greater London
Rainy Day Activities: Embark on an expedition into Cheddar Gorge
This ultimate indoor activity will have you venture deep into the famous caves at Cheddar to see where the Cheddar Man, Britain's oldest skeleton, was discovered.
Location: Cheddar, Somerset
Blast off to the National Space Centre
From astronauts to rocket towers, satellites and meteorites, there is plenty of space to explore at this fun, family-friendly attraction.
Location: Leicester, Leicestershire
Travel back in time at Milestones Museum
A trip to Milestones in Basingstoke brings the past to life. The museum is home to over 20,000 objects that were either made or used in Hampshire, and is a record of the county's social, industrial and transport history.
Location: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Rainy Day Activities: Catch a show at award-winning kids’ theatre, the egg
Looking for something to do when it rains that'll keep the kids entertained and adults smiling? Try a show or creative workshop at the egg.
Location: Bath, Somerset
Rainy Day Activities: Sunderland Museum
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a great place for the whole family to spend the day – and it’s free.
Location: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
Rainy Day Activities: Treat the kids at Portsmouth's Action Stations
Let your kids loose on this indoor playground, packed with exciting activities including a ninja course and the UK's tallest indoor climbing tower.
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Rainy Day Activities: Uncover underwater life at the National Marine Aquarium
Need a rainy day idea? Visit the UK's largest aquarium to be amazed at its fascinating underwater world, and learn how we all play a part in conserving it.
Location: Plymouth, Devon
Go chocolate crazy at Cadbury World
A must-visit destination for chocoholics of all ages, Cadbury World in Bourneville near Birmingham is full of fun indoor activities and things to do when it rains.
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands
Rainy Day Activities: Discover tropical fish at SEA LIFE Brighton
Take a deep breath and see if you can walk through the world’s largest under-sea glass tunnel at SEA LIFE Brighton.
Location: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
Rainy Day Activities: Entertain the kids at Imagine That
Unleash the little ones and let them loose to explore this fun interactive experience that will stimulate their minds.
Location: Liverpool, Merseyside
Go under the sea at The Deep Aquarium
Get out of the rain and head... into the water? This underwater world features Europe's deepest viewing tunnel, offering unparalleled views of exotic fish, sharks and other sea creatures.
Location: Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Rainy Day Activities: Uncover history at the New Forest Centre
Learn more about one of the UK's oldest and largest royal forests at the indoor New Forest Heritage Centre.
Location: Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Rainy Day Activities: Explore Earth and space at Liverpool’s World Museum
Need ideas on things to do when it rains? Visit one of North West England’s oldest museums and get a hands-on look at our planet from the oceans to the stars.
Location: Liverpool, Merseyside
Bag some bon bons at England’s Oldest Sweet Shop
Evoke happy childhood memories with hundreds of retro sweets at The Oldest Sweet Shop in England.
Location: Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Rainy Day Activities: Look into outer space at Jodrell Bank
Cutting-edge astronomy and interactive displays wow visitors to the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, home of the magnificent Lovell Telescope.
Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire
Rainy Day Activities: Get spooked at Tudor World
Delve into Tudor life with a series of rainy day activities at this interactive indoor museum, found in one of England's most haunted buildings.
Location: Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
Rainy Day Activities: Climb the walls of St Werburgh’s Church
Test your strength as you climb up the walls of this 15th-century church on an indoor activity break in Bristol.
Location: Bristol
Rainy Day Activities: Venture beneath the city on the Mersey Tunnel Tour
Take a sneak peak at the famous Queensway Mersey Tunnel - a unique indoor attraction close to Liverpool's bustling docks.
Location: Liverpool, Merseyside