Rainy day ideas

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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Enjoy splendiferous fun at the Roald Dahl Museum

Ever wondered where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory started? This family-friendly museum has answers for children and adults of all ages.

Location: Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire

 
The domes of the Eden Project at night

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: Uncover underwater secrets at Blue Planet Aquarium

Discover clown fish, reef magic, giant octopus and plenty more indoor activities as you immerse in this underwater world.

Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire

 

Get on board at the National Railway Museum

The world's largest railway museum is home to a staggering collection of restored locomotives, including the fastest steam engine of all time.

Location: York, North Yorkshire

 

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

 

Rainy Day Activities: Enter the magical Warner Bros Studio Tour

Step inside the wizarding world of Harry Potter at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London and feel the films magically come to life.

Location: Leavesden, Hertfordshire

 

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

 

Pedal like an Olympian around Lee Valley VeloPark

Lee Valley VeloPark at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a hub of cycling activity for beginners through to the elite.

Location: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 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

 
Little girl inside astronaut costume at the National Space Centre

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

 

Rainy Day Activities: Explore history at Winchester’s Military Museums

Broaden your knowledge of the British Army and the various battles fought throughout history at Winchester’s six Military Museums.

Location: Winchester, Hampshire

 

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: Get hands on at the National Football Museum

Explore the world's largest football collection, learn about the history and culture of England's national sport and take part in other footy-related indoor activities at Manchester's National Football Museum.

Location: Manchester, Greater Manchester

 

Rainy Day Activities: Visit Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum

Find out how Manchester’s famous inventions helped shape the modern world, from the world’s first steam-powered mill to the splitting of the atom, at this fantastic indoor attraction.

Location: Manchester

 

Rainy Day Activities: Get spooked in the Blackpool Tower Dungeon

Tales of Lancashire's dark history and scary stories galore lay ready and waiting in Blackpool's spookiest indoor attraction, the Blackpool Tower Dungeon.

Location: Blackpool, Lancashire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Be an engine driver for the day at STEAM

Try your hand at changing the signals, drive a model steam engine and walk under an 80 ton train at STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway.

Location: Swindon, Wiltshire

 

Visit Europe's largest library

The Library of Birmingham houses a million printed volumes, the largest number held by any public library in the UK.

Location: Birmingham, West Midlands

 

Nine floors of silver-screens

A visit to the National Media Museum is a must if you love photography, film, television, animation, gaming or the internet.

Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire

 

Rainy Day Activities: Watch films in style at The Electric Birmingham

Lounge on a sofa with a drink in hand and watch the latest blockbusters at the UK's oldest working cinema.

Location: Birmingham, West Midlands

 

Rainy Day Activities: Find out what lies beneath Exeter

Escape the rain to explore Exeter’s Underground Passages and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum - ideal indoor attractions for a drizzly day.

Location: Exeter, Devon

 

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

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