Attractions
Architecturally stunning glass domes house tropical plants and the visual surprise of one of the world's rarest and most fragile of butterflies. One of the best things to do with kids is to visit one of the purpose-built, often eco-friendly flora and fauna venues dotted around the country. Should your brood be wannabe scientists and mechanics, top of your ‘places to go with kids’ list should be science centres with practical interactive exhibitions, while model railway museums are among the most popular attractions in England.
Bronze Age living at Flag Fen Archaeology Park
Travel back 3,500 years to discover a prehistoric causeway at one of the finest Bronze Age archaeological site in Northern Europe, discovered 1982.
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Visit the Diamond Isle
Enjoy a 10 min trip on the Needles Park Chairlift and go dinosaur hunting.
Location: Isle of Wight
Coast to countryside views from Arundel Castle
Explore Arundel’s rich history and heritage with re-enactments and family fun-days at Arundel Castle.
Location: Arundel, West Sussex
All aboard heritage steam trains at the Epping Ongar Railway
Pay a visit to Epping Ongar Railway, and ride on running steam and diesel engines between period stations, through countryside and forest.
Location: Chipping Ongar, Essex
Travel across Hampshire’s countryside on the Watercress Line
Witness the sights, sounds, smells and magic of steam travel from a bygone age and journey through Hampshire’s countryside on a restored steam train.
Location: Alresford, Hampshire
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 the 17th Century at Little Woodham
Discover what life would have really been like in 17th Century England.
Location: Gosport, Hampshire
Rainy Day Activities: Discover military history at The Royal Armouries
Britain’s national museum of arms and armour is home to a fascinating and unique collection, including the only existing suit of armour built for an elephant.
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Ride on down to the Didcot Railway Centre
Enjoy a trip to Didcot Railway Centre, whose magnificent restored engines will take you steaming through most of the Oxfordshire countryside.
Location: Didcot, Oxfordshire
Drift along on a Canterbury Historic River Tour
Take a boat trip along the River Stour for a relaxing and slightly different Canterbury experience.
Location: Canterbury, Kent
Explore the UK's first safari park at Longleat
Feed giraffes by hand and walk on the wildside with lemurs at this popular safari park, found in the picturesque grounds of historic Longleat House.
Location: Longleat, Wiltshire
Rainy Day Activities: Experience the underground world of Wookey Hole
There are legends aplenty about Britain’s biggest caves, where you’ll find a secret river and bewitching caverns.
Location: Wells, Somerset
Watch history come to life at Morwellham Quay in Devon
Take a living history lesson from the team at Morwellham Quay, a beautifully preserved Victorian village in the Devon countryside.
Location: Morwellham Quay, Devon
Live like a mediaeval knight at Warwick Castle
Experience an exclusive sleepover in your very own themed Lodge, set in a picturesque woodland grove on the river bank within the Knight's Village of Warwick Castle.
Location: Warwick, Warwickshire
Step on board HMS M.33, a small ship with a big history
Visit Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard this summer and you'll find a new addition to its amazing maritime collection.
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire