England Family-Friendly Sightseeing, Attractions & Activities

recommended places to visit and things to do with children in England


Longleat House

Warminster

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  • film/tv location
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  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • virtual tours
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  • shop
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  • visitor centre
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  • antiques
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  • art
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  • history
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  • local history
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  • social history
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  • walking
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  • wildlife

lose yourself in the world's longest hedge maze, visit the Elizabethan stately home or drive through the world famous safari park

Woburn Abbey

Woburn

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • visitor centre
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  • antiques
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  • art
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  • history
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  • local history
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  • nature
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  • TV
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  • walking
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  • wildlife

set in a magnificent deer park, the ancestral home of the Russell family for nearly 400 years has many attractions, including a famous wild life reserve

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • guided tours
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  • architecture
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  • food & drink
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • social history

former home of The Priors of Nostell and Mayor of York - rediscovered behind modern facade in 1980s - restored to original 15th century splendour - magnificent Great Hall

  • historic house
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  • museum
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  • something different!
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • pre-booking advised
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  • National Trust
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • architecture
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experience an evocative and intimate insight into living in Back to Back housing from the1840s to the 19790s

Breamore House

Fordingbridge

  • historic house
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  • garden
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  • family-friendly
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  • seasonal opening
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  • café
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • architecture
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  • art
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  • ceramics
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  • history
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  • social history
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  • needlecraft
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  • walking

little changed since completion in 1583 - wide variety of paintings - tapestries - porcelain - 17th century needlework - rare James I carpet - period furniture - tea barn

The Workhouse

Southwell

  • historic house
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  • something different!
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • National Trust
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  • architecture
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  • social history

built in 1842 as the last resort for the destitute, the stories of the people who lived and worked here help tell the poignant history

Hill Top Farmhouse

Near Sawrey

  • historic house
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  • museum
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • pre-booking advised
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  • National Trust
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  • guided tours
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  • shop
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  • Beatrix Potter
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • local history
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  • social history
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  • literature

surrounded by a picturesque garden, Beatrix Potter's beloved farm house was the source of inspiration for many of her famous stories

Kenwood House

London NW3

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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • free admission
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  • open year round
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  • English Heritage
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  • café
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  • walking

with paintings by world famous artists Rembrandt and Vermeer, this hidden gem offers a unique look at an elegant Georgian mansion

Cotehele

St. Dominick

  • historic house
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  • open year round
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  • National Trust
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  • café
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  • antiques
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  • history
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  • social history
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  • needlecraft
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  • walking
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  • wildlife

atmospheric Tudor house with medieval roots, working mill on historic quay with a restored Tamar Sailing Barge and glorious gardens

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • seasonal opening
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  • architecture
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • social history

restored 15th century stone cottage suggested as the home of Mary Newman, the first wife of Sir Francis Drake - atmospheric

Brantwood

Coniston

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • open year round
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  • café
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  • art
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  • geology
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  • history
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  • local history
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  • social history
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  • politics

for 28 years, the home of John Ruskin, scientist and art collector, with many personal artefacts, including his extensive geological collection