Visitors in the woodland in winter at Alderley Edge and Cheshire Countryside, Cheshire — Visitors exploring the woodland at Alderley Edge and Cheshire Countryside, Cheshire | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Family-friendly places in Cheshire and Greater Manchester

Plan your a family day out in Cheshire and Greater Manchester. We've got play areas, wildlife to spot, plenty of things to do when it rains and loads of activities for kids (and the young at heart).

Get close to nature, step into the past or run tired legs out in a play area – there's something for the whole family to enjoy whatever the season.

Family exploring the Christmas trail at Rowallane Garden

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Quarry Bank

Plan your family day out to Quarry Bank and discover all the family-friendly things to do no matter the weather. From exploring the mill, to enjoying one of our seasonal trails around the property.

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Dunham Massey

From roaming fallow deer to bug-rich gardens and the heritage and history in the Georgian House and 400-year-old mill, there's something for all the family at Dunham Massey.

Family walking at Fell Foot in winter, Cumbria

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Lyme

From running, skipping and jumping around Crow Wood play area and dressing up in period costume inside the house, to spotting red deer in the park, there’s something for everyone at Lyme.

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Hare Hill

Discover the secret gardens at Hare Hill, where little legs can roam safely; the perfect spot for a family day out.

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Little Moreton Hall

Whether you’re enjoying one of our self-led trails or the wibbly-wobbly floors, there's plenty of activities to keep the whole family entertained at Little Moreton Hall.

A child walking through the snow, being held by his hands, at Lyme, Cheshire

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At this special time of year, the Mansion will be decorated with iconic scenes from the Wizard of Oz, the gardens will be transformed at night into Yuletide, a glittering light trail, and visitors are welcome to walk, cycle and play in 1,000 acres of Parkland for free. There are lots of great trails, amazing viewpoints, and idyllic spots to relax and reflect. Call in at the Welcome Building for a free parkland map and explore! The wildfowl numbers on the meres will now be at its peak as visitors join us from the north to winter with us during our relatively mild winter.

Visitors in the Staircase Hall at Christmas, Tatton Park, Cheshire

Christmas around Cheshire and Greater Manchester

Celebrate Christmas in Cheshire and Greater Manchester and find lots of things to see and do with family and friends at Dunham Massey, Quarry Bank, Lyme, Tatton Park and more.

There’s nothing quite like playing outdoors. Swooshing down slides, clambering over logs and letting your imagination run wild. It’s no wonder that play areas are an essential part of many family days out. Here are some top places to play in Cheshire and Greater Manchester. 

A girl on a sledge in the snow at Lyme Park, Cheshire

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Crow Wood playscape at Lyme

Let off some steam and have fun with your family in the Crow Wood play area. It’s the perfect place to run, skip and slide. Get closer to nature on a walk through Crow Wood and see what wildlife you can spot in the mill pond.

Grandparents and a grandchild play together in the Log Stack play area in Dyffryn Gardens during the winter

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The log pile at Dunham Massey

Is it a ship? Is it a castle? Will you get eaten by sharks if you fall off a beam? The log pile in the north park is a play area at one with nature. Perfect for little ones with active imaginations, these carefully placed logs and branches create a casual play environment for children (and adults) of all ages.

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Playground at Quarry Bank

You can find the playground just beyond the Mill Yard. It's small but perfectly formed, giving little ones the chance to jump, balance and climb obstacles. And with picnic benches are close by, it's perfect for parents to take a break with a warm coffee.

Children playing in woodland at Alderley Edge and Cheshire Countryside, Cheshire.

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Woodland play at Alderley Edge

Test your balance on giant logs and pretend the mud is water or strike your best tree pose on a tree stump in the natural play area at Alderley Edge. Look around to see birds flit from branch to branch amongst ancient trees and the woodland floor.

Den building area at Cragside, Northumberland

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Natural play area at Hare Hill

In spring, summer and autumn little ones can escape to the hidden natural play area at Hare Hill and discover the magic amongst the nature that lives there. Make a secret den and create some look out points to spot wildlife. Cook up a storm in the mini-mud kitchen – you’ll find all the ingredients you need on the woodland floor beneath.

When it’s raining (and we get a lot of that in the north west) you have two options: find some indoor fun or grab your waterproofs and get stuck in! Luckily we have loads of suggestions for both…

Four visitors looking at the water wheel at Quarry Bank, Cheshire

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Explore inside the mill at Quarry Bank

Shelter from the rain inside the mill and feel the floors shake beneath your feet as the historic machinery whirrs and clatters into action. See one of the most powerful water wheels in the country spinning as the river flows beneath it.

Larger than life animals sat at the dining table in the Dining Room at Lyme. One of the many installations this Christmas in the house.

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Go Animal Crackers at Lyme

Lyme’s house has been taken over by magnificent and unusual beasts and this year they’re exploring winter traditions. Step inside to find interactive fun for all the family: monkey around as you learn to wassail, sing carols with the birds, and join the Lord of Misrule for a festive feast.

Child in a pink hooded jacket, pink trousers and turquoise wellies jumping in a muddy puddle, Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey

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Embrace the rain at Dunham Massey

Don’t let the rain keep you at home – there’s plenty of activities that you can get up to no matter the weather at Dunham Massey. Put on your wellies and splash in muddy puddles, or create a modern art masterpiece from squishy mud – you can find inspiration with ’50 things to do before you’re 11¾’ activities.

A jester, dressed in yellow and black with matching hat and astride a red hobbyhorse, greets visitors at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire

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Enter the unique house at Little Moreton Hall

Step inside the wonky house at Little Moreton Hall to travel through Christmas past, without the need for a time machine! Be entertained by a jovial jester and listen to live Tudor music.

Discover a world of endless adventures with our pick of some of the best things for teenagers to do in Cheshire and Manchester. Round up your friends and family and get exploring.

The silhouettes of a child and adult in front of three very twinkly Christmas trees filling the side of a room

Christmas days out for older kids

Get into the Christmas spirit and experience houses dressed for the season. Find glistening Christmas trees, listen to festive music and treat yourself to a gingerbread latte from a café.

A woman in a velvet green dress smiles and poses for a photo in front of a swathe of snowdrops in the woodland at Stowe.

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Become a budding photographer

Full of far-reaching views, vast wildlife and picturesque buildings, the places we care for are a young photographer’s dream. Walk across moors and woods at Lyme to get seasonal snaps of surrounding counties and Manchester’s skyline, photograph the fallow deer at Dunham Massey, or get creative with the quirky angles of Little Moreton Hall’s black-and-white Tudor house. Click here for top photography tips.

Grand house with columns reflected in a lake and surrounded with autumn trees at Lyme Park, Cheshire

Step into the small screen

Discover the places that provide the backdrop for some of your favourite TV shows. Jane Austin fans can step inside Pemberley, Mr Darcy’s home, in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice (1995) at Lyme. You might recognise some of Tatton Park from Peaky Blinders (2013–2022) and Sherwood (2024), while The Mill (2013–14) is based on the lives of millworkers at Quarry Bank during the industrial revolution.

Children cycling on the Explorer Trail in Comer Woods at Dudmaston, Midlands

Arrive by bike

Bring your bike and take a trip through sheltered woodland or through the deer park at Lyme – there’s even a short but challenging mountain bike trail here too. And did you know that if you arrive on a bike to Lyme, Quarry Bank or Dunham Massey you can get 10% discount in the café? All three sites are close to national cycling routes and places to lock up bikes when you arrive.

A person holding a reusable cup filled with coffe

Tuck into a sweet treat

Rounding off the day with a sweet treat and hot drink are a key part of any visit. From breakfast baps and toasties, to doughnuts and brownies, and lots of vegan options too, we’ve got something for everyone. Or grab a coffee to takeaway before your walk – we’ll even give you 25p off your drink if you bring your own reusable cup.

Discover more family days out in the North of England and Wales with plenty of places to play, explore, and create memories.