Family-friendly things to do at Kingston Lacy

Published:: 25 January 2023

A family enjoying a picnic in front of a mansion house — South Lawn is perfect for a picnic | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

From natural play areas to family crafts, Kingston Lacy is a great day out for those with children. Whether you take your bike for a spin along the Woodland Trail or bring a frisbee for a game on South Lawn, plan your day spending time together.

Planning for your summer

Check out our plans for the summer – prepare for a whole festival of fun with dancing, puppetry, activities and adventures galore from 20 July.

The Festival Field will be set up every day with picnic benches, storybooks, a bouncy fruits racetrack, a rainbow tickle tunnel and plenty of play equipment to entertain everyone from the littlest babies to the oldest great grandparents. You can pack a picnic or pop into the cafe for refreshments throughout the day.

There's also an animal trail where you'll get to bounce like a bunny, shuffle like a badger, or hiss like a snake, and down at the Kitchen Garden you'll find giant games (Snakes and Ladders for younger visitors or chess if you like a challenge!).

Each week has different activities to keep your little ones amused: there'll be pop in crafts (learn to write your name in hieroglyphs, make a monster puppet or make a flower windmill), free storytelling sessions and morning dance parties. There'll be a takeover by the ranger team in the first week of August, with special activities to help us create a home for and discover the nature that is all around us.

There's so much to see and do, you may not be able to get it all done in a day. But don't worry, you can come again and again to enjoy the mixture of events, activities and permanent play spaces at Kingston Lacy. You'll want to spend the whole day here so round up friends and family for a summer sunshine play date to remember.

Yoga for children

Take a deep breath, relax and connect at these 45-minute sessions, specially designed to engage children in the physical and mental benefits of yoga with plenty of fun along the way. Join us under the sail shade for a 45-minute yoga session led by instructor, Clary Hughes. There are two sessions, one suitable for children from 18 months to 4 years old and one adult, and the other for children aged 5-11 years. Booking is essential, check the event listing for prices and to book.

A child in a yellow summer dress playing on wooden stepping stones, with bunting behind — Join us a summer of play at Kingston Lacy | © National Trust Images/Betsy Ogilvie

Outdoor theatre this summer at Kingston Lacy

Illyria is back! On 29 August the award-winning company presents Doctor Dolittle, a timeless classic for the whole family. Pack a picnic and a chair or blanket, and come along to a magical evening of entertainment. Booking essential, tickets £11 for children and £18.50 for adults.

(Adults may want to check out our other summer theatre performances: Shakespeare's Hamlet on 12 Jul or 25 Jul).

Festival of Archaeology at Badbury Rings

Uncover 4,000 years of history at Badbury Rings on 13 and 14 July, with a weekend of family-friendly guided walks, hands on activities and art activities, part of the Council of British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology.

You'll be able to get creative with plenty of art supplies – will you draw the rings as it exists today, imagine it in the future, or daydream about the past? Whatever you create you might like to enter them in Otter Gallery’s Wimborne Young Artist of the Year competition (suitable for 0-16 years).

We'll be joined by National Trust staff, archaeologists and rangers, so you can discover more about the history of Badbury Rings, how it connects to other hillforts and some of the items unearthed during archaeological digs. You'll be able to have a go at wattle and daub – getting a taste for how some of the original buildings at Badbury Rings would have been made – and discover the location and style of a roundhouse.

Adults may like to check out the three guided walks in July, led by National Trust archaeologist, Martin Papworth, that uncover not only the Iron Age at Badbury but also the Romans in Shapwick and the mediaeval manor at Kingston Lacy.

A small child in a blue hat pores over a tray full of pottery — What will you uncover at the Festival of Archaeology? | © National Trust Images/Clive Whitbourn

British Sign Language events

We are planning a number of BSL signed events in 2024: a tractor-trailer ride, a bug hunt and a family-focused conservation tour in the house. We'll be putting dates and times up as soon as we know them, and keep an eye on our facebook or Instagram feeds for more information.

Tractor and trailer rides

Who doesn't love a tractor and trailer ride? These ticketed events this autumn will get you up close to Kingston Lacy's iconic Red Ruby Devon cows, so you can discover the part they play in conserving this beautiful place. Booking essential, 25 and 28 Sept.

Planning your family-friendly visit to Kingston Lacy

Free entry for under 5s.
Baby-changing facilities in access-friendly toilets.
Play areas on the Woodland Trail and in the Kitchen Garden.
Children’s menu available from the Stables Café.
Pocket money gifts and children's books available in the shop.
Buggy-friendly route around the Woodland Trail.
Buggy store near the second-hand bookshop (buggies are not allowed in the the house).

Play areas at Kingston Lacy

Set your little explorers free at our two play areas. Scramble, clamber and slide in the Woodland Trail play area, where the equipment might be a castle, a ship or a fort – let your imagination decide! You can build your own den or trace the finger maze or stroke the wooden animals; the equipment encourages children to connect with nature. Then hop over to the Kitchen Garden, where the play area takes inspiration from its surroundings for younger children; you can take a ride on a wooden cow, plant wooden veg in the mini greenhouse and relax on the buddy swing, suitable for even the smallest babies.

Looking for quiet spaces?

If you and your little ones need a moment of calm, there are lots of corners at Kingston Lacy to chill out. The Fernery is usually a good bet, and there are benches where you can sit and listen to the sound of the fountain. Every Wednesday till the end of October, the Acer Glade is a dedicated Silent Space from 2pm, where both adults and children have the chance to stop and connect with the nature around them.

Afternoons are normally less busy than mornings at Kingston Lacy, so if you prefer fewer people around, try and visit after 2pm.

A father and son on wooden play equipment — The play area in the Woodland Trail | © National Trust / Katherine Watts

Coming with a buggy?

Most of Kingston Lacy's paths are easily navigated with a buggy, even the trail that runs right round the parkland. Many of the paths are wide enough for you and a friend as well.

If you'd prefer to leave your buggy while you visit, there is a buggy store near the second-hand bookshop in Laundry Courtyard. There are free lockers there as well, if you want to leave a picnic or anything else bulky while you explore. Ask at reception when you arrive and our staff will direct you to the right place; it's also shown on the Welcome leaflet, which you can pick up at reception.

We're sorry, but buggies are not allowed in the house. The buggy store is close to the entrance so there's not far for little legs to travel.

Food and drink

You'll find lots of options for children at the Stables cafe, where there's a special children's lunch box, as well as other treats. Highchairs are available, which you can usually find in a corner of the cafe but please ask our staff if you don't see one.

You can also find a drinks and snacks trailer in the Kitchen Garden; we sometimes have to close this due to staffing pressures, so check at reception whether it is open on the day you visit.

Breastfeeding?

We welcome breastfeeding everywhere at Kingston Lacy, including the Stables cafe. Please ask if you would like hot water to make up a bottle. Our planned infrastructure changes will soon provide a quiet room for those that would prefer some privacy or a quiet space.

Things to do in the garden

Kingston Lacy's South Lawn is the perfect place to spread out a rug in the summer. Bring a picnic or pick up your favourite treats from the Stables cafe. Don't forget the frisbee or tennis ball – but take care, there could be other people snoozing in the deck chairs! We're sorry, but dogs are not allowed on South Lawn.

See if you can find the owls in the Fernery, the sundial on the path to Lime Avenue and the obelisk hidden in Blind Walk.

If you've brought your four-legged friend, head out on the Woodland Walk or into the parkland instead. There are picnic benches available at the play area in the Woodland Walk.

The woods are filled with wild flowers and birds, so you can check off a few of the '50 things to do before you're 11¾' (see below if you need some more inspiration). Head to the Kitchen Garden to find a bird-feeder station, where there's a bench for you to sit quietly and watch blue tits, finches and robins.

Don't forget to go exploring on the Woodland trail round the parkland (see below) – it's perfect for a cycle ride as well as a longer walk.

Things to do in the house

Kingston Lacy is a very special family home, full of extraordinary stories and amazing things. Ask for the children's trail booklet at the entrance hall, which will help you spot some of the most interesting objects. How many different animals and birds will you be able to see in all the paintings?