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Family days out in London and the South East

Children playing in the spring garden at Sheffield Park, posing by the azaleas.
Enjoy a fun filled family day out this spring | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Looking for something to do with the kids? Discover the best family-friendly places to visit in London and the South East and enjoy great days out all year round.

Plan your next family adventure this spring and discover special places across the South East, from fairy-tale castles to medieval deer parks and more. Families can play in thousands of acres of woodland and parkland or let off steam in natural play areas. There’s buggy friendly routes, tree houses, story trails and children’s menus to fuel fun-filled days out, and on rainy days you can step inside sprawling mansion houses and explore famous homes to uncover secrets and stories from long, long ago. We've also got brand new family-friendly maps at Nymans, Hatchlands Park and Sheffield Park and Garden to help you create your family's own unique adventure. This Easter, there's a jam-packed programme of events happening at our places too, and in May you can join us for family-friendly story trails including The Very Hungry Caterpillar™, Moomins and Little People, BIG DREAMS®.

Easter adventures in London and the South East

Mottisfont, Hampshire
5 - 21 April 2025. Join us this Easter for a delightful mix of traditional and whimsical funfair games, perfect for the whole family! Test your skills with classic favourites like the 'Coconut Shy' and target practice, or dive into the excitement of ‘Hook a Duck’. For those ready to embrace a bit of hilarity, try our ‘Wacky Races,’ blending sack racing with an egg-and-spoon twist, and take on the playful ‘Clowning Around’ challenge!Plan your adventure
Hinton Ampner, Hampshire
5 - 21 April 2025. This spring, bounce along to Hinton Ampner with the whole family to take part in the challenges left by Bonnie the Bunny. Race around the garden to find activities including spreading your arms wide to check your winFind out more
Polesden Lacey, Surrey
29 March - 21 April 2025. This Easter, join Grizwald the Griffin on our Easter Trail, with 10 fun activities for all the family.Plan your adventure
Chartwell, Kent
5 - 21 April 2025. This Easter, go on an Easter Hive Hunt and learn about honeybees at Chartwell. Make your way along the trail and find activities for the whole family.Find out more
Sheffield Park and Garden, East Sussex
5 - 27 April 2025. Join us for an Easter adventure at Sheffield Park and Garden. Discover our family-friendly trail with fun activities for you to do along the way. Hook a duck, guess who and spot the imposter duck are just some of the activities you can experience at Sheffield Park and Garden.Plan your adventure
Hughenden, Buckinghamshire
29 Mar - 21 April. This spring, treat the whole family to a world of adventure at Hughenden on an Easter trail. Make your way along the trail and find activities for the whole family.Find out more
Nymans, West Sussex
29 March - 21 April. The annual Springfest trail returns to Nymans, an Easter trail with all the fun of a festival. Find your festival name, tell a joke at comedy corner or try some mindful yoga poses - all while taking in the beauty of the garden in spring.Plan your adventure
Emmetts Garden, Kent
5 - 21 April 2025. Roll up, roll up! This Easter, we’re bringing the magic of an Edwardian circus to Emmetts Garden. In the Edwardian era, the circus was a popular family pastime, where you could see daring acts, clever animals and enjoy lots of laughter. Now, you can step into that world with our circus-themed activities. Make your way along the trail and find activities for the whole family.Find out more
The Very Hungry Caterpillar image credit: ™ & © 2025 Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar image credit: ™ & © 2025 Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. | © The Very Hungry Caterpillar image credit: ™ & © 2025 Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Family-friendly story trails in the South East


Moomins

Nymans, West Sussex

Nymans invites you to take a magical wander inspired by Moomin valley this spring, with a family trail around the garden, meeting characters from the Moomin stories.  Find out more:


The Very Hungry Caterpillar™

Sheffield Park and Garden (East Sussex), Cliveden (Buckinghamshire) and Hatchlands Park (Surrey)

Join us for one of nature’s greatest transformations as you become the world’s most famous caterpillar from Eric Carle’s best-selling book The Very Hungry Caterpillar™.  Wiggle along the trail to spot juicy fruits and tasty snacks before emerging as a beautiful butterfly. Along the way you’ll digest fascinating facts and enjoy games and activities in our stunning gardens/grounds. Find out more:

 

Little People, BIG DREAMS®

The Vyne, Hampshire

Lively games and pioneering fun will encourage kids to ‘be bold, be brave’ and ‘dream big’ in The Vyne’s house and gardens where young readers can look out for vibrant illustrations from this best-selling biography series for kids by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. On this literary trail, discover remarkable true stories about inspiring people. In the gardens, try your hand at kangaroo pouch bean bag toss with Steve Irwin and ‘jam’ with Taylor Swift in the Summerhouse. Keep an eagle eye out with David Attenborough using binoculars at the bird hide and throw your own mini-theatre production with Hans Christian Andersen. Join Jane Austen in the house before browsing the shop for copies of these much-loved books. Find out more:

Two children walk down a path surrounded by daffodils doing the Easter trail at Osterley Park and House, West London
Exploring Osterley Park and House, West London | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Family days out in London and the South East

Hampshire
Treat the whole family to a fun-filled day out at our places in Hampshire. Discover a mansion house surrounded by babbling brooks perfect for playing pooh sticks at Mottisfont, or explore a Tudor house turned family home at The Vyne where your little ones can explore the outdoors in a natural play area created especially for younger children. If you're feeling adventurous, pull on your wellies and head out for a walk on the Hinton Ampner estate.Enjoy a family day out in Hampshire
Kent
Explore a medieval deer park, moated manor house, fairy-tale castle and more on a family day out in Kent. There’s all sorts of fun to be had, from playing in acres of gardens and parkland to spotting fish at Ightham Mote. Children can climb the two-storey treehouse and enjoy the brick built play house at Chartwell, reach new heights on the swings at Emmetts Garden and have fun in the Badger and Pepper play area at Scotney Castle, complete with mud kitchen, play house, toddler swing and a natural drum kit.Plan your visit
Surrey
Discover the best places to visit with your family around Surrey, home to an Edwardian party house, the Surrey Hills and a classic landscape garden. Children can enjoy the new adventure playground at Polesden Lacey or the natural play areas at Hatchlands Park.Enjoy a family day out in Surrey
Sussex
Enjoy a family day out this spring in Sussex. You can stroll along buggy friendly paths at Nymans to discover a Play Glade complete with mud kitchens, games and even a mini stage to let children's imaginations run wild. Wander through the Capability Brown designed landscape at Petworth, or step back to medieval times at Bodiam Castle where families can climb the steep towers, walk across the battlements, find the gun loops and spot 50-year old carp swimming in the castle moat.Plan your visit
Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire
Explore a world of lakes, hidden woods, enormous temples and twisted trees as you play and have fun on a family adventure at Stowe. Or head to the wild play trail at Basildon Park where little explorers can get adventurous on the balance beam, jump on the hopscotch and play with the ball run - there’s also plenty of space for some den building too. There's a natural play area at Hughenden and a woodland playground at Waddesdon, as well as plenty of opportunities to get closer to nature on a family walk at Cliveden and Grey's Court.Find out more
London
Escape the hustle and bustle of the city, and make memories to treasure on a family day out to National Trust places in and around London. There’s plenty to do, from a family bike ride and den building at Osterley, to a game of hide and seek at Ham House where over a mile of hornbeam hedge swirls around in an intricate geometric pattern.Plan your family day out in London
A family in the garden in spring surrounded by daffodils at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire

Where will you visit next?

Discover lots of gardens, historic houses, days out at the coast and more.

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A young family walk through woodlands on a sunny day, with daffodils in the foreground and green leafy trees in the background. The children are looking excited and wearing rainbow coats.

Family-friendly places to visit 

Looking for a family day out that'll keep everyone entertained? Find things to do with the kids at the places we care for near you.