Making memories with your family doesn’t need to be expensive. Here are more than 60 free days out in Bristol and Bath for you to explore. There are a few with very minor spends e.g. parking, cafe visit or nominal entry fee. There is a shorter bullet point version that you can save on Instagram.

⭐New for this year, download a free printable Bingo Bucketlist of free days out for 2025!⭐ Ours is going on our fridge!

Windmill Hill City Farm

Windmill Hill City Farm has a variety of animals, a fairy garden and vegetable garden, a great family friendly cafe, gravel digger play, small play area, sand pit, picnic spots and a garden theatre! This is one of my favourite recommendations for maternity leave and with toddlers.

📍 Philip St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4EA

⏰ Open 7 days a week, 9AM to 5PM. Toilets and baby changing.

Grimsbury Farm

Grimsbury Farm is the biggest city farm locally. There are a number of animals across the enclosures and paddocks. There is a duck pond and picnic spots. There is a play area with a wooden tractor, slides, a swing and wooden climbing apparatus. You can buy animal feed for sheep and goats for £1. The cafe has indoor and outdoor seating, and is run by the Brandon Trust charity whom support people with learning difficulties in employment. There are often seasonal trails which are inexpensive, and sometimes cupcake decorating events in the cafe.

📍 Grimsbury Road, Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, BS15 9SE

⏰ Open April – October: Tues to Sun 9AM-5PM, Nov – March closes Tues to Sun 9AM-4PM. Mondays term time access only to the café and playground, but bank holidays or school holidays the whole farm is open on Mondays. Toilets.

Bath City Farm

Beautiful city farm with stunning views of Bath. Fun play area with a variety of apparatus, next to a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the play area. Great selection of animals and interesting breeds. They regularly have family events worth a look. See our post Animal feed can be purchased for £1 for goats or ducks & chickens. You can go in the ducks & chickens pen to feed them.

📍 Kelston View, Whiteway, Bath, BA2 1NW

⏰ Opening hours Tues-Sat 9-4, Sun 9.30-4. See cafe opening hours

Hartcliffe City Farm

Hartcliffe City Farm has a new indoor play barn and cafe. There is an outdoor play area, lots of animals e.g. pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, geese and guinea pigs, a pond, outdoor seating and gravel/construction vehicle play!

📍 Hartcliffe City Farm, Lampton Ave, Bristol, BS13 0QH

⏰ Open 7 days a week 9am – 4pm
☕️ The Hay Bale Cafe is newly opened so check socials for opening times as these may change

St Werburghs City Farm

More compact than some of the other city farms mentioned, but packs plenty in and it is definitely worth a visit. Farm animals, a cafe and a small wooden adventure play area. It is also close to some colourful eco houses which are nice to wander around. See our reel of our visit on Instagram.

📍 Watercress Rd, Bristol, BS2 9YJ

⏰ Open 7 days a week 9AM-5PM, Cafe usually open Fri – Mon.

Lawrence Weston Community Farm

Community City Farm in the North of Bristol. Open Tues – Sun 9.30-4.30pm. Hosts some free and inexpensive events.

📍 Lawrence Weston Community Farm. Saltmarsh Drive, Bristol, BS11 0NJ

Willsbridge Mill

Fairy garden, wildlife garden, pond, cafe, woodland river walk, forest school (pre-booking only £). Keep an eye out for free family events such as the annual duck race.

📍 Willsbridge Hill, Willsbridge, Bristol, BS30 6EU

⏰ Cafe opening hours vary seasonally. Winter opening hours Mon, Weds, Thurs & Fri 10-2.30, Weekends 9.30-4. Toilets at cafe same opening times.

Bristol Harbourside and Millenium Square

Look for boats at Bristol Harbourside, and head to Millenium Square for water play splashing and paddling fun! Have an ice cream overlooking the water or take a picnic to have in Queen Square. Wapping Wharf also has amazing food options! Also look at visiting MShed and Arnolfini in this list.

📍 Wapping Wharf Car Park, 29 Wapping Rd, Bristol BS1 4RH

Stoke Park Sculpture Trail

Head to Stoke Park for a beautiful wooden sculpture trail. There are giant conkers, a dragon, owl, fox, deer and more animals! See our post

📍Park near the entrance by 270 Romney Ave BS7 9TD and follow the path east then north into the Long Wood. If you look on google maps you can see the locations of some of the sculptures in the woods. Here is the sculptures trail and map, but please note some of the newer ones are not included. There is also this activity sheet. The newer sculptures are not on google maps, but they are visible from the path across the open space to the south of Long Wood.

🚻 No facilities on site, but Boston Tea Party at Cheswick Village is a short drive or 10-15 min walk from the entrance.

Westbury Wildlife Park

Our last visit comprised of puddle jumping, pooh sticks, playing and babyccinos/coffee! Mrs G’s cafe serves coffees and mostly sweet treats, with a play kitchen and colouring. Toilets with baby change. There is a great little play area with a climbing frame and tubes and balls. There is a small duck pond and short river walk. This is quite a small site, so probably best for younger children and you would probably spend 1-2 hours here. See our latest post

Little Foxes Forest School are based here (pre-booking and £).

📍 Trym Rd, Bristol, BS9 3ET. Park in the village.

⏰ Open seasonally usually Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but closed in Winter. Check socials for updates.

Chew Valley Lake

Lovely lakeside walk and fabulous fish & chips with a view! (Or take a picnic) Just pay for parking £2 for 2 hours or £4 whole day 🚗

Great paths for scooters and bikes! When we last went there were so many blue dragonflies, other bugs, geese and ducks. There is also a great play area with a fun adventure course. Dogs on leads. Toilets. See our latest post

📍 Walley Lane, Bristol, BS40 8XS

Arnos Vale Cemetery

Arnos Cemetery has woodland walks and a free scavenger hunt available in the shop! There is a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating in a beautiful woodland enclave in the city. It is a nice place to explore and they have low cost family events on during school holidays e.g. themed stomping stories, crafts, pond dipping. Next to it is Arnos Court Park which has a decent play area (you can walk through from the top of the Cemetery or via the A4). There is some free parking on site. See our latest post

📍  Bath Rd, Arno’s Vale, Bristol, BS4 3EW

⏰ Open everyday 9-5PM. Cafe and toilets 10-4PM.

Kingsgate Park, Yate

Fantastic adventure play areas, pond with ducks and swans, steams to paddle and a stone throws away from the Vintage Birdcage Cakery which is a beautiful cafe! See this blog post for more information.

📍 Sundridge Park, Yate, Bristol BS37 4EP

Ashton Court Estate

Ashton Court Estate comprises a mansion house and extensive grounds with a deer park. It is beautiful for a walk. If you are lucky you might see a hot air balloon taking off from here! Free to visit – just need to pay for parking. Great for scooting/bikes and dog friendly. Cafe and toilets! There is a miniature ride-on railway by the golf course which is open on select dates and costs a small fee (£1.75 per ride). More info

📍  Kennel Lodge Rd, Bristol, BS3 2JT

⏰ Open everyday from 8AM and closes between 5.15-9.15PM depending on the time of year Check here

Blaise Castle Estate

Big play areas, river and woodland walks, small castle, lots of open space for playing and picnics (popular meet up spot for families), cafe, toilets, dog friendly. Pay for parking.

📍 Kings Weston Rd, Bristol, BS10 7QS

Clifton Suspension Bridge

This iconic Bristol landmark is worth a visit! There is a play area just behind the toilets. There are some nice view points around the Clifton Observatory, as well as the well known rock slide!

📍 Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4BA

St George Park

Lovely park in East Bristol with a duck pond, play areas, skate park and cafe kiosk. See our post

📍 Church Rd, Whitehall, Bristol, BS5 7AA

Rainbow Wood, Bath

Fairy woodland trail and magical adventure play area with pirate ship. Idea: Take some gold coins with you and dig for buried treasure! Read more about it in our blog post.

📍BA2 7BR

Weston-super-Mare Beach

Beach day at Weston-super-Mare. It is a popular tourist spot so it can get busy. Good selection of ice cream and sometimes donkey rides available (£). It is only dog friendly out of season.

📍 Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1AL

Ty Sculpture Trail

Woodland walk, sculpture trail, and great trees for climbing! Free parking is available at Jacklands Fishing Lakes which has a cafe and shop that you are encouraged to support (open 9am – 4pm Weds-Sun). They had coffee, cakes and cheese toasties and sunny outdoor seating. See our post

📍 Jacklands Fishing Lakes, Jacklands Bridge, Bristol, BS21 6SG

Hengrove Park

The biggest play area in Bristol! It is huge and has lots for all ages. There is an adventure dome that you can climb in, sand play and other apparatus. There *may* be new water play coming in the future TBC. The skate park is suitable for skateboarders and BMX riders. Cafe and toilets.

📍 Hengrove Park, Hengrove Way, Hengrove, Bristol, BS14 0HR

⏰ Skate park always open. Play park has varying hours check here. Usually open 7 days a week.

Royal Victoria Park Playground, Bath

Bath’s biggest play area! There is so much to do and it has a carousel and bouncy castles seasonally. Cafe and there are toilets for 20p. There are also some Botanical Gardens. It is approx 6 minutes walk to the Royal Crescent which is a lovely setting for a picnic. We tend to park on the street north of the play area or park at Charlotte Street Car Park.

📍 Bath, BA1 2LZ

Brean Down & Beach

Take a walk along Brean Down Headland to discover a fort (a scheduled ancient monument) and have a beach day! Brean is under an hour from Bristol. You can either drive and park on the beach or park at the National Trust Brean Down car park. There is a National Trust cafe and toilets. Dog friendly! For more information see the Council’s pages on beach access and car parking charges. See our post.

📍 235 Warren Rd, Brean, Burnham-on-Sea, TA8 2RR

Page Park

A beautiful well kept park in East Bristol. Lots of scooting opportunities, two play areas and The Bean Tree Cafe – which sometimes hosts shows and other family events. See the Bean Tree Cafe page for the latest events.

📍 Bristol, BS16 5LU

Vassall’s Park (Oldbury Court Estate) and Snuff Mills

Great play area, cafe kiosk and toilets in Vassall’s Park. Lovely river walk in Snuff Mills. These directly link to each other. Walk down the hill at the park to find the river. There is a good paddling area – usually full of dogs!

📍 Bristol, BS16 2JN

Luke Jerram’s Palm Temple & Royal Fort Gardens

A free sensory day out! In front of the Chemistry department at the University of Bristol is Luke Jerram’s Palm Temple which feels like you are in a kaleidoscope! Royal Fort Gardens is beautiful with a pond, mirror maze, bug hotel and more public art. I recommend visiting these alongside the RWA and/or Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

📍 Luke Jerram’s Palm Temple, Senate House, School of Chemistry, Tyndall Ave, Bristol, BS8 1TH. It can be accessed from the stairs to the east of the Wills Memorial building and follow signs for the Chemistry Department.

A short walk up the rainbow stairs and you will find… 📍 Royal Fort Gardens, Bristol, BS8 1UH

The Wave

Free to visit as a spectator. Watch surfers, big play area, on-site games and a cafe. Paid activities include surfing sessions, other water sports and play in the bay sessions.

📍 Washingpool Farm Main Road, Easter Compton, Bristol, BS35 5RE

⏰ Open Weds – Sun Check times

Alice Park, Bath

Alice Park has a mini cycleway is a great place for children to practice cycling and road safety on a pretend road system, or just fun for roleplay! The cycleway is within the park and has a mini roundabout, pedestrian crossing and a number of signs.

Alice Park also has a cafe with indoor and outdoor (covered) seating, overlooking a good sized play area. Toilets 20p and take contactless payments. Small car park with free parking.

📍 Alice Park, Gloucester Rd, Bath, BA1 7BL

Cabot Tower

Cabot Tower in Brandon Hill Park is a Grade II listed tower built to commemorate John Cabot. Climb the 109 spiral steps to great views of Bristol. There is also a play area in the south of Brandon Hill, and toilets.

The tower is open Mon to Sun from 8am, closing times vary from 5.15-9.15 depending on the time of year. Check here

📍Brandon Hill Park, Park St, Bristol BS1 5RR

Sydney Gardens, Bath

Sydney Gardens in Bath is a lovely play area with some sand and (seasonal) water play. It is next to the Holburne Museum which does cost to visit except for occasions e.g. Bath Museums Week. Cafe and toilets (20p) in the park, and cafe in the Holburne Museum.

📍Sydney Pl, Bathwick, Bath, BA2 4DB

Glastonbury Tor

Hike up Glastonbury Tor for a beautiful view! We have previously parked in one of the central car parks and walked from there.

📍Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, BA6 9EL

Cribbs Water Garden

The Water Garden is a great summer activity at Cribbs Causeway. Last year there was a wooden pirate ship, giant bubble machine, water play and stream, tipi with cushions, giant jenga, connect four and a play kitchen. There is often an ice cream van at the top. Details of the set up for 2025 is yet to be announced. Check Cribbs socials for announcements and further details.

📍 Merlin Rd, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5DG

Clevedon Promenade

Park at Salthouse Fields Car Park next to the play area, have a stroll past Clevedon Marine Lake and along the promenade. There are a number of cafes. The pier has a small cost to enter. There is also a nice walk beyond this to Layde Bay, or the other direction Poets Walk.

📍 Salthouse Fields Car Park, Salthouse Rd, Clevedon BS21 7TR

Portishead Lake Grounds

A lake to walk around which has pedalos seasonally (£). Play area, skate park and cafe.

📍Lake Grounds Car Park, Lake Rd, Portishead, Bristol BS20 7JE

Somerset Lavender Farm

Lavender fields to walk around, shop and cafe with lavender cream tea. Dog friendly – on leads. The fields are usually at their best June – August. Free entry but asks for a donation for the upkeep of the farm. Pre-booking not required.

📍 Horsepond Farm Faulkland Nr, Radstock, BA3 5WA

⏰ Open seasonally May-Sep Weds – Sun 10AM-5PM. Also open bank holiday Mondays.

University of Bristol Botanic Gardens – Wednesdays

I have included as Wednesday entry is DAISY day (donate as it suits you – £1, £3, £5 or £7. Other days are usual entry fees.

Beautiful gardens to explore and we did a children’s scavenger hunt on our last visit. There were so many bees! There is a nice cafe (Chandos Deli) with indoor and outdoor seating, and toilets with baby changing. See our latest post

📍 Stoke Park Rd, Stoke Bishop, Bristol, BS9 1JG

⏰ Open every day 10AM – 4:30PM, except for winter closure Check for updates

St Andrews Park Paddling Pool

St Andrews Park Paddling Pool is open 24/7 during the summer, usually opening in June until September. Check for pool opening updates. The park has a play area, coffee van and toilets.

📍 St Andrews Park, Maurice Road, Bishopston, BS6 5BZ

MShed

Bristol Museum with free entry. Lots to see and buttons to press. The floor map of Bristol and bus are popular with children. Little MShed kids area on the first floor has roleplay and other toys.

Check out free events at MShed. Museum Explorer sessions for under 4s are currently running monthly – free but require pre-booking. Take a steam train ride on Bristol Harbour Railway from M Shed select dates seasonally for £3 single £4.50 return, children under 6 free. Visiting exhibitions sometimes incur a fee.

📍 Princes Wharf, Wapping Rd, Bristol, BS1 4RN

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Free entry to the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery with collections of art, nature and history on display. There is a kids area with dressing up and a play theatre!

📍  Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1RL

⏰ Museum Open Tues – Sun 10AM-5PM

RWA

Free access to the Cafe, Family Activity Space, Shop, Kenny Gallery, and Lower Ground Floor exhibition spaces. The Family Activity Space has fun and creative resources! There is dressing up, books, iPads with art apps, puppet theatre, stencils, drawing, chalk board, and more! Some exhibitions require tickets to enter (£).

⏰ Hours usually Tuesday – Sunday: 10am – 5pm but check their website for any updates

📍 Royal West of England Academy, Queens Rd, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1PX

Scribble and Sketch

Free Family Art Workshops on Saturdays organised by the RWA. For 2025 these are held once a month at: Hartcliffe City Farm (1st Saturday of the month), Windmill Hill City Farm (3rd Saturday of the month) and Greenway Centre Cafe in Southmead (4th Saturday of the month). 10.30-12.30 Check dates here

Arnolfini

Contemporary Arts Centre with free exhibitions and family workshops. See what’s on. The Art Cart (help yourself crafts) is on the second floor. There is also a cafe and bookshop.

📍 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA

⏰ Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11AM-6PM

Bristol Cathedral

Free to visit and has a Pinkmans cafe with indoor and outdoor seating, toilets. Keep an eye out for Crafty Cathedral sessions which are free craft sessions (donations welcome). Unless there is an event on, this would likely be a relatively short visit so best paired with a visit to Central Library, harbourside activities or Bristol Museum & Art Gallery/RWA/Palm Temple/Royal Fort Gardens.

📍 College Green, Bristol BS1 5TJ

Spike Island

Free to visit art exhibitions (donations welcome). Baby Art Hour for under 5s are held regularly (requires pre-booking and on a donation basis). It is also a short walk from the harbourside for a stroll along the water, and the girl with the pearl earring Banksy is nearby.

📍 Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Road, Bristol, BS1 6UX

⏰ Open Weds – Sun 12-5pm

Libraries

Libraries (especially the larger ones) often have a children’s area. Most do rhyme time or storytime sessions for children, reading challenges and special events. See Bristol Libraries Facebook & Eventbrite, South Glos Libraries Facebook & Eventbrite. BANES Libraries Facebook & Eventbrite

Children’s Centres

Check your local children’s centre for free activities such as sensory classes and stay and play. Find your local children’s centre in Bristol, South Glos & BANES

Farrington’s Farm Park

Farrington’s Farm Park is free to visit. It is an enclosed fun play area with tractors to climb on, big wind chimes, sand pit, wagons to sit in down a slope, picnic benches, and lots of room to run around! Also free: farm animals to see, a straw pool and in the summer there is a slip and slide! Also at Farrington’s is the Farm Shop, Cafe and Soft Play (£). They do not allow your own picnics, but you can purchase food/drink from the cafe – they have kids lunch boxes and a good variety of food.

📍  Main St, Farrington Gurney, Bristol BS39 6UB

⏰ Farm park open daily April – September except when it gets too wet (check their Facebook for updates before you go or call 01761 452266 option 3)

Chew Moo’s Ice Cream

Ice cream parlour, some farm animals, and a toddler play area in a field with lots of space to run around. Free to visit but nice to buy ice cream whilst you are there.

📍Graylands Farm, Upton Ln, Dundry, Chew Magna, Bristol, BS41 8NR

⏰ Opening times can vary so check their Facebook or call to check 07917 322736 but often Fri & Sat 10AM-5PM, more in holidays. Closed Jan & Feb.

Cadbury Garden Centre

Cadbury Garden Centre has an area for pets, an aquarium and you can pay a small fee to feed the fish. My two love running around here! It is free to browse, but the soft play incurs a cost. We highly recommend visiting at Christmas as they go all out with singing reindeers and decorations which are free to see. It also has a large cafe.

📍 Smallway, Congresbury, Bristol, BS49 5AA

⏰ Open Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM & Sun 10.30AM-4.30PM

Newton Farm Shop

Farm shop, pigs to see (often piglets!), and the cafe has an area with tractor ride ons and a play house. You would need to buy something from the cafe to use this area but you can just go for a coffee and babyccinos. Check the menu here.

📍 Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BT

⏰ Cafe open Monday to Saturday 9AM – 5PM and Sunday 9AM – 4PM

Bath Soft Cheese

This is a lovely cafe and farm shop. Check the cafe menu here for what to expect. Best to pre-book a table as it gets busy. There are farm animals, an outdoor wooden play area, you can watch cows being milked and cheese being made a specific times, and a number of walks start from here. See our post with more information.

📍 Park Farm, Bath, BA1 9AQ

⏰ Cafe Mon – Fri 9-4, Sat 9-5, Sun & Bank Hols 10-4.30 check for updates

Wolfridge Alpaca

It is free to walk around the alpaca field for cafe visitors. There is a £1 information trail for children. The cafe menu can be found here. Alpaca experiences are available to book at a cost. They host workshops and activities in school holidays for a fee details here.

📍 Alpaca Barn, Wolfridge, Forty Acre Ln, Alveston, Bristol, BS35 3QU

⏰ The cafe is open Tuesday to Saturday 9.30AM – 5PM, Sundays 10AM – 4PM. Closed on Mondays (except some Bank Holidays)

Palette and Pasture

Ice cream parlour free to visit with tractor ride ons and gravel digger play. There are a few animals to see. They have various seasonal trails over the year that have a cost. In good weather there are inflatables which are £5 for 30 minutes play.

📍 Trudoxhill, Frome, BA11 5DL

⏰ Check website or Facebook for opening times as this is seasonal

Leaf and Ground, Dursley

Play area, garden shop, cafe, walk around a small lake.

📍 Dursley Rd, Dursley, GL11 6PP

Poplars Farm Cafe

Farm cafe, with a play area, and usually has pigs

📍 Poplars Farm, Bristol Rd, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol BS36 2AW

Bristol Light Festival

Bristol Light Festival is on 31 Jan – 9 Feb 2025. There will be a number of light installations within the city centre. These are really impressive and some are interactive. Do not miss it! See our reel from last year for what to expect, but most light installations change each year aside from Swing Song are a regular! More info

Festival of Nature

Festival of Nature 6-15 Jun 2025. Lots of events, family nature parties, wildlife workshops, walks and talks, and more! More info

Gromit Unleashed Trail

Gromit Unleashed Trail 30 Jun – 31 Aug 2025. Sculpture trail of gromit and other character sculptures! I loved the first trail and can’t wait to do this with my children. This will be a great free activity across the summer holidays! More info

Bristol Harbour Festival

Bristol Harbour Festival 18-20 Jul 2025 A free festival around the harbourside to celebrate maritime history and Bristol. There are performances on the water, music, various other performances and an area for families. Our highlights from previous years were the baby race, the sand and water play, face painting and meeting a mermaid! We enjoyed a stroll around the harbour first thing seeing all the boats and going on the wheel in millennium square. It is an action packed weekend with lots on. See our reel from a previous year.

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

Bristol Balloon Fiesta 8-10 August 2025. This is a fantastic hot air balloon festival filled with mass ascents and night glows! Free to attend, but you need to pay for parking. More info & book parking

National Lottery Open Week

National Lottery Open Week will return from Sat 15 – Sun 23 March 2025. Free entry to a number of days out with a National Lottery ticket, Instant Win Game, or scratchcard (physical or digital). Locations TBA but this usually includes some National Trust properties amongst other days out. More info

Free National Trust Pass Days Out

Visit a local National Trust estate such as Tyntesfield, Dyrham Park or Prior Park with a free family National Trust Pass. These are released periodically throughout the year via news outlets and In Your Area. Follow our stories to be notified of how to claim yours!

Bath Museums Week

Free entry and activities at a number of museums in Bath! Date for 2025 TBC but this is usually Oct/Nov. Check for updates