Best family days out across the UK in spring, from theme parks to living museums

Make memories on a weekend, bank holiday or half-term break by exploring a different part of the UK

Jousting tournaments at Hever Castle offer fun for all the family (Getty Images)

While children are often content with a trip to a local park and a café, they’ll always remember the days that they did something different and had an adventure.

From theme parks full of white-knuckle rides to magical castles and immersive outdoor living museums, there are plenty of world-class family-friendly attractions in the UK to explore.

Whether you live north, south, east or west in the British isles, you’re never too far from a fun family day out that will teach you something new or allow you to see the world from a different perspective. That could be physically, as you spin and twist on a rollercoaster, or intellectually as you experience how people lived in decades gone by.

And as the British weather finally starts to improve, it’s time to make the most of venues that have outside space and save the soft play and indoor entertainment venues for dreary winter days.

Here are eight amazing outdoor spaces to consider for your next family fun day this spring.

Hever Castle, Kent

Hever Castle (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This romantic double-moated 13th century castle in Kent was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and a tour of the inside will help you learn more about the history of the building and its residents. It’s also home to one of the best collections of Tudor portraits outside the National Portrait Gallery. But it’s likely to be the surrounding gardens that will provide the most entertainment for the younger visitors. There are several mazes – including a water maze – as well as a boating lake and a spectacular adventure playgroud that’s shaped like a mini castle. Jousting tournaments take place every weekend in the summer holidays and are compelling to watch.

Price: Adults, £20.80; children over five, £11.80. hevercastle.co.uk

Cheddar Gorge and Caves, Somerset

Cheddar Gorge (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There’s more to the Somerset village of Cheddar than being the birthplace of the famous Cheddar cheese. It’s home to the deepest gorge in the country and you can explore it both under and overground.

A full day explorer ticket gets you access to six attractions, including the magnificent Gough’s cave and the interactive Cox’s cave. A different chapter of the story of early man will be revealed as you pass through each of the cave’s chambers. On a clear, spring day it’s a joy to climb Jacob’s Ladder – 274 steps to the top – and scale 48 more to the Lookout Tower to take a look at the Mendips and beyond from up high. You can continue on the three-mile clifftop walk, which offers the chance to see breathtaking views and spot wildlife, from primitive goats to Soay sheep.

Price: Adults, £22.95; children over five, £17.20. cheddargorge.co.uk

Read more on family travel:

• The best UK holiday destinations for families
• Best family activities to celebrate King Charles’ coronation with kids
• 10 best family-friendly hotels in the UK

Beamish Living Museum, County Durham

Beamish Living Museum (Getty Images)

History comes alive at the Beamish museum in County Durham. Set across a huge space, there are different areas where you can fully experience life in the North East in the 1820s, early 1900s, 1940s and 1950s.

Visitors can ride on vintage fairground rides or try their hand at winning prizes on the side shows. At Rowley Station, you can take a ride on a real steam train that used to be a working engine in 1867. Or choose to take a trip on an old tram that will take you to a 1900s Colliery. If you don’t mind confined spaces, you can descend down a drift mine and experience the dark conditions coal miners had to endure.

Price: Adults, £22.50; children over five, £13. beamish.digitickets.co.uk

Dreamland Margate, Kent

Dreamland Margate’s scenic railway rollercoaster (By Peet13 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48152506)

Margate offers a lot for families wanting a day out beside the seaside. Dreamland is an amusement park dating back to the 1870s that’s well worth a visit. There’s a great line up of vintage and retro rides such as merry-go-rounds, dodgems, a big wheel, a ghost train and a giant helter-skelter slide. It’s also home to the UK’s oldest rollercoaster, the Scenic Railway, which first operated in 1920. Once you’re done with the rides, use up all that extra adrenalin at Dreamland’s Roller Room, which is an indoor roller disco.

Price: £40 for 20 ride tokens. dreamland.co.uk

Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure, Norfolk

A T-Rex at Roaar! Dinosaur Adventure (Getty Images)

The UK’s largest dinosaur theme park is located in Norfolk, with over 25 dinosaur themed attractions across 85 acres, complete with play areas, splash park, a theatre and a secret animal garden. Dinosaur fans of all ages will have a mammoth adventure, unearthing treasures in the X-Tinction Fossil Dig or swinging on the Predator High Ropes. Make sure to bring a change of clothes for everyone so they can fully enjoy Dippy’s Splash Zone – a water park with slides, fountains, cannon shoots and a giant water bucket.

Price: Adults and children over 90cm, £12.95. tickets.roarr.co.uk

Keighly & Worth Valley Railway, West Yorkshire

Oakworth station on the Keighly & Worth valley railway route (Getty Images)

Offering something for young transport fans, older history buffs and film fans of all ages, The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is a unique five-mile branch line railway set in the heart of West Yorkshire. Jump on heritage steam and diesel trains from the industrial landscape of Keighley to the stunning Brontë Country of Oxenhope. There are six stations en route, with different things to see at each one. Explore the world of Wuthering Heights at Haworth, and discover a beautiful Pennine village at Oxenhope. But the highlight is Oakworth station, the site of the 1970s version of the film The Railway Children. You’ll recognise the Edwardian booking office and station plaform from the film. If you have some energy left you can take the Railway Children’s footpath to Haworth – it’s a walk of a little more than a mile but easy going!

Price: Adult day rover tickets, £21; children, £11. kwvr.co.uk

Zip World Penrhyn Quarry, North Wales

The world’s fastest zip wire, Velocity 2 (Zip World)

Set in North Wales near the stunning Snowdon range, in what once was the world’s largest slate quarry, Penrhyn Quarry is now home to the fastest zip line in the world and the longest in Europe, Velocity 2. Fly 500m above the bright blue quarry lake at speeds of over 100mph while taking in incredible views of Snowdonia. With four parallel lines over two separate zip lines, Velocity 2 allows you to enjoy the experience alongside your family and friends. Riders have to be above the age of 10 but there’s a cute cafe at the bottom where those not participating can watch the action from a safe vantage point.

Price: £92. zipworld.co.uk

New Forest Water Park, Hampshire

Obstacles at the New Forest Water Park (New Forest Water Park)

Take part in a real life Total Wipeout aqua adventure course at the family-run New Forest Water Park in Hampshire. Navigate monkey bars, hurdles, wiggle bridges and a lifeguard tower but be prepared to get wet and then get back up and start again. It’s all about embracing your inner Ninja Warrior. Children are allowed to take part from the age of six; those aged 11 and over can also try other watersports such as kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.

Price: Adults and children over six, £20. newforestwaterpark.co.uk

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