Free things to do in Coventry with kids

Abbey Fields

Kenilworth

A free park with a play area, a lake and easy flat paths from the car park, good for a no-cost couple of hours outdoors.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféPushchair friendly+2 more

Abbey Pumping Station

Leicester

Industrial museum with beam engines and vintage vehicles - free entry, but only open on holiday Mondays and special event days.

ToiletsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor playPicnic area+3 more

Allesley Park Library

Coventry

A free local library with a proper children's section, a teen zone and a sofa corner for reading together, no booking needed.

Baby changeToiletsWheelchair accessibleWi-Fi

Bagots Castle

Coventry

Free ruins of a 14th century castle to poke about in, with a visitor centre and a picnic spot, open weekends only.

Picnic area

Brandon Reach Nature Reserve

Coventry

A free wander through wild habitats where you might spot a woodpecker, a grass snake or a carpet of spring bluebells.

Bike parkingDog friendlyFree parkingWheelchair accessible

Buddha Boutique

Coventry

A crystal and spiritual gift shop in Coventry stocked with hand carved fluorite hearts, incense, singing bowls and bohemian clothing.

Caludon Castle Park

Coventry · ages 0-99

A free park with a play area for younger children, walking trails and outdoor gym kit to work through.

Outdoor playParking

Claybrookes Marsh Nature Reserve

Coventry

Free flat-trail walking through marshland, muddy in winter but an easy wander from March to September.

Clowes Wood Nature Reserve

Solihull

Free woodland walking trails with a proper bluebell show in spring, and mud underfoot once winter sets in.

Dog friendlyParking

Coventry Canal Basin

Coventry

A free wander along the towpath and old canal buildings, good for stretching legs without spending a penny.

ParkingToilets

Daventry Country Park

Daventry

Free to get into, with an adventure playground, a reservoir to walk round and a café for when everyone's flagging.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+4 more

Foxton Locks

Market Harborough

Free walk around Britain's longest staircase locks - optional short canal cruises at weekends from spring to October.

ToiletsAccessible toiletBlue badge parkingCafé+6 more

Glenfield Tunnel

Leicester

Seasonal guided walks into a historic 1829 railway tunnel near Leicester - free with donation, book via LIHS.

Booking required

Hartshill Hayes Country Park

Nuneaton

Free woodland park with a play area and walking trails, plus a hill worth the climb if you fancy the view.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesCaféDog friendly+6 more

Hatton Locks

Warwick

Free canal walk past 21 locks stacked up a hillside, with a flat towpath that's easy going for buggies.

CaféParkingToilets

Heart of England Forest Coxmere Wood

Stratford-upon-Avon

Free waymarked forest walks with den building and bug hunting through holiday clubs, no ticket needed.

Outdoor playParking

Highbury Hall

Birmingham · ages 0+

Free entry to a historic hall with model railways, old bicycles and family walks around the grounds.

Hilltop Farm & Zack's Barn

Leamington Spa

A working farm shop and café where you can watch the animals over breakfast and let the kids clamber over a real combine harvester.

Allergy awareCaféDog friendlyIndoor seating+3 more

Hilltop Garden Centre

Coventry

A free outdoor play area tacked onto a garden centre café, handy for breaking up a shopping trip with the kids.

CaféDog friendlyFree parkingOutdoor play

Jephson Gardens

Leamington Spa

Free gardens with a lake full of ducks, a play area in Mill Gardens, and flowerbeds and sculptures to wander past on the way.

Accessible toiletBaby changeOutdoor playPicnics allowed+3 more

Lapworth Museum of Geology

Birmingham

Free museum of fossils, rocks and prehistoric creatures on the University of Birmingham campus, no booking needed.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingGift shop+4 more

Leamington Studio Artists

Leamington Spa

Free local art exhibitions across two Leamington Spa spaces, with printmaking and art workshops on offer too.

Leicester Cathedral

Leicester

A free-to-enter cathedral with a Richard III history gallery, guided tours and quiet corners worth a wander with kids.

ToiletsCaféGift shop

Leicester Guildhall

Leicester

Free 600-year-old timber Guildhall with medieval galleries and a family quest - open daily near the Cathedral.

ToiletsWheelchair accessibleGift shop

Leicester Museum & Art Gallery

Leicester

Free museum on New Walk with dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt and Leicester Stories - some galleries shut for redevelopment.

Blue badge parkingGroup bookingsLockersPicnic area+4 more

Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield

Wander a genuinely huge medieval cathedral for free, spot the carved Lichfield Angel, and climb the library's spiral steps if legs allow.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+4 more

Lickey End Recreation Ground

Bromsgrove

A free outdoor play park with a spider net crawling into a slide and climbing wall, toddler swings and a rope swing for the bigger ones.

Free parkingOutdoor play

Lightwoods Park and House

Smethwick

Free park with a play area, skate park and outdoor gym, plus a restaurant if you fancy skipping the packed lunch.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesDog friendly+6 more

Little Jungle Soft Play

Coventry · up to age 8

Coundon Soft Play for under-8s with under-4s zone and Jungle Cafe.

CaféFood on siteParkingBirthday parties+3 more

Manor Farm Park

Birmingham

Free park with two playgrounds, meadow trails and wooded bits to explore, plus spots for a picnic.

Outdoor playPicnic area

Market Bosworth Country Park

Nuneaton

Free-to-enter country park with a play area, an arboretum and wildflower meadows to walk through, though parking soon adds up.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingOutdoor playParking+3 more

Meriden Park

Birmingham · ages 0-17

A free, fully staffed adventure playground with a zip line, sandpit and a real fire pit for cooking and fire safety chat.

Booking requiredOutdoor playToilets

National Gas Museum

Leicester

Free gas-history museum with 500+ exhibits - temporarily closed until 13 October 2026 for maintenance works.

ToiletsFree parkingBike parking

Newarke Houses Museum

Leicester

Free social-history museum with toys, a 1950s street and gardens - limited Saturday and holiday opening, so check dates.

School visitsGroup bookingsPicnic areaLockers

Nottingham Beach

Nottingham

A free pop-up beach with sand, a pool and paid rides in the middle of the city, open all summer.

Card onlyCash onlyToilets

Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery

Nuneaton

Free museum with hands on history sessions and make and take craft activities alongside art exhibitions.

Accessible toiletCaféToiletsWheelchair accessible

Oak House Museum

West Bromwich

A half-timbered Tudor and Stuart house with original 17th century rooms to poke round, plus a playground for afterwards.

Accessible toiletOutdoor playSchool visitsStep-free access+1 more

Outwoods, Leicestershire

Loughborough

Ancient woodland walks, a natural play area and a bird feeding station, with bluebells in spring and free entry all year.

CaféGroup bookingsOutdoor playParking+1 more

Parking for Newbold Quarry Nature Reserve

Rugby

Free walking trails around a nature reserve, with breeding toads to spot if you visit in spring.

Perry Hall Park

Birmingham · ages 0-99

A free park with a sensory garden, a full-size grass football pitch and paths that are easy going with a buggy.

ParkingToilets

Playland Fun Park

Stourport-on-Severn

A pay-as-you-go ride park on the river with go karts, bumper boats and a pony ride, plus riverside meadows for a picnic.

Picnic area

Pooley Country Park

Tamworth

Free woodland park with a balance trail, a clue-hunt walk and soft play upstairs in the café, for the cost of parking.

Birthday partiesCaféDog friendlyIndoor play+5 more

RSPB Sandwell Valley

Birmingham

Free reserve of meadows, lakes and woodland trails where kids can go wild-play spotting and get properly muddy.

Baby changeBlue badge parkingFree parkingOutdoor play+3 more

Rugby Visitor Centre

Rugby

Free maps, heritage trails and guided town walks that turn Rugby's rugby history into an easy afternoon out.

Accessible toiletDog friendlyWheelchair accessible

Saltwells Local Nature Reserve

Brierley Hill

Free nature trails through a nature reserve where kids can spot dragonflies and birds without you booking a thing.

Sheldon Country Park

Birmingham · ages 0-99

Free farm animals, a playground and a flat nature trail, with planes coming into land right over the fence.

Accessible toiletCaféFree parkingPushchair friendly+2 more

Snibston Colliery

Coalville

Former-miner surface tours plus the Into the Dark coalface simulation - no real underground, but a proper Leicestershire pit day out.

ParkingBlue badge parkingEV chargingCafé+7 more

Stoke Library

Coventry

Free book browsing and a toddler rhymetime session, with wifi and toilets on hand for a rainy Coventry morning.

ToiletsWi-Fi

Swanshurst Park

Birmingham

A free park with a playground and a patch of woodland to poke about in, no rides despite the label.

The Exchange

Birmingham

A free city centre exhibition space with step-free access, a proper café and long opening hours to build a day around.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesDog friendly+3 more

Tocil Wood and Nature Reserve

Coventry

A free woodland walk on the edge of Warwick University, best between April and July when it's not a mudbath.

Triumph Factory Visitor Experience

Hinckley

A free 90-minute tour round a working motorcycle factory, plus an exhibition on Triumph's history.

Booking requiredCafé

Wall Roman Site

Lichfield

Free Roman ruins and a small museum on the edge of Lichfield, with a bathhouse footprint you can walk right up to.

Free parkingToilets

Wappenbury Wood Nature Reserve

Rugby

A free waymarked woodland trail with bluebells in spring and old trees worth stopping to guess the age of.

Free parkingPushchair friendlyWheelchair accessible

War Memorial

Coventry

Free to visit, with a visitor centre, a skate park nearby, and a bistro for whoever needs feeding.

CaféGift shopFood on siteParty rooms+1 more

Wicksteed Park

Kettering · ages 0-8

Over 25 rides, a duck-feeding lake and a miniature train, with a wristband that lets small legs go round again and again.

Birthday partiesBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+8 more

Wistow Model Village

Wistow

Peer into a walled-garden model village of 75+ buildings, mini railway and canal - free, donations to charity.

Free parkingToiletsCafé

Wren's Nest

Dudley

Fossil hunting on free geological trails where you might spot the Dudley Bug on a guided walk.

Blue badge parkingPushchair friendlyWheelchair accessible