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KIND TO THE WALLET · A HUDDLEPIN LIST

Free things to do in Kingston upon Thames with kids

Proper days out that cost nothing to get in: parks, museums, farms, trails and the free events on this month. Bring a picnic and you're done.

62 free places 33 free events this month 17 indoors

FREE EVENTS · NEXT 30 DAYS

Free events coming up

Free to attend. A few need a ticket booked in advance, and the listing says so.

Wed 7 October16 things on

Thu 8 October16 things on

Fri 9 October15 things on

Sat 10 October21 things on

Sun 11 October17 things on

Mon 12 October18 things on

Tue 13 October14 things on

Wed 14 October15 things on

Thu 15 October15 things on

Fri 16 October15 things on

Sat 17 October20 things on

Sun 18 October17 things on

Mon 19 October13 things on

Tue 20 October11 things on

Wed 21 October13 things on

Thu 22 October12 things on

FREE PLACES

62 free days out in Kingston upon Thames

26 outdoors for a fine day, 17 indoors for a wet one. Filter below.

Acton SkateparkFree

Acton Skatepark

London

A free outdoor park for skateboarding, BMX and blading, lit until 9pm so you're not racing the sunset.

Ashburton ParkFree

Ashburton Park

Croydon

A free playground for a quick outdoor run about, with parking on site so you can just turn up.

Outdoor playParkingToilets

Large theatre auditorium filled with audience members seated across multiple curved levels beneath illuminated stage lights.Free

Barbican Centre

London

A vast City arts building you can wander into free, with a café and restaurant to fall back on between whatever's on.

Accessible toiletCaféHearing loopRestaurant+2 more

Lewisham BMX TrackFree

Beckenham Place Park

Beckenham · ages 4-14

A free 24-hour park with a swimming lake, playgrounds, a BMX and skate park, and geocaching trails for kids from 4 up.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBirthday parties+13 more

Misty river at dawn with wooded banks reflected in still water under a pale sky.Free

Black Park Country Park

Slough

Woodland trails, a big adventure playground and Go Ape's treetop courses, with entry to the park itself free.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+3 more

Cedars ParkFree

Cedars Park

Waltham Cross

A free park with a play maze, ponds and woodland trails to wander with the kids, open from 7am all year round.

A performer in 18th-century costume with a blue feathered headdress reads from a letter in an ornate period room.Free

Chiswick House and Gardens

London

Free gardens to roam, a historic kitchen garden to explore, and a house you can only get into Thursday to Sunday.

Bike parkingBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+4 more

Children riding a water slide at a seaside amusement park on a sunny day.Free

Clarence Pier

Southsea

A seafront fairground of rides, arcades and adventure golf, paid for by the token or the wristband, whichever way you fancy losing money.

Baby changeIndoor playKids menuFood on site+3 more

Modern library interior with visitors studying and browsing books at tables and shelves, with natural light from large windows.Free

Dana Research Centre and Library

London

Free hands-on science galleries with experiments, retro video games and a space section, though you'll need to book tickets in advance.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBaby changeBooking required+12 more

Female performer singing into microphone on stage under red lighting with band in background.Free

Eastcheap Records

London

A 21+ cocktail and pizza bar with a strict door policy, so this one's for a night off without the kids.

LockersWheelchair accessible

Georgian mansion reflected in a still pond, surrounded by autumn foliage and manicured grounds.Free

Forty Hall Estate

Enfield

A Jacobean manor with free grounds to roam, a farm to visit and paid trails that turn the walk into a hunt for bones and bugs.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+6 more

Raised beds with vegetables and herbs in a paved garden area surrounded by trees and farm buildings.Free

Freightliners City Farm

London · ages 0+

Free N7 city farm near Highbury - animals and gardens; closed Tuesdays, donations welcome.

Group bookingsOutdoor playSchool visits

Pink cosmos flowers bloom in a garden bed in front of a brick building with arched entrance and windows.Free

Fulham Palace

London

Free grounds with a 500-year-old oak, a natural play area and free trails through the historic rooms.

Birthday partiesCaféGift shopGroup bookings+6 more

Spacious park with rolling green lawns, mature trees, and visitors gathered near facilities on a sunny day.Free

Golders Hill Park

London

Free small zoo, a walled garden and a proper playground, all with no entry charge and no need to book.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+3 more

Two pigs looking up at the camera in a straw-bedded pen.Free

Hackney City Farm

London · ages 0+

Free east London city farm on Goldsmiths Row - animals, gardens and cafe; donations welcome.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBirthday parties+9 more

Hayes Muslim CentreFree

Hayes Muslim Centre

Hayes · ages 16+

Youth football, Madrasah classes and Quran learning for over-16s and children, with membership at £10 a year.

Group bookingsMembership schemeParking

Woman and young girl planting flowers together in a sunny garden surrounded by potted plants and a red watering can.Free

Henry Street Garden Centre

Reading

A free-to-wander garden centre in Reading with a Christmas trail for kids and a proper restaurant for the grown-ups.

CaféRestaurant

Shaded woodland path lined with tall trees and dense green foliage in dappled sunlight.Free

Highgate Wood

London

Ancient woodland with a big playground, a sports field and a self-guided historic trail, and it costs nothing to get in.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféPublic transport nearby+2 more

HORTON'S STEAM FAIRFree

HORTON'S STEAM FAIR

Arundel

Vintage steam-powered fairground rides, a big wheel and old-school games set up for one weekend only in Arundel.

Hunterian MuseumFree

Hunterian Museum

London · ages 5+

Free anatomy museum with real specimens from John Hunter's collection, better suited to older kids than toddlers.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingDog friendly+3 more

Wooden bench and street sign among densely wooded trees on a woodland path.Free

Joyden's Wood

Dartford

Two waymarked woodland trails with a Saxon dyke to explore and free entry all year round.

Dog friendlyOutdoor playParkingPublic transport nearby+3 more

Kentish Town City FarmFree

Kentish Town City Farm

London

Free Camden city farm - UK's first - with goats, ponies and weekend animal sessions for families.

ToiletsAccessible toiletWheelchair accessiblePicnic area+4 more

Turquoise sea with sandy beach, seaside buildings and residential properties along the shoreline under a partly cloudy sky.Free

Kingston Beach

Shoreham-by-Sea

Free rock pools and a swim spot with limited parking, right by Shoreham-by-Sea.

Kingswood House (Bovril Castle)Free

Kingswood House (Bovril Castle)

London

Free arts sessions for under-fives, garden volunteering and a teen lounge, all in a grand old house with a car park that fills up fast.

Bike parking

Leg O MuttonFree

Leg O Mutton

London

A free mile-long walk round a quiet nature reserve, good for spotting herons, terns and roosting bats.

Outdoor play

Visitors walking towards the entrance of a brick museum building with promotional banners on a sunny day.Free

London Museum Docklands

London

Free museum with a soft-play family gallery for building tunnels, role-play and trails, right by Canary Wharf.

Baby changeBirthday partiesBottle warmingBreastfeeding friendly+11 more

Large stone lion statue on a pedestal surrounded by visitors in early twentieth-century dress, with buildings and trees in background.Free

Maiwand Lion

Reading

Free galleries of Roman finds, a Bayeux Tapestry copy and biscuit tins to hunt through, right by Reading station.

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopGroup bookings+4 more

Markfield Beam Engine and MuseumFree

Markfield Beam Engine and Museum

London · ages 1+

Free entry to a Victorian pumping station where the 1886 beam engine thunders into life on steaming days, plus toys, trails and a park playground.

Accessible toiletBike parkingCaféDog friendly+5 more

Farm animals grazing in a green pasture with a city skyline of tall buildings in the background.Free

Mudchute Park and Farm

London

Free Isle of Dogs city farm with animals, park walks and a kitchen cafe - proper London day out without the tourist fluff.

ToiletsCaféOutdoor playPicnics allowed+4 more

Visitors sit on benches outside a modern museum building with red signage and brick architecture on a sunny day.Free

Museum of the Home

London

Free period rooms, a playhouse and a sensory den to explore, with no booking needed and no minimum time limit on your visit.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingDog friendly+7 more

National Army MuseumFree

National Army Museum

London · ages 0-8

Free galleries about army history plus a soft-play zone, Play Base, built for the under-8s.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesCafé+7 more

Grand neoclassical museum building with columns and flags, framed by green trees, with visitors on the lawn below.Free

National Maritime Museum

London

Free galleries where kids land a Mars rover, climb through a sea-themed playground and walk into a galaxy box.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesCafé+8 more

A dinosaur skeleton sculpture towers above a tree-lined street facing the Natural History Museum's Victorian Gothic building and clock tower.Free

Natural History Museum

London

Dinosaurs, a blue whale and rainy-day halls in South Kensington - free entry, book timed tickets.

Booking requiredGift shopFood on siteWheelchair accessible+3 more

City skyline viewed from a green hilltop vantage point with trees framing the scene.Free

Parliament Hill Viewpoint

London

A steep climb up Hampstead Heath to a bench-lined summit with a proper panorama of the London skyline.

Open grassland with scattered trees and city skyline in the distance under partly cloudy sky.Free

Primrose Hill

London

A grassy hill with skyline views over London, a café for a warm drink, and space to spread a picnic blanket for free.

CaféOutdoor playPicnics allowed

Raphael ParkFree

Raphael Park

Romford

A free 44-acre park with a big fenced play area, twelve tennis courts and a lake to walk round until dusk.

CaféFood on siteParkingRestaurant+1 more

An adult and two children having a picnic at an outdoor table, with a yellow RAF helicopter display visible in the background.Free

Royal Air Force Museum London

London · ages 4+

Free entry to over 100 real aircraft, plus a Spitfire cockpit to sit in and an outdoor playground shaped like mini planes.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+15 more

Science MuseumFree

Science Museum

South Kensington, London

South Kensington free science galleries plus ticketed Wonderlab - Soft Play N never.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings+1 more

Aerial view of a brick building with a domed roof surrounded by mature trees and manicured gardens, with a white marquee tent alongside.Free

Serpentine South Gallery

London

Free contemporary art exhibitions in Kensington Gardens, with a digital guide that does a lot of the explaining for you.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+9 more

Classical musicians perform by candlelight on a high-rise venue with a glowing city skyline visible through floor-to-ceiling windows behind them.Free

Sky Garden

London · ages 0-16

Free glasshouse gardens 35 floors up the City, with wraparound views you get for the price of booking ahead.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredCaféDog friendly+3 more

A black and white goat eating hay in a farm enclosure with vegetation in the background.Free

Spitalfields City Farm

London · ages 0+

Free Spitalfields city farm with goats, sheep, hens and tea hut - Tue-Sun, donations welcome.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesDog friendlyGift shop+6 more

Staff member in green Squires uniform holding a slice of cake in a garden centre café.Free

Squire's Garden Centre

Stanmore

A free-to-enter garden centre with an aquatics room of tanks and reptiles, plus pottery painting and a café that stops hot food at 3.30pm.

CaféDog friendlyFree parkingIndoor seating+4 more

Three people jogging through a park past white flowering plants and bare trees in spring sunshine.Free

St James's Park

London

Free park by the lake where kids can spot pelicans and watch soldiers march down The Mall.

Stanley Picker GalleryFree

Stanley Picker Gallery

Kingston upon Thames

Free gallery shows by the river in Kingston, with a riverside terrace, baby changing and step-free access throughout. Open Tue to Sat, 11am to 5pm, during exhibitions.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+10 more

Row of treadmills with screens in a gymnasium fitness studio.Free

Streatham Ice and Leisure Centre - Active Lambeth

London

Olympic-sized ice rink, two pools and a soft play area under one roof, with free swimming for Lambeth kids under 11.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféStep-free access+2 more

Farm animals in outdoor enclosures with modern city skyscrapers visible behind converted waterside farm buildings.Free

Surrey Docks Farm

London

Free Rotherhithe Thames-side city farm with goats, pigs and a coffee shop - easy South London family stop.

ToiletsFood on sitePicnic areaPicnics allowed+5 more

Small bird with grey-blue plumage and orange-red breast perched among purple flowering plants.Free

Swinley Forest

Bracknell

Miles of forest cycling and an Iron Age hillfort to explore, with a science centre thrown in for wet days.

Blue badge parkingParkingPicnics allowed

Grand neoclassical museum building with white columns and pediment against clear blue sky.Free

Tate Britain

London

Free wander through five centuries of British art, with the world's biggest Turner collection and free tours four times a day.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+9 more

Young person studying at a table in a library reading room with other visitors in the background.Free

The British Library

London · adults only (18+)

Free gallery of genuinely famous manuscripts, but the Reading Rooms themselves are an over-18s, pencils-only affair.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBlue badge parkingCafé+8 more

Modern blue building with distinctive angular roof set amongst autumn woodland under cloudy sky.Free

the Design Museum

London

Free permanent collection on Level 2 covering how everyday objects get designed and made, plus school-holiday design camps for the older kids.

CaféGift shopLockers

A park in spring with yellow daffodils blooming beneath bare trees, visitors walking on paths in the background.Free

The Green Park

London

A big stretch of open grass and woodland walks in central London, free to wander from 5am to midnight.

Food on sitePicnics allowed

Wooden play structure with slide and climbing equipment in a green woodland setting.Free

The Look Out Discovery Centre Playground

Bracknell · ages 2-12

A free outdoor playground with equipment built to challenge kids from toddler age right up to the teenage bit.

The Royal InstitutionFree

The Royal Institution

London · ages 4+

Free entry to a museum of 200 years of scientific history, tucked in a Mayfair townhouse with family talks laid on too.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+5 more

Large stained glass window depicting agricultural and rural scenes, viewed through ornate wooden doorways in a historic interior space.Free

Two Temple Place

London

A grand riverside building near the Strand you can only get into on select dates, with an hour-long tour that actually goes somewhere interesting.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+3 more

V&A South KensingtonFree

V&A South Kensington

London

Free design museum in South Kensington - fashion, courtyard picnic and rainy-day galleries.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+5 more

Children petting and feeding goats in a wooden-fenced enclosure at a farm venue.Free

Vauxhall City Farm

London · ages 0+

Free-entry Vauxhall city farm near the station - animals and cafe; suggested donation about £4.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesCafé+8 more

Aerial view of historic brick buildings with decorative clock faces and red doors, surrounded by London rooftops and chimneys.Free

Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum

London

Original Victoria Line carriages, working Marshall engines and free Sunday entry, with a £67 dining experience aboard the tube if you fancy it.

Dog friendlyFree parkingMembership schemePublic transport nearby

Person riding a quad bike along a tree-lined autumn woodland path.Free

Warburg Nature Reserve, BBOWT

Henley-on-Thames

Free woodland reserve where kids follow a backpack trail spotting rare butterflies, orchids and birds from the hides.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingPicnic area+1 more

Two visitors viewing a classical bust sculpture displayed in a museum gallery case.Free

Wellcome Collection

London

Free galleries exploring health and the human body, with a library and daily tours thrown in.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféChanging Places+7 more

Large red-brick Georgian manor house with mansard roof set behind open parkland and fence.Free

West Horsley Place

Leatherhead

400 acres of footpaths, bridleways and a sensory garden to wander, with the manor house itself saved for ticketed open days.

Bike parkingBooking requiredCaféDog friendly+5 more

Historic stone and brick buildings housing the gallery and library, with pedestrians on the street below under clear blue sky.Free

Whitechapel Gallery

London

Free displays and artist-led activities in an east London gallery where under 16s never pay for the ticketed show.

Baby changeBlue badge parkingCaféCard only+9 more

Woodford ParkFree

Woodford Park

Reading

A free park with a splash pool for summer, a play area to burn an hour, and a quiet garden if you need five minutes' peace.

CaféFree parkingToilets

MAKE A DAY OF IT

Free entry, café on site

Free to get in, somewhere to warm up with a coffee when the kids have run out of steam.

Good to know: free days out in Kingston upon Thames

Are they completely free?

Entry is free at all 62. Some charge for extras (parking, a café, a paid trail or exhibition inside) and each listing spells out what costs what, taken from the venue's own price list.

Which free places are indoors?

Maiwand Lion, Markfield Beam Engine and Museum, National Army Museum, National Maritime Museum and 13 more are under a roof, the ones to keep for a wet day.

Where can I park for free too?

Ashburton Park, Beckenham Place Park, Black Park Country Park, Chiswick House and Gardens and 14 more have free parking listed, so the whole day genuinely costs nothing.

Whereabouts are they?

Across London, Croydon, Beckenham, Slough, Waltham Cross and 14 more, all in or around Kingston upon Thames, with the full address and directions on every listing.

PLAN A DIFFERENT DAY

What's on, when you need it

This weekend in full →
31 on right nowWED 7 OCT
Today

Everything open and on in Kingston upon Thames today, with times and prices.

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TomorrowThu 8 · 30 things onRainy days127 under a roofYOU'RE HEREFree62 cost nothing
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Plan Halloween

THE WEEKENDER

Next weekend, sorted. Every Thursday, free.

The best family things happening around Kingston upon Thames, one hidden gem, and a rainy-day backup plan, from a dad who's been there with a bored seven-year-old.

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Free things to do in Kingston upon Thames with kids