Free things to do in Leicester 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

Alvaston Park

Derby · ages 0-99

Free 85-acre riverside park with a PlayZone, BMX track, science garden and a lake to walk round, with a café for when everyone flags.

Accessible toiletCaféFree parkingOutdoor play+2 more

Attenborough Arts Centre

Leicester

An arts centre with galleries, family workshops and Sunday drop-in sessions for kids who fancy getting stuck into art rather than just looking at it.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBike parkingBlue badge parking+8 more

BACKLIT

Nottingham

A free contemporary art gallery in Nottingham with step-free access, open Thursday to Sunday afternoons.

Step-free access

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

Beacon Hill Country Park

Woodhouse Eaves · ages 0-99

Rocky trails, a hazel maze and a log train play area, with woodland walks that change character through the seasons.

CaféDog friendlyOutdoor playPicnic area+1 more

Belgrave Library

Leicester

Free book borrowing and a homework club for school-age kids, with wifi and no overdue fines for under-16s.

Wi-Fi

Bradgate Park

Newtown Linford

830 acres of free deer park to roam, with a ruined house and Old John Tower to aim for.

ToiletsAccessible toiletParkingCafé+6 more

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

Chaddesden Park

Derby · ages 0-99

Free park with a BMX track, water play and football pitches, plus a café that shuts mid-afternoon.

CaféFree parkingOutdoor playPicnics allowed+2 more

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

Derby Cathedral

Derby

Free to walk round, with a tower tour worth booking and monuments that'll keep older kids busy for a bit.

ToiletsCaféGift shop

Derby Museum and Art Gallery

Derby · ages 0+

Free city museum on The Strand - Joseph Wright gallery, Royal Lancers displays and a Coffee House.

Bike parkingCaféGift shopFood on site+3 more

Fineshade Wood

Corby

Five play areas, a Room on the Broom trail with the Witch and Dragon dotted through it, and a cycle trail to burn a whole morning on.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféCard only+6 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

Great Central Railway (Nottingham)

Nottingham

Free site entry, £3 parking and a flat, buggy-friendly 25-acre site with steam trains, old buses, mini railway rides and a dog-friendly café.

Baby changeBike parkingBlue badge parkingCafé+13 more

Green's Windmill & Science Centre

Nottingham · ages 0+

Free-entry restored windmill, science centre and garden in Nottingham, climb the mill (when not under repair), try science experiments, and let the kids run round the community garden.

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings+6 more

Hamilton Library and Learning Centre

Leicester

Free book borrowing, computers and wifi, plus events for all ages, no charge to get in.

ToiletsWi-Fi

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

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

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

Manor Fields Park

Sheffield

Free park with two playgrounds, a sandpit and a boardwalk, plus Tudor ruins you can touch but not climb.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesKids menu+4 more

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

Museum of Making

Derby · ages 0+

Free entry to a museum built on Derby's 300 years of making, with workshops and maker spaces to poke around in.

Bike parkingBlue badge parkingCaféGift shop+3 more

National Gas Museum

Leicester

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

ToiletsFree parkingBike parking

Naturescape Wildflower Farm

Langar, Nottingham

A free-to-visit wildflower garden with two ponds, a play area and a tearoom for cake afterwards.

CaféDog friendlyGift shopIndoor play+6 more

New Art Exchange

Nottingham

Free gallery visits and a Saturday art club with hands-on making, right opposite the Forest tram stop.

Allergy awareBlue badge parkingCaféGroup bookings+4 more

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 Arboretum

Nottingham

Free tree trail walks through 800-plus trees on flat paths, right by Nottingham's tram stops.

CaféDog friendlyFood on siteOutdoor play+5 more

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

Nottingham Heritage Railway

Ruddington

Steam and diesel trains, a miniature railway and a working bus depot to explore near Ruddington.

ParkingToiletsCaféGift shop+1 more

Nottingham Industrial Museum

Nottingham

Volunteer-run heritage museum in Wollaton Hall's stables, free entry for accompanied kids, five hands-on galleries, and monthly Steaming Days when the engines actually run.

CaféGift shopGroup bookingsFood on site+2 more

Nottingham Society Of Artists

Nottingham · adults only (18+)

A free city centre gallery showing work from Nottingham's artists, open to over-18s only.

Nottingham Winter Wonderland

Nottingham

Free entry to Old Market Square festive site - skate, Sky Skate, Observation Wheel and market stalls once you book the paid bits.

Food on sitePublic transport nearbyCard only

Nutbrook Canal Ilkeston

Ilkeston · ages 6+

Learn to fish on the Nutbrook Canal with Canal & River Trust coaches - kit, bait and day licence included from age 6.

Free parkingBooking required

Oakthorpe Picnic Site

Swadlincote

A free picnic spot with accessible paths, free parking and dogs welcome, open longer hours through the summer.

Dog friendlyFree parkingPicnic areaWheelchair accessible

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

Pickford's House

Derby · ages 0+

Free Georgian townhouse museum on Friar Gate - rooms, toys and a garden shop, Tue-Sat 10-5.

Bike parkingFree parkingGift shopParking+2 more

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

Queen's Park

Loughborough

A free park with a zip line, five-way swing and sensory play equipment, plus a proper café for coffee afterwards.

CaféOutdoor playParkingPicnics allowed

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

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

Snibston Colliery Park

Coalville

Free parkland on an old colliery site with a mountain bike trail, a pump track, a playground and lakes for fishing.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféOutdoor play+3 more

St Margaret’s Pastures Skatepark

Leicester

An outdoor concrete park with flat banks, ledges, grind rails and a full-length quarter, free to skate any time.

Bike parkingParkingPublic transport nearbyToilets

Stonebridge City Farm & Gardens

Nottingham

Nottingham - Stonebridge City Farm free community farm. Donations welcome; barn from noon; car park fills fast.

Booking requiredCaféFree parkingGift shop+9 more

Surface Gallery Limited

Nottingham

Free contemporary art shows in a small Nottingham gallery, open only when there's an exhibition on.

Swanshurst Park

Birmingham

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

Triumph Factory Visitor Experience

Hinckley

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

Booking requiredCafé

Two Queens Leicester

Leicester

Free gallery exhibitions, drop-in art workshops and oil painting courses in a step-free space near Leicester train station.

School visits

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

Watermead Country Park

Leicester

Free country park with a Jurassic play trail, a lake full of birds and meadows thick with dragonflies.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingDog friendlyOutdoor play+3 more

Westcotes Library

Leicester

Free book borrowing, public computers and wifi, plus events for children as well as adults.

ToiletsWi-Fi

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