Free things to do in Northwood with kids

Aldenham Country Park

Borehamwood

A free-to-enter country park with a Winnie the Pooh trail, weekend adventure playground and a working farm to feed.

Birthday partiesCaféCard onlyCash only+10 more

Ashburton Park

Croydon

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

Outdoor playParkingToilets

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

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

Carpenders Park Garden Centre

Watford

Free to wander in, with a pumpkin patch that goes after-dark in October and kids' gardening tools to try in the shop.

Dog friendlyFree parkingFood on siteParking+1 more

Cedars Children's Centre

Harrow · ages 0+

Free SEN and sensory room sessions plus preschool play, running 8am to 6pm on weekdays.

Sensory room

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.

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

Chorleywood Community Library

Rickmansworth

Free rhyme times, story sessions and LEGO clubs for 5 to 11s, plus Hublet tablets and computers to book. Shut Tuesdays and Sundays.

Toilets

Colne Valley Regional Park

Uxbridge

Wooden climbing challenges, a sand pit and river dipping in a chalk stream, spread across open countryside outside Uxbridge.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+6 more

Croxley Green Library

Croxley Green · ages 0-12

Free to walk into, with Baby Rhyme Time, LEGO clubs for five to elevens and a Thursday you can only get in by PIN.

Blue badge parkingParty roomsWheelchair accessibleWi-Fi

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

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

Denham Country Park

Uxbridge · up to age 12

Free country park with an Adventure Zone playground for under-12s, sand to dig, and a flat 1.3 mile walk that takes a pushchair.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+6 more

Eastcote House Gardens

Pinner

Free gardens with a meadow ecology trail, a bug hotel booklet to fill in, and a walled garden with a Tudor dovecote to poke around.

CaféFirst aidOutdoor playPicnics allowed

Emerald Frames and Gallery

Gerrards Cross · ages 0+

Free to walk round a working frame workshop and gallery above Gerrards Cross, open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.

Emmanuel Church, Northwood

London · ages 0-18

Free English conversation practice on Wednesday mornings in term time, plus a Friday foodbank and a Sunday service with groups for kids.

Blue badge parkingParkingPublic transport nearby

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

Freightliners City Farm

London · ages 0+

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

Group bookingsOutdoor playSchool visits

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

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

Greenford Library

Greenford · up to age 5

A small community library where Thursday's free Story Time for under-fives is the main event, plus books to borrow.

Group bookingsMembership schemeParty roomsToilets

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

Hare Krishna Temple Watford - ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor

Watford · up to age 14

Free entry, a playground, woodland and cows, with a free lunch at 1.15pm if you time it right.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingBooking requiredCafé+12 more

Hawks BMX

Hayes · ages 1+

A free BMX track you can lap whenever no session's on, though training days need booking through an app and a full face helmet.

Booking requiredMembership schemeOutdoor playPublic transport nearby+1 more

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

Heartwood Forest

St Albans

Free waymarked walks through England's largest new native forest, with wildflower meadows and a community orchard to explore.

Bike parkingBlue badge parkingFree parkingOutdoor play+4 more

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

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 FAIR

Arundel

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

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

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

Kingston Beach

Shoreham-by-Sea

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

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 Mutton

London

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

Outdoor play

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

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 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

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

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 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

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

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

North Watford Library

Watford · ages 0-12

Free rhyme times, Storytime and LEGO clubs for babies through to twelve-year-olds, plus quiet Saturdays if your lot need the calm.

Blue badge parkingGroup bookingsHearing loopMembership scheme+4 more

Northwood Recreation Ground

Northwood

Free park with a playground, ball court, tennis courts and cricket pitch, open from 9am and closing as late as 8pm in summer.

Outdoor playParking

Oak Farm Library

Uxbridge

Free to walk into, with books for every age and a bookable magic table that's worth ringing ahead about.

Birthday partiesGroup bookingsParty roomsWi-Fi

Old Ticket Hall

Windsor

Late-night live music from 10pm to 2am, Thursday to Saturday, this one is for the adults, not the kids.

Parliament Hill Viewpoint

London

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

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

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 Museum

South Kensington, London

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

Birthday partiesBooking requiredGift shopGroup bookings+1 more

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

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

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

St James's Park

London

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

Stanmore Library

Stanmore

A free children's library with baby books, picture books and homework help, plus a quiet grown-up section for the wait.

Baby changeToilets

Stockwood Discovery Centre

Luton

Free museum galleries, walled gardens and an old carriage collection to wander, plus outdoor play if the kids get restless indoors.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+9 more

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

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

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

The Henderson Hub

Abbots Langley · ages 4-7

Art courses, a drama class for 4 to 7s and family films, all inside a bookable community hall in Abbots Langley.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBirthday partiesCafé+9 more

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 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

Tudor Arms

Watford · ages 0+

A pub with a kids' play area and a big beer garden, where two mains come in at £16.45 and nobody minds if you just walk in.

Dog friendlyEV chargingGroup bookingsFood on site+4 more

Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology

Reading

Free entry to a small university museum of Greek and Egyptian artefacts, open Tuesday to Thursday only.

Accessible toiletGroup bookingsStep-free accessToilets

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

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

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

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

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

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