Free days out in Nottingham

Arnot Hill Park

Arnold, Nottingham

Play area, skate park and a lake in Arnold, with a café on site and two hours' free parking if you get a ticket.

CaféFree parkingOutdoor playParking+1 more

Attenborough Nature Reserve

Attenborough

A wetland reserve with river paths, a café and a sand martin hide, free to explore, but parking costs from £3 unless you're a member.

Bennerley Viaduct

Awsworth

A free, buggy- and wheelchair-friendly skywalk 18m above the Erewash Valley, with a café (Thu–Sun) and wildlife-rich nature reserve below.

CaféOutdoor playParkingPushchair friendly+2 more

Bestwood Country Park

Nottingham

650 acres of hilly park with a Victorian winding engine house to explore and a volunteer-run café open Saturday mornings.

Baby changeCaféFree parkingParking+3 more

Colwick Country Park

Nottingham

Big lakeside park east of the city with a recycled-equipment playground for toddlers to 10-year-olds, free parking and miles of flat paths for buggies and bikes.

Dog friendlyFree parkingOutdoor playParking+2 more

Creswell Crags

Worksop

A gorge, caves and museum where under-18s get in free and the 1.5-mile loop walk is buggy-doable but caves are steps-only.

Baby changeCaféDog friendlyFirst aid+5 more

Dukes Wood Nature Reserve

Eakring

Free industrial-archaeology woodland trail with restored 'nodding donkey' oil pumps among bluebells and primroses, best April to July.

Dog friendlyParking

Felley Priory Garden

Nottinghamshire

A quiet 2.5-acre plant-lovers' garden near the M1 - pushchair-friendly with a few uneven bits, free entry for under-16s and free parking, but no dogs or picnics.

CaféFree parkingGift shopParking+2 more

Framework Knitters Museum

Ruddington

Real Victorian knitting frames still in action, a hands-on knitting machine for kids, and a free-to-enter café/shop even on museum closed days.

CaféGift shopPicnic areaToilets+1 more

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 changeCaféDog friendlyGift shop+6 more

Green's Windmill & Science Centre

Nottingham

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.

Gift shopOutdoor playPicnic areaToilets

King John's Palace

Kings Clipstone

The ruins of a genuine medieval royal palace, standing quietly in a field, viewable from the road and footpath.

Lambley Dumbles

Lambley

Miniature stream ravines threading through the fields, pure welly-boot country, minutes from Arnold.

Laxton

Laxton

The last village in England still farming medieval open fields, walk the castle mound and the visitor centre is open dawn to dusk.

Martin's Pond & Harrison's Plantation

Wollaton, Nottingham

A boardwalk nature reserve hiding behind ordinary Wollaton streets, ducklings in spring, dragonflies in summer.

National Civil War Centre, Newark

Newark

Civil War history museum in Newark with a much-loved dressing-up area for kids and a multilingual object trail to keep them hunting through the galleries.

CaféGift shopParkingToilets+1 more

Newstead Abbey

Ravenshead

300 acres of parkland, a play park and trail sheets to grab at the gate, kids 15 and under go free with a paying adult.

Baby changeCaféDog friendlyGift shop+5 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 shopParking

Papplewick Pumping Station

Nottingham · ages 0+

A Victorian waterworks with real steam-powered beam engines, a play area and free parking, best on one of the eight steam weekends a year when everything's actually running.

CaféDog friendlyFree parkingGift shop+5 more

Rushcliffe Country Park

West Bridgford, Nottingham

A big free-to-enter park near West Bridgford with a lake, a great play area with a 14-element tower, a skatepark and 4X bike track, easily fills a whole day.

Baby changeCaféChanging PlacesDog friendly+7 more

Silverhill Wood

Sutton-in-Ashfield

Free reclaimed colliery woodland near Mansfield with cycling trails, orienteering and a dog selfie spot, no parking charges.

Dog friendlyFree parkingParkingPicnic area

Skylarks Nature Reserve

Holme Pierrepont

A flat, wheelchair- and buggy-friendly gravel-pit reserve near Holme Pierrepont, free to enter, with cafés and toilets a short walk away.

Southwell Minster

Southwell

Free-to-enter cathedral (£5 suggested donation) with dog-friendly grounds, step-free access and a summer pop-up cafe - the carved stone leaves are a great spot-it game for kids.

CaféDog friendlyGift shopOutdoor play+3 more

Stonebridge City Farm & Gardens

Nottingham

Free city farm in St Ann's with cows, goats, pigs and rabbits to meet, free parking fills fast, picnic benches everywhere, and the barn opens at 12pm.

CaféFree parkingGift shopParking+3 more

The Harley Gallery

Worksop

Free contemporary art gallery on the Welbeck estate with free parking, a kids' creative activity space and monthly Discover Art! sessions for children.

Baby changeFree parkingGift shopParking+1 more

Wollaton Hall & Deer Park

Nottingham

Elizabethan mansion in 500 acres of deer park, kids go free, there's a dinosaur gallery, play parks and wild deer roaming right by the paths.

Baby changeCaféDog friendlyGift shop+7 more