Cannon Hall - Museum

What it’s like

Free entry to a hall packed with sensory toys, plus woodland trails, tepees and a proper adventure playground outside.

Getting in costs nothing, which is rare enough these days to mention twice. Inside the hall, museum rooms have interactive games and sensory toys mixed in among the exhibits, so smaller kids get something to fiddle with rather than just being told to look and not touch. The parkland outside is where the bulk of a visit happens though, with wooden tepees, balance beams and assault courses dotted through it, plus an adventure play area with slides, swings, a roundabout and climbing frames that's the obvious thing to save until last.

There are woodland walks and sensory trails too, which is a handy way to get younger legs moving without a fuss about "walking". Opening hours are 11am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday in term time and every day in the school holidays, so it pays to know which pattern you're turning up in before you set off. There's no booking, you just arrive.

Parking is where the free entry catches up with you: two hours for £1 or £5 for the whole day, and they're honest that the car park gets busy at weekends and in the holidays. Picnics are allowed across the park and gardens if you'd rather bring your own, or there are two cafés to choose between. Pavilion Cafe does sandwiches, soups and cakes with a children's menu, and Pear Tree Pantry covers sausage rolls, pork pies and cakes with vegan and gluten-free options.

Access is mixed rather than straightforward. There's a lift to the first and second floors and step-free access is listed as a feature, but some parts of the country park are genuinely tricky for wheelchairs. Two things currently out of order are worth flagging: the changing table in the Hall's accessible toilet and the hoist in the Pavilion Cafe's accessible toilet.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Two hours £1, all day £5, coaches £5 all day

Food

Two cafés: Pavilion Cafe with sandwiches, soups, cakes, pastries, hot/cold drinks and children's menu

Picnics

Allowed throughout the park and gardens

Wheelchairs

Lift to floors 1-2. Accessible parking in main car park (closes 4pm) and outside Hall on first-come basis

• No booking needed, just turn up between 11am and 4pm.
• The accessible toilet's changing table at the Hall and the hoist at Pavilion Cafe are both out of order at the moment.
• Dogs are welcome if you're bringing one along.
• A season parking ticket is available at £125 if you think you'll be back a lot.

Plan your visit

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