Skip to content
Huddlepin

Wollaton Hall & Deer Park

Nottingham, 2.6 miles from the city centreAges 0-15

BEST FOR

Ages 0-15

ENTRY

from £18

BUGGY FRIENDLY

Yes

What it’s like

A dinosaur gallery inside a Grade I mansion, plus 500 acres of deer park to walk off the museum legs.

The draw here is the Natural History Museum tucked inside the Hall itself, prehistoric skeletons and fossils in a building that's grander than most museums bother to be. There's a Dinosaur Gallery too, which is the bit that'll stick in a seven-year-old's memory long after the Hall's plasterwork has been forgotten. Outside, the 500 acres of park give you somewhere to walk it all off, with play parks near the 508 café and the Sutton Passey crescent for when the museum's been enough culture for one day.

Kids go free, which matters when adult admission to the Hall is £18. That's up to three children fifteen and under per paying adult, and the ticket works as a pay-once-visit-all-year deal, so if you're local it's not as steep as it first looks. There's also a Rover ticket at £39 that bundles in Nottingham Castle and Newstead Abbey if you fancy making a project of it. The Hall and museums run 11am to 4pm with last entry at 3.30pm, so it's not a long window and you'll want to arrive with a plan rather than drift in after lunch.

Parking is £5 on weekdays and £6 at weekends, paid by card or through the RingGo app, and blue badge holders get free parking in all the car parks. There are three cafés on site (Wollaton 508, the Courtyard and the Deli), and picnics are fine on the grounds if you'd rather bring your own, though BBQs are out. Baby feeding and changing facilities are in the courtyard café.

Worth knowing before you plan a full circuit of the Hall: some routes involve steps, including a 300-step winding staircase, and the lift at the front has a 100kg weight limit. If accessibility is a factor, the site suggests emailing ahead so they can talk you through the best route before you book.

What’s on here

Facilities

Baby change
Blue badge parking
Bottle warming
Breastfeeding friendly
Café
Dog friendly
Gift shop
Indoor seating
Membership scheme
Food on site
Outdoor play
Parking
Picnic area
Pushchair friendly
Restaurant
Toilets
Wheelchair accessible

Need to know

Best for
Toddlers to young teens, with the dinosaur gallery the big draw for older kids
Last entry
3.30pm
Parking
Weekday £5, weekend £6 by card in shops/cafés/hall or RingGo
Food
Three cafés (Wollaton 508, Courtyard and Deli) with on-site and takeaway range
Picnics
Allowed in grounds. BBQs and open fires strictly prohibited
Wheelchairs
Manual wheelchairs available subject to availability from potting shed shop
Dogs
Assistance dogs welcome in hall, café, shop, park and gardens
Worth knowing
Pay once, visit all year round (day tickets also include free returns for 12 months)
  • The ticket is pay-once-visit-all-year, so a £18 adult ticket gets free returns for twelve months
  • Accessible toilets in the courtyard are only open 9am to 4pm, outside normal café hours
  • The Changing Places toilet is locked and needs a key from the Potting Shed shop, and you'll need to bring your own slings
  • Coach parking is £50 if you're arriving as a group
  • Special event days can have different parking charges than usual

Plan your visit

How much does it cost?

Adult Hall admission is £18, and kids fifteen and under go in free, up to three per paying adult. It's a pay-once-visit-all-year ticket, so a day ticket gets you free returns for twelve months.

Do we need to book in advance?

There's no booking link mentioned, so it sounds like you turn up on the day.

What time does the Hall close?

Hall and museums run 11am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm. The park itself has its own seasonal closing times.

Is there parking?

£5 on weekdays, £6 at weekends, paid by card or the RingGo app. Blue badge parking is free in all car parks for up to four hours.

What's there for a toddler?

There are baby feeding and changing facilities in the courtyard café, and play parks near the 508 café and Sutton Passey crescent.

Can we bring a picnic?

Yes, picnics are allowed on the grounds, but BBQs and open fires aren't.

What about food on site?

Three cafés, Wollaton 508, the Courtyard and the Deli, cover both sit-down and takeaway.

Is the Hall accessible for wheelchairs?

There's lift access to gallery floors and manual wheelchairs available subject to availability, but some tour routes have steps, including a 300-step staircase, and the front lift has a 100kg weight limit. They ask you to email ahead if you've got accessibility needs, before booking.

Can we bring the dog?

Only assistance dogs are allowed in the hall, café, shop, park and gardens. Puppies in assistance dog training are welcome if house trained.

Areas to explore

  • Deer Park & Gardens

    outdoors

    500 acres of parkland home to two herds of wild deer, Red and Fallow.

  • Play parks

    outdoors

    Play parks located near the 508 café and Sutton Passey crescent.

  • Walled Garden

    outdoors

    Garden area offering tours and seasonal open days.

Experiences

  • Discovering Dinosaurs Gallery

    Gallery featuring prehistoric creatures, skeletons and fossil discoveries.

  • Hidden History Tour

    Guided tour of the hall's hidden history, running daily.

  • Natural History Museum

    Museum housed within Wollaton Hall covering natural history.

  • Nottingham Industrial Museum

    Industrial heritage museum at Wollaton Park.

  • Wollaton Hall Organ

    Historic organ at Wollaton Hall, played monthly.

Featured in 2 Huddlepin lists

67HUDDLEPIN LISTMuseums & heritageCastles, caves, windmills and museums that don't feel like homework.143HUDDLEPIN LISTRainy-day savioursIndoors, warm and dry, for the days the weather lets you down.

See all Castles, Historic Houses & Heritage in Nottingham · Things to do in Nottingham

Also filed underMuseums in Nottingham ›Science & Discovery Centres in Nottingham ›

MAKE A DAY OF IT

While you’re there

Nottingham Industrial Museum

Nottingham Industrial Museum

0.0 mi · Free

Fizz Friday promotion display with two glasses of prosecco with fruit garnishes and a bottle chilling in an ice bucket on a wooden table.

The Wollaton

0.5 mi

Three filled wraps with various toppings including spiced vegetables, meat, and fried items arranged on a wooden table against a teal wall.

Zhug Wollaton

0.9 mi