Free things to do in Reading with kids

Alto Lounge

Reading

An all-day café with a proper kids menu, gluten-free and vegan options, and free wifi if you need to stretch a coffee into an hour.

Allergy awareDog friendlyVegetarian optionsWheelchair accessible+1 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

Beacon Hill National Nature Reserve

Exton

Free chalk downland walking with a viewpoint at the top and the South Downs Way running right through it.

Bernwood Forest

Aylesbury

Ancient oak woodland with grassy rides to wander and a butterfly trail worth timing for summer.

Dog friendlyPicnics allowed

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

Buckler's Forest

Crowthorne

Free open heathland with wide surfaced paths for cycling, running and dog walks, plus picnic tables dotted about.

Dog friendlyFree parkingOutdoor playPicnic area

Clarence Pier

Southsea

A seafront fairground of rides, arcades and adventure golf, paid for by the token or the wristband, whichever way you fancy losing money.

Baby changeIndoor playKids menuFood on site+3 more

CultureMix Arts & Music Centre

Reading · ages 7+

Steel pan, drum kit lessons and a Friday reggae night for young people aged 7 and up, with the under-16s workshop free to join.

Food on site

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

Gig on the Green

Yateley · ages 0-18

A weekend of tribute acts and live music on the green, with a Sunday lunchtime slot built for younger children.

Booking required

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

Great Hollands Recreation Ground

Wokingham

A free splash pad, a climber and swings on a recreation ground, with a purpose built barbecue if you fancy making a day of it.

First aidOutdoor playPicnic area

Hengistbury Head Beach

Bournemouth

A wide nature reserve beach with a land train to Mudeford Spit, harbour views and wildlife webcams to spot along the way.

Accessible toiletBike parkingCaféDog friendly+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

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.

Kingston Beach

Shoreham-by-Sea

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

Lily Hill Park

Bracknell

A free park with a brass rubbing wildlife trail and animal tracks to hunt down across surfaced paths.

EV chargingParkingPicnic areaPublic transport nearby

Lousehill Copse

Reading

A free patch of woodland in Reading where kids can wander off the path and just explore.

Maiden Erlegh Local Nature Reserve

Reading

Free wander around a nature reserve with a learning booklet to follow and a stretch of water for fishing.

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

Oxford City Farm

Oxford

Free mornings among goats and vegetable beds, with a sandpit for the little ones and goat milking to watch if the timing's right.

Group bookingsFood on siteOutdoor playSchool visits+2 more

Palmer Park Library

Reading

A free, quiet spot in Reading to browse books, use the loos and get online, though the opening hours are a bit of a puzzle.

ToiletsWi-Fi

Reading Abbey Ruins

Reading

Free ruins to wander, a Victorian Bayeux Tapestry copy and a biscuit tin collection all within a two-minute walk of Reading station.

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopPublic transport nearby+3 more

Reading Museum

Reading

Ten free galleries covering a Victorian copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, biscuit history and Roman Silchester, right by Reading station.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféGift shop+5 more

Snelsmore Common Country Park

Newbury

Heathland trails for spotting adders, dragonflies and lizards, free to enter, with a crayon rubbing trail to keep younger legs going.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféPicnic area+3 more

Sol Joel Park

Reading

A free park with an all-inclusive play area, a skate park and a parkour setup all in one spot.

Outdoor playParkingToilets

Southcote Library

Reading

A free local library with books to borrow, no fines, and computers or laptops you can use on the spot or take home.

Wi-Fi

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.

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

Thatcham Skatepark

Thatcham

A free outdoor skate park next to a full playground with swings, a climbing frame and a basketball hoop.

Free parkingOutdoor playWheelchair accessible

The Foxes' Den, Binfield

Bracknell

A free, low-key coffee shop and field with Rhyme Time, toddler craft and a teddy bear clinic for the smaller ones.

CaféGift shopOutdoor playWi-Fi

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 Nature Discovery Centre

Thatcham

Free lakeside reserve for feeding ducks, exploring an adventure playground and walking signposted trails around the water.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+7 more

Tilehurst Library

Reading

Free rhymetime sessions for babies and toddlers, plus a quiet spot with wifi if you just need somewhere to sit and browse.

Wi-Fi

Uffington Castle

Faringdon

Walk up to a 3,000-year-old chalk horse cut into the hillside, then scramble round an Iron Age hillfort and a mound tied to the St George legend.

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

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

Wayland's Smithy

Ashbury

A Neolithic burial mound on a windswept ridge, reached by a walk of over a mile from the car park.

West Berkshire Museum

Newbury

Free local history galleries with special exhibitions, a sensory bag on loan and a café for cake afterwards.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+7 more

Winnall Moors Nature Reserve

Winchester

A free, mile-long boardwalk trail through wet meadows where you might spot deer and kingfishers.

Pushchair friendlyWheelchair accessible

Wokefield Common Nature Reserve

Reading

Free woodland trails and glades to wander, with dragonflies to spot and a flat easy-access route for pushchairs and scooters.

Dog friendlyFree parkingParkingPushchair friendly+1 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