Free things to do in Romford with kids

Archers

Romford

A Greene King pub with free entry, big screens for the match, a beer garden, and a function room you can hire for birthdays.

Dog friendlyOutdoor playParkingParty rooms+3 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

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

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

Eastcheap Records

London

A 21+ cocktail and pizza bar with a strict door policy, so this one's for a night off without the kids.

LockersWheelchair accessible

Epping Forest Visitor Centre at High Beech

Loughton

Free forest visitor centre with wildlife displays, maps and a gift shop, open 10am to 4pm in summer. Watch the 18-space car park.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+8 more

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

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

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

Joyden's Wood

Dartford

Two waymarked woodland trails with a Saxon dyke to explore and free entry all year round.

Dog friendlyOutdoor playParkingPublic transport nearby+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

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

Meopham PYO

Gravesend

Fill a punnet with your own strawberries, apples or squash on a working Kent farm, weekends only from June to October.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféFree parking+2 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

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.

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

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 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

Thorndon Country Park

Brentwood · up to age 11

A self-guided Gruffalo walk through the woods for 80p, plus open parkland, a dog course and bikes to hire.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+9 more

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

Walthamstow Wetlands, London Wildlife Trust

London

Free wetland reserve with bird hides to explore and a visitor centre, all a short walk from Tottenham Hale.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+6 more

Wanstead Bowling Club

London

A green just outside Wanstead station where you can turn up for a lawn bowls roll-up without booking a thing.

Whitechapel Gallery

London

Free displays and artist-led activities in an east London gallery where under 16s never pay for the ticketed show.

Baby changeBlue badge parkingCaféCard only+9 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