Free things to do in Sheffield with kids

Abbeydale Miniature Railway

Sheffield

A steam-hauled miniature railway where a train ride costs just £2 and entry itself is free.

Dog friendlyFree parkingFood on siteWheelchair accessible

Anglers Country Park

Wakefield

Free lakeside country park with an adventure playground, a two-mile walk and a trail pack that turns the loop into a story hunt.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+8 more

Bishops' House

Sheffield

A free Jacobean house in Meersbrook Park where kids can poke round old timber-framed rooms then hit the playground next door.

Group bookingsSchool visits

Blacka Moor Nature Reserve

Sheffield

Free moorland walking with a real chance of spotting wild red deer and a proper hill to earn the view.

Bolehills BMX Track

Sheffield

A free outdoor BMX track in Sheffield with jumps and berms to ride, plus club sessions and volunteer days.

Broomhill Library

Sheffield · ages 0-11

Free storytimes, babytime and craft sessions through the week, though the steps at the door are a real faff with a buggy.

School visits

Cannon Hall - Museum

Cawthorne

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

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+7 more

Cannon Hall Country Park

Barnsley

Free parkland with an adventure play area, wooden tepees and assault courses, plus a museum to duck into if it rains.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféDog friendly+10 more

Cromford Mills

Cromford, Derbyshire

A free mill yard, shops and exhibition, with paid tours telling the story of the world's first water powered cotton mill.

CaféGift shopPicnic area

Cusworth Hall Museum

Doncaster

Free entry to a Georgian hall with walking trails, play areas and a peek at the Great Kitchen and chapel paintings.

Blue badge parkingCard onlyDog friendlyFood on site+4 more

Don Valley Bowl

Sheffield

Free skating, running routes and outdoor gym kit at a Sheffield sports park with no entry fee and no booking faff.

Free parkingOutdoor playWheelchair accessible

Elsecar Heritage Centre

Elsecar

A free wander round shops, cafés and a heritage site, with a beer tap and two tea rooms to fall back on.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+7 more

Elsecar Park

Barnsley · ages 0-14

A free park with a play area, crazy golf and a bird hide, easy to fill a couple of hours without spending anything.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingCafé+2 more

Experience Barnsley Museum & Discovery Centre

Barnsley

Free museum with an Egyptian LEGO trail, a Cleopatra exhibition and a Friday session just for under-5s.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesFree parking+8 more

Felley Priory Garden

Underwood · ages 0-16

Underwood - Felley Priory gardens near the M1, under-16s free, free parking, tea room (no dogs or picnics).

Accessible toiletBooking requiredCaféFree parking+7 more

Graves Gallery

Sheffield

Free art gallery above Sheffield Central Library, good for a quiet browse rather than a run-about.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingBreastfeeding friendlyGift shop+6 more

Greenhead Park

Huddersfield

A free park with a double zip wire and a miniature steam railway that only runs on Saturday afternoons.

Changing PlacesOutdoor playToiletsWheelchair accessible

Greenhill Community Library

Sheffield

Free children's cinema, Lego Club and a Coder Dojo programming club at a local library with parking right outside.

Free parking

Greno Woods

Sheffield

Free woodland with a toddler trail, downhill mountain bike runs and a bridleway loop for horse riders and cyclists.

Hartshill Hayes Country Park

Nuneaton

Free woodland park with a play area and walking trails, plus a hill worth the climb if you fancy the view.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesCaféDog friendly+6 more

Heeley City Farm

Sheffield

Urban farm in Heeley with animals, gardens and cafe - free/donation entry right in Sheffield.

ParkingToiletsCaféOutdoor play+2 more

Hillsborough Bookshop

Sheffield

Free storytime sessions and author events for kids, plus a shelf of children's books they can browse without a deadline.

Jordanthorpe Library

Sheffield

A free local library with story time, games and a craft group, though the opening hours are short and change daily.

Langold Country Park Sea Scoundrel

Langold

A free pirate-themed splash pad with jet sprays and a slide, plus play areas and a skate park in the country park around it.

ToiletsCaféParkingChanging Places+3 more

Library @ Hoyland

Barnsley

Free story and rhyme sessions, craft time and sensory play for under-fives in a fully accessible library.

Accessible toiletBaby changeChanging PlacesToilets+1 more

Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park

Wakefield

Free woodland, heathland and a pond to poke about in, with surfaced tracks that make it an easy one for dogs and buggies too.

Outdoor play

Manor Fields Park

Sheffield

Free park with two playgrounds, a sandpit and a boardwalk, plus Tudor ruins you can touch but not climb.

Accessible toiletCaféChanging PlacesKids menu+4 more

Mayfield Park

Manchester

Free outdoor park with a play yard of six slides built around a daylighted stretch of the River Medlock.

Dog friendlyOutdoor playToilets

Millennium Gallery

Sheffield

Free city-centre gallery near the station, open every day but Monday, with a café for the inevitable snack break.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+7 more

National Coal Mining Museum for England

Wakefield · ages 0+

Free entry to a 42 acre former colliery, with the real draw being a guided trip 140 metres underground.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBike parkingBlue badge parking+13 more

Newfield Green Library

Sheffield

A free, small neighbourhood library in Sheffield with limited but very specific opening hours.

Nottingham Beach

Nottingham

A free pop-up beach with sand, a pool and paid rides in the middle of the city, open all summer.

Card onlyCash onlyToilets

Nottingham Winter Wonderland

Nottingham

Free entry to Old Market Square festive site - skate, Sky Skate, Observation Wheel and market stalls once you book the paid bits.

Food on sitePublic transport nearbyCard only

Pavilion Gardens

Buxton

Free Victorian gardens with outdoor play parks, then hop the miniature train or boats when you fancy a paid treat.

ToiletsParkingCaféRestaurant+6 more

Ponden Kirk & Fairy Cave

Keighley

A rocky crevice cave and gritstone outcrop on the moors above Haworth, tied to the Brontë novels.

Pontefract Castle

Pontefract

Ruined castle ruins to scramble round for free, with a playground, dungeon tours and a café that lets dogs in too.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBreastfeeding friendlyCafé+4 more

Poolsbrook Country Park

Chesterfield

Free country park with play areas, cycle trails and an orienteering route to work through before a coffee at the pavilion café.

CaféFree parkingOutdoor playPicnic area+1 more

Post Hall Gallery

Sheffield

A free gallery to wander round exhibitions and degree shows, with lectures and events on some days.

Accessible toiletParkingPublic transport nearbyToilets+1 more

Rother Valley Country Park

Sheffield

Lakeside country park with seasonal petting farm, play area and cafes - free entry, paid parking, near Sheffield.

ParkingToiletsCaféPicnic area+2 more

Sandall Park

Doncaster

Free park with a zip-wire play area, woodland adventure play and football pitches, plus a café for when everyone flags.

CaféOutdoor playParkingPicnic area+1 more

Sheffield Cathedral

Sheffield

Free to wander round, with lion sculptures to hunt down and a guided tour if you want the real story of the building.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+5 more

Sheffield Manor Lodge

Sheffield

Tudor ruins, a lavender labyrinth and a sandpit to dig in, with school holiday trails and free tram links from Sheffield.

Accessible toiletAllergy awareBlue badge parkingCafé+9 more

Shepherd Wheel

Sheffield

A free peek inside a real water-powered grinding workshop from the 1500s, tucked by Endcliffe Park.

Step-free access

Sherwood Pines

Kings Clipstone

Race the play trails and pedal paths under the pines - free forest entry, pay for parking.

CaféParking

Sidney & Matilda

Sheffield

A late-night Sheffield gig venue with several rooms, tickets from £5 in advance and £8 on the door.

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 parkingOutdoor playParking+2 more

South Yorkshire Transport Museum

Rotherham

Old buses and cars you can get right up close to, plus free rides on the historic fleet, one Sunday a month.

Blue badge parkingCaféCard onlyFree parking+4 more

St. Matthew’s Church : Sheffield

Sheffield · ages 0-4

Free toddler group with live piano on Fridays, plus a quiet play corner in church any day of the week.

Baby changeCaféStep-free accessToilets

The Cooper Gallery

Barnsley

Free art gallery visits with sensory backpacks to borrow for kids who find busy spaces tricky.

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopPublic transport nearby+5 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.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingBreastfeeding friendly+7 more

The Looping Boat "The Industry"

Sheffield

A striking bit of public art on the towpath, a boat frozen mid-loop, free to look at and gone in ten minutes.

Free parkingPublic transport nearby

Totley Library

Sheffield

Story times, baby sessions and a monthly cinema night, all in a small local library with free entry.

Blue badge parkingCaféGift shopParking+1 more

Wakefield Museum

Wakefield

Free museum with craft Saturdays and a weekly Museum Minis session for the under-fives, no ticket needed.

Breastfeeding friendlyCaféDog friendlyHearing loop+2 more

Wednesday Warehouse

Sheffield

A free Sunday-morning museum of Sheffield Wednesday memorabilia, from old shirts to match tickets and programmes.

Cash onlyGift shop

Wentworth Garden Centre

Rotherham

A free-to-wander garden centre day out with a family farm, an adventure playground and a pets and aquatics centre to nose round.

Baby changeCaféDog friendlyFree parking+6 more

West Riding Small Locomotive Society (WRSLS)

Tingley

Free rides on a working miniature railway, open Sunday afternoons from April to September.

Birthday partiesCaféFood on site

West Yorkshire Astronomical Society

Pontefract

Open nights with planetarium shows and real telescope observing, run in small groups so nobody's just staring at the back of someone's head.

Booking required

Weston Park Museum

Sheffield

Free Sheffield city museum - Egypt, wildlife and a play bus for under-fives when rain hits.

Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+4 more

Winscar Reservoir

Sheffield

A flat tarmac bridleway round a big reservoir for walking or cycling, with free parking and picnic spots but no swimming.

Free parkingPicnics allowedToilets