Family-friendly things to do at Tyntesfield

Visitors walking in the garden in August at Tyntesfield, Somerset | © National Trust Images / James Dobson

There's plenty for everyone to see, do and enjoy around the estate at Tyntesfield. If games, crafts and learning sound like a good day out for your family, you’ve come to the right place. Find out everything you need to plan your family day out, from joining us for events and activities for kids, to where to find the play areas.

Planning your family visit

Baby-changing facilities available.
The woodland adventure play area, home farm play area, pavilion play area and sculpture trail are open.
The home farm play area is open. There is a limit of 10 people at one time. Please don’t consume food/drink inside the play area.
If the play area is full, please wait outside until other visitors leave.

May half term

We've got some exciting family friendly events taking place in our gardens over May half term, to keep your little ones entertained and exploring:

Fluent in flowers
22 May - 3 June, 10am - 5:30pm
Follow a trail of signs throughout our gardens highlighting different plants that were used to convey messages throughout history and symbolise things like love, hate, victory or despair.
Complete the trail and earn a flower sticker to send your own message to someone through flowers, or keep for yourself. Make sure you pick a favourite flower on the trail, as you can then choose that one for your sticker prize.

Tangled routes: plants, trade, and time at Tyntesfield
9 May - 14 May, 10:30am - 5:30pm

On this walk, perfect for teens and young adults and created in partnership with students from the University of Bristol, you will unearth global plant stories in four different parts of the garden:

• explore how the Gibbs family made a religious haven in Paradise

• follow the international journeys of the plants in the Dell

• discover a realm of sensory delights in the Formal Gardens

• see plants from warmer climates growing in the Kitchen Gardens

Two children in jumpers sitting in a tree den at Tyntesfield — Children playing in trees at Tyntesfield | © National Trust Images/Rob Stothard

Family-friendly things to do in the house at Tyntesfield

There's lots to see in Tyntesfield House - see what you can spot as you explore.

As you make your way to the library you're greeted by some huge narwhal tusks. Did you know narwhal tusks can grow as long as 10 feet?

You can discover some of the family favourites the Gibbs liked to play on the tables in the room, with card games such as rummy on display.

Statues of Albinia and Alice stand proudly outside the dining room. As you stand there before them can you imagine what a statue of you would look like?

Buggies aren’t allowed, unless required for mobility. We do have Hippychick carriers and child holders to borrow.

There is ramped access at the front of the house but not at the rear, so visitors needing ramped access will need to exit from the front.

Rainy day activities for families

There's lots to see and do at Tyntesfield during those inevitable rainy days. Grab your waterproofs and head to Tyntesfield House to explore its many rooms. Spot the dapple-grey Victorian rocking horse in the library which would have entertained the Gibbs children for countless happy hours. There's also carved animals dotted all over the route such as lion heads and dogs. How many can you spot on your visit to the house?

The fun doesn't stop there, however. Head to the kitchen gardens, where you'll find pleasant breaks from the wet weather in the orangery or the glasshouses. Both are filled with a variety of plantlife to be admired, and are everchanging throughout the year, with each season bringing new fruits and flowers to discover.

Head back to Home Farm where you'll find the secondhand bookshop, with a children's reading nook so your little ones can lose themselves in literature while you pick out your next read. Head out to the upper courtyard and burn off some energy in our covered farm play area - who will have the important job of driving the tractor? Then finish off your day with a hot drink and a delicious slice of cake. Will it be chocolate, coffee, or a classic Victoria sponge?

Family-friendly things to do in the garden and estate

Outdoor play

For those who prefer to take things at their own pace, Tyntesfield has three play areas. In the Home Farm courtyard, there’s the farm play area, with a big tractor to climb up, and slides to slide down.

For bigger kids, there’s the orchard play area by Tyntesfield’s Pavilion Café at the lower end of the estate, where they can play under the watchful eye of parents. For a real outdoors escape, the woodland play area features a den-building village and sculpture trail.

Please note that in the woodland play area the Crows Nest and the Tower Play structure (including the tower, slider and bridge) are currently out of use due to structural rot that was identified in a recent survey.