A family in the orchard during the Festival of Blossom at Quarry Bank, Cheshire | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

Family-friendly places in Cheshire and Greater Manchester

Plan your a family day out in Cheshire and Greater Manchester. We've got play areas, wildlife to spot, plenty of things to do when it rains and loads of activities for kids (and the young at heart).

Get close to nature, step into the past or run tired legs out in a play area – there's something for the whole family to enjoy whatever the season.

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Quarry Bank

Plan your family day out to Quarry Bank and discover all the family-friendly things to do no matter the weather. From exploring the mill, to enjoying one of our seasonal trails around the property.

A family walks along a garden path lined with orange tulips. A child runs ahead on the gravel path, while two adults follow. Trees and shrubs surround the walkway.

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Dunham Massey

From roaming fallow deer to bug-rich gardens and the heritage and history in the Georgian House and 400-year-old mill, there's something for all the family at Dunham Massey.

A family walk beside the lake on a sunny spring day with the South front of the house in the background

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Lyme

From running, skipping and jumping around Crow Wood play area and dressing up in period costume inside the house, to spotting red deer in the park, there’s something for everyone at Lyme.

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Hare Hill

Discover the secret gardens at Hare Hill, where little legs can roam safely; the perfect spot for a family day out.

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Little Moreton Hall

Whether you’re enjoying one of our self-led trails or the wibbly-wobbly floors, there's plenty of activities to keep the whole family entertained at Little Moreton Hall.

Children looking at chicks Tatton Park Farm

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There’s plenty of ways to spend time together with the family at Tatton Park. Play in nature and see what wildlife you can see, visit the farm, or open the pages to a new adventure in the pre-loved bookshop. Click here for more fun ideas to try with your little explorers.

An adult and two children walk around the garden, in front of the historic house, at Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire

Liverpool and Lancashire

Head over to Liverpool and Lancashire to find family adventures at Speke Hall, Rufford Old Hall and Gawthorpe Hall.

Looking for family things to do during May half term? Or looking ahead to plan your summer holiday adventures? We've got lots of nature and history inspired things for you and your kids to try.

See all family activities and events

Children enjoying a weaving activity at Quarry Bank Mill, Cheshire

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Play your way at Quarry Bank

Enter the brand-new play hub inside Quarry Bank’s mill. With soft play, a dressing-up wardrobe, a stage, puppets, and giant board games, come rain or shine there’s plenty to keep the little ones entertained.

Family playing in the woodland area near the lake at Lyme Park, Cheshire

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Nature filled fun at Lyme

Have a nature-filled May half term at Lyme. Flutter around garden wearing your butterfly wings, follow the ‘spring things’ family trail, and find blossom themed artwork that’s been created by local community groups.

A family sitting on the grass, enjoying a picnic on a sunny day.

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Different activities each day at Dunham Massey

Find more ways to connect with nature at Dunham Massey with a week of changing activities. Listen to music on the lawn, jump into a new story with Trafford Libraries, and create blossom origami.

Little girl looking through binoculars in the Walled Garden at Hare Hill

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Go wild at Hare Hill

Discover how the wildlife that calls Hare Hill home use their senses to thrive and survive. Will you move in stealth mode like a hunting owl? Can you recognise different flowers just by touch, just like a bee?

Child using a rope swing in the grounds at Speke Hall, Garden and Estate, Merseyside. 1088277

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Adventurous play at Speke Hall

Zoom along the 30-foot zip wire, make a magical den, go bird (and plane!) spotting, or make your own scavenger hunt at Speke Hall. Plus, littler ones will enjoy the gated play area, which includes a wheelchair-accessible roundabout.

A girl in a pink hat and dress holds up a daisy chain.

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Engage your senses at Little Moreton Hall

Engage your wild senses at Little Moreton Hall. Look out for handy hint boards with different sensory activities – all inspired by the wildlife that lives here.

Children exploring the garden at Rufford Old Hall, Lancashire

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Become an adventurer at Rufford Old Hall

Grab an adventure backpack to see what interesting insects and mini-beasts you can find, try on suits of armour inside the hall, or bring a family picnic to enjoy next to the canal.

Summer of Play - coming soon

This summer you’re invited to play your way at the places we care for. Jam-packed with games and experiences, the family-festival will take you inside play hubs, craft zones, book nooks and mini-stages.

There’s nothing quite like playing outdoors. Swooshing down slides, clambering over logs and letting your imagination run wild. It’s no wonder that play areas are an essential part of many family days out. Here are some top places to play in Cheshire and Greater Manchester. 

A child marches into a tunnel at the Crow Wood play area at Lyme Park, Cheshire

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Crow Wood playscape at Lyme

Let off some steam and have fun with your family in the Crow Wood play area. It’s the perfect place to run, skip and slide. Get closer to nature on a walk through Crow Wood and see what wildlife you can spot in the mill pond.

Grandparents and a grandchild play together in the Log Stack play area in Dyffryn Gardens during the winter

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The log pile at Dunham Massey

Is it a ship? Is it a castle? Will you get eaten by sharks if you fall off a beam? The log pile in the north park is a play area at one with nature. Perfect for little ones with active imaginations, these carefully placed logs and branches create a casual play environment for children (and adults) of all ages.

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Playground at Quarry Bank

You can find the playground just beyond the Mill Yard. It's small but perfectly formed, giving little ones the chance to jump, balance and climb obstacles. And with picnic benches are close by, it's perfect for parents to take a break with a warm coffee.

Children playing in woodland at Alderley Edge and Cheshire Countryside, Cheshire.

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Woodland play at Alderley Edge

Test your balance on giant logs and pretend the mud is water or strike your best tree pose on a tree stump in the natural play area at Alderley Edge. Look around to see birds flit from branch to branch amongst ancient trees and the woodland floor.

Den building area at Cragside, Northumberland

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Natural play area at Hare Hill

In spring, summer and autumn little ones can escape to the hidden natural play area at Hare Hill and discover the magic amongst the nature that lives there. Make a secret den and create some look out points to spot wildlife. Cook up a storm in the mini-mud kitchen – you’ll find all the ingredients you need on the woodland floor beneath.

When it’s raining (and we get a lot of that in the north west) you have two options: find some indoor fun or grab your waterproofs and get stuck in! Luckily we have loads of suggestions for both…

Four visitors looking at the water wheel at Quarry Bank, Cheshire

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Explore inside the mill at Quarry Bank

Shelter from the rain inside the mill and feel the floors shake beneath your feet as the historic machinery whirrs and clatters into action. See one of the most powerful water wheels in the country spinning as the river flows beneath it.

Two children in coats and wellies walk along the path with umbrellas up towards East Riddlesden Hall, Yorkshire

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Top ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’ activities to do when it’s raining

We've compiled a selection of items from the ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’ list that are perfect for rainy days, so grab your waterproofs and get involved.

A close up of a girl in a recency style sun hat.

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Step back in time at Lyme

Sometimes even the best laid plans can be ruined by a sudden downpour. Never fear, from dressing up in regency dress to playing billiards, there’s plenty of indoor activities for you to try inside the house at Lyme.

Family looking through the windows of the Long Gallery at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire.

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Enter the unique house at Little Moreton Hall

Wander over wibbly-wobbly floors and up spiral staircases inside this topsy-turvy house. You’ll even find a Tudor toilet! No wet weather visit is complete without treating yourself to a delicious snack in Mrs Dale's tea-room.

Discover a world of endless adventures with our pick of some of the best things for teenagers to do in Cheshire and Manchester. Round up your friends and family and get exploring.

Find activities for teenagers

A woman in a velvet green dress smiles and poses for a photo in front of a swathe of snowdrops in the woodland at Stowe.

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Become a budding photographer

Full of far-reaching views, vast wildlife and picturesque buildings, the places we care for are a young photographer’s dream. Walk across moors and woods at Lyme to get seasonal snaps of surrounding counties and Manchester’s skyline, photograph the fallow deer at Dunham Massey, or get creative with the quirky angles of Little Moreton Hall’s black-and-white Tudor house. Click here for top photography tips.

Close-up of filming equipment and monitor at Quarry Bank in Cheshire

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Step into the small screen

Discover the places that provide the backdrop for some of your favourite TV shows. Jane Austin fans can step inside Pemberley, Mr Darcy’s home, in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice (1995) at Lyme. You might recognise some of Tatton Park from Peaky Blinders (2013–2022) and Sherwood (2024), while The Mill (2013–14) is based on the lives of millworkers at Quarry Bank during the industrial revolution.

Children cycling on the Explorer Trail in Comer Woods at Dudmaston, Midlands

Arrive by bike

Bring your bike and take a trip through sheltered woodland or through the deer park at Lyme – there’s even a short but challenging mountain bike trail here too. And did you know that if you arrive on a bike to Lyme, Quarry Bank or Dunham Massey you can get 10% discount in the café? All three sites are close to national cycling routes and places to lock up bikes when you arrive.

A person holding a reusable cup filled with coffe

Tuck into a sweet treat

Rounding off the day with a sweet treat and hot drink are a key part of any visit. From breakfast baps and toasties, to doughnuts and brownies, and lots of vegan options too, we’ve got something for everyone. Or grab a coffee to takeaway before your walk – we’ll even give you 25p off your drink if you bring your own reusable cup.

Discover more family days out in the North of England and Wales with plenty of places to play, explore, and create memories.