Family-friendly things to do at Trelissick

Girl playing tennis at Fell Foot Park, Cumbria — Make family memories at Trelissick | © Steven Barber/National Trust

Discover all the things to do on a family day out to Trelissick. Explore the garden and house, or head out on an adventure around the countryside estate. Find out what family-friendly events are coming up and plan your visit to Trelissick.

Planning your family visit to Trelissick

•   Free entry for under 5s
•   Baby-changing facilities available
•   Buggy-friendly route around the garden, orchard and countryside
•   Children’s lunchboxes available within Crofters Café
•   Pocket money gifts and children’s books available in the shop
• Sensory bags available for use during your visit

A mother and baby sitting on grass under multi-coloured bunting. — Time to party whatever your age | © National Trust/Steve Haywood

Summer of Play at Trelissick

Play on repeat this summer at Trelissick, near Truro, where there’s no end to the fun. We’ll be celebrating Summer of Play every day between 19 July and 2 September with games, activities and outdoor fun for the whole family.

Summer of Play activities

Get active and play tennis on the West Lawn, try lawn games or hold a race to the finish line. Who will be the champion? Embrace your creativity and make-believe in the stables where you’ll find a stage ready for you to dress up, put on a show and tell stories.

Explore winding paths on the Trelissick garden trail, running throughout the summer holidays, and find the perfect spots for picnics and chill out spaces.
Mondays 28 July, 4, 11, 18 and 25 August
10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm

Try your hand at archery in the Walled Garden at Trelissick this Summer of Play. With a coach and volunteers on hand to show you the basics of handling a bow and hitting the target, you’ll be scoring bulls-eyes in no time!

There'll be archery for all ages to have a go including soft archery where appropriate. Archery sessions are free however admission to Trelissick applies.

Summer of Play is sponsored by Starling Bank.
Make-believe on Tuesdays with storytelling from local authors and volunteers.

Summer of Play storytelling with Naomi Jones
29 July, 12 August, 11am, 1pm and 2.30pm
Local author Naomi Jones joins the Summer of Play fun at Trelissick. She'll be reading some of her books and leading activities that celebrate them.

Thunderboots (11am), How to Catch a Rainbow (1pm) and The Odd Fish (2.30pm).

Summer of Play storytelling 'A Dog Called Dreckly'
4 August
Visit the West Lawn and hear the brand-new story of 'A Dog Called Dreckly' by Anna C Wilson. A charming story of a scruffy lost dog in Cornwall.
Sit back and relax on Friday afternoons with music from local musicians on the West Lawn.

We’ll be joined by: 1 August – Jake Harrison 8 August – Martin and Suzie Mac 22 August – Daisy Clark 29 August – Martin and Suzie Mac

Fridays are also fancy dress days at Trelissick this summer, a chance to get dressed up for your visit and let your imagination loose. We can wait to see what fantastical creatures you create for your visit.

Scroll through the images to help plan your summer visits to Trelissick.

A family playing archery at the barn, Castle Ward, Co Down, Northern Ireland. — A family playing archery | © Annapurna Mellor

Archery on Mondays

Try your hand at archery in the Walled Garden at Trelissick this Summer of Play. With a coach and volunteers on hand to show you the basics of handling a bow and hitting the target, you’ll be scoring bulls-eyes in no time!

Find out more

A close up of a girl in a recency style sun hat. — Don't forget your costumes on fancy dress Fridays | © ©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Music on the lawn and fancy dress Fridays

Sit back and relax on Friday afternoons with music from local musicians on the West Lawn. Fridays are also fancy dress days at Trelissick this summer, a chance to get dressed up for your visit and let your imagination loose. We can wait to see what fantastical creatures you create for your visit.

Plan your visit

1 of 5

Summer of Play activities are free (normal admission applies), so you can try them all and come back again and again. Dogs on short leads are permitted in the garden at Trelissick, keeping paws on paths.

Summer of Play is sponsored by Starling Bank.

Sensory bags

There are 3 sensory backpacks and ear defenders available for use during your visit to Trelissick. They are to help visitors with autism, sensory processing disorder, or those who think they would benefit from them. These bags are available on a first-come basis from the welcome team.

Rainy days at Trelissick

Don't let the spring showers put you off, there's still plenty to do on a rainy day when you visit Trelissick.

Get your wellies ready and splash your way around the garden, who can find the biggest puddle?
Explore the house and visit the Trelissick 70 exhibition.
Curl up with a book and a puzzle in the West Library.
Find your next favourite read in the Trelissick second-hand bookshop
Shelter with a sweet treat in Crofters Café or picnic in a summerhouse

50 things to do before you’re 11¾

Here are our top 3 favourite '50 things' to do this spring at Trelissick:

#28 Climb a huge hill
The countryside at Trelissick has a few huge hills for you to scale but our favourite has to be from the beach to the car park on the south woodland walk where you'll find spectacular views of the river and garden once you reach the top.
#33 Go cloudwatching
Whether you're looking through the gaps in the canopy of trees in the woodland or from the grass of the tennis lawn there are plenty of areas to stop and see what shapes you can spot in the clouds above you.
#44 Watch a bird
Find a quiet place to sit, watch and wait to see the birds that call Trelissick home. The summerhouses are some of our favourite places to settle in for some birdwatching in the garden. See how many you can spot as they soar and sing, being careful not to startle them.