Family-friendly things to do at Trengwainton Garden

Two adults and two children on a lawn covered in fallen flowers on sticks — Making fallen flower kebabs at Trengwainton Garden | © National Trust/Marina Rule

At Trengwainton we’ve a whole range of family events and activities throughout the year, including seasonal trails, Easter Egg Hunts, Summer of Play, autumn leafy adventures and the Winter Lights festival. Everyone has their favourite, with some families coming back time and time again.

Planning your family visit

Baby changing facilities available in the main car park and café
Toilets in the garden
Three quarters of the garden is accessible to pushchairs/wheelchairs.
Children’s lunch boxes available from the café during school holidays.
Seasonal activities during school holidays throughout the year.
All activites are free (unless otherwise stated) but normal admission applies. Booking not needed except for Winter Lights.

May half term

Head to Trengwainton for May half term to make fallen flower kebabs in a garden that's bursting with colour. Come along any time between 10am-5pm from 25-29 May & 01 June.

Collect a stick from the reception and gather fallen flowers as you explore the garden, then pop them in the ground to create a collective piece of wild art. Having experienced the real thing, you can then have a go at making an origami flower in the Edwardian summer house on the Royal Meadow.

Summer of Play

Join in the family-friendly activities in the garden, including wild art, tug-of-war, skittles, painting, bean bag toss and lots more. With over 10 activities to choose from you can try them all, then come back for more. A great way to leave with happy-tired kids. Check back here nearer the time for details of den building days.

Alternatively, you can simply soak up the atmosphere of the winding paths, streams, walled gardens and award-winning plant collection. Summer of Play is sponsored by Starling Bank.

A family with a young child enjoy a picnic in long grass on a sunny day at Calke Abbey — Find your favourite place to picnic in the garden | © National Trust/Rod Kirkpatrick

Places to picnic and play

For the ‘wow’ factor it’s hard to beat the view from the Terrace; a grassy, open space with sea views reaching to the Lizard peninsula, with seats for older legs to rest and room for younger legs to run. Just off the tree-lined drive there’s the Royal Meadow with its fairytale Edwardian summerhouse where you can sit and dream up tales of gingerbread houses, fairies and elves, or scamper amongst the trees playing hide and seek.

'50 things to do before you're 11¾'

Trengwainton Garden is the perfect place to have a family adventure and tick off a few of the '50 things to do before you're 11¾' at the same time. Here are some to get you started:

No.1 Get to know a tree: There are plenty to choose from at Trengwainton and some are even 'Champion trees' - the largest of their species. You can look, touch, hug and sniff, but please don't climb them as it damages the bark and lets in disease.
No.35 Discover what's in a pond: With two ponds as well as streams, hold on tight to someone and peer in - what will you see? There could be goldfish, snails, insects and maybe even tadpoles when spring is in full swing
No. 33 Go cloud watching: At the top of the garden the Terrace is a great place to stand and stare at the clouds and the sea. With a bit of imagination you might spot a wooly sheep, castle or dragon in the clouds - the sky's the limit.