Plan your next visit today
You can find more information about what family-friendly events we have coming up at Ightham Mote here
Visiting Ightham Mote with the family
This winter at Ightham Mote, families can dive into playful adventures and festive fun. With Christmas trails, creative crafts, natural play areas, dress-up corners, and plenty of space to explore, it’s the perfect spot for little imaginations to run wild.
'A Timeless Christmas'
Experience the magic of Christmas through the ages at Ightham Mote, with beautifully-decorated rooms, festive scents and sounds, and traditions from medieval times to the 1980s.
There's plenty of festive fun for families too, including craft activities to try, carollers to listen to, and Dido the Dog's missing Christmas Bones trail to explore.
'Dido's Christmas Bones' family trail
Can you help find Dido's missing Christmas bones? From 21 November to 4 January the whole family can enjoy sniffing out the hidden bones in this festive family spotter trail.
Dido, the faithful St Bernard dog who lived at Ightham Mote, has hidden her favourite Christmas bones around the house and gardens - each one inspired by a different era, from medieval feasts to 1980s sparkle. Can you follow her paw prints to find the missing bones?
Creative Christmas Crafts
These are drop-in activities for families that will run between 11am to 3pm and cannot be booked in advance. There is a suggested donation of £2 per child to cover the cost of materials.
Christmas Cards - Sunday 30 November
Design a card for a special someone that captures the warmth and tradition of Christmas. Find our more about the Christmas card craft session
Christmas crackers and stars - Monday 22 December
Get the Christmas holidays off to a flying start with a creative festive afternoon making Christmas crackers and sparkling stars. Find out more about the Christmas cracker and star craft session
Explore the garden
Explore our historic garden, with its ponds, stream and lake fed by natural springs. Our garden isn't suitable for bikes, scooters, frisbees and balls, so please leave them at home, but you don't need them as we have a natural play area at the end of the garden.
Discover the natural play area
We suggest you bring a change of shoes, clothes and even a towel, as our natural play area is there to get messy. Whether you want to practice your balancing skills, create mud pies or make sweet music, come rain or shine just let your imaginations run wild.
Wander the estate
Why not extend your visit with a woodland wander or a hill climb on our estate, which is brimming with wildlife and the changing colours of the season.
Rather than just wandering around, why not set some challenges for everyone to complete such as:
- Who can walk the quietest
- Who can find all the colours of the rainbow
- Who can spot the most different types of leafs
Planning your visit
- Toilets - one facility located beside the café and another by the Coach House (near the house) - both have baby changing facilities and steps to help children reach sinks
- House - baby feeding room, children’s quizzes, baby hip-seats, buggy park
- Café - high chairs, lunchboxes
- Shop - pocket money toys
- Garden - interactive trails, natural play area, picnic area
