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Family-friendly things to do at Oxburgh Estate

Family playing in oak leaves in the park at Rufford Old Hall Lancashire
Family adventures at Oxburgh Estate | © Annapurna Mellorr

Whether you're building a den, becoming a nature explorer or searching for secret doorways, Oxburgh has plenty to keep the whole family entertained.

Join us for autumn adventures at Oxburgh Estate!

Escape into autumn and enjoy an activity packed day for the whole family in nature's most colourful season...

  • Try out the smelly bird boxes and guess the different seasonal scents.
  • Help the gardeners put the garden to sleep for winter by raking up the autumn leaves.
  • Enjoy a traditional game of welly wanging, how far can you throw?
  • Spot the pumpkins hiding in the hall.

And iif you need an energy boost after all of that playing and exploring, head on over to the Servants Hall Tearoom for a cosy hot chocolate!

Don't forget to take a picture at our autumn photo station to finish off the day too!

Autumn activities are available from 3 September to 3 November 2024

Planning your family visit

  • Baby-changing facilities are available on site.
  • There are plenty of buggy-friendly paths around the outdoors, a site map is available from the Information Hut.
  • Due to the size of the state rooms within Oxburgh Hall, we ask that buggies are left outside the hall entrance and are not taken inside.

Natural play area

Created from a 17th-century wood and 18th-century pasture and fenland, Home Covert is a great place for a family walk, to build a den or spot wildlife.

Look out for the remains of an 18th-century brick kiln and ancient oak trees, and let your imagination run wild.  

Kitchen garden and orchard

A garden of two halves, the walled garden is where you’ll find the orchard and kitchen garden, which would have originally supplied the resident family. See if you can spot the courgettes, pumpkins, rhubarb, tomatoes, and salad crops that are still grown for visitors to enjoy in the tea-room.

Within the orchard you’ll find fruit trees from around East Anglia, including heritage varieties from Norfolk. How many different varieties of apple you can spot?

Dress up and learn in the Gun Room

Learn about our epic roof restoration project in the Gun Room where you can dress up as a builder and build your very own Oxburgh Estate.

You can also make friends with a death watch beetle and hear the noise that gives them their name.

School holiday fun!

Our school holiday activities are great fun for all ages. Please visit the ‘Things to see and do’ page for full details of our offer.

‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’

Become an explorer any day of the week as you take a walk around the estate. How many items can you tick off your '50 things' list at Oxburgh? We've a few ideas to get you started.

  • No. 4 Build a den: Explore the woodland at Oxburgh Estate, where you’ll find plenty of sticks for building your den. Be creative with your construction. Once it’s up, crawl in and have fun
  • No. 19 Play Pooh sticks: The River Gadder flows through the estate which is where you’ll find several wooden bridges, all of which make an ideal spot to challenge a sibling to this timeless game
  • No. 31 Make friends with a bug: Ladybirds, spiders, caterpillars, woodlice – there are all kinds of mini-beasts hiding at the places we look after. See how many you can find.

Staying safe

Please note that Oxburgh Estate is a moated property and extra care is needed around this body of water.

Den building in Hoe Fen Wildlife Discovery Area at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
Building a woodland den | © National Trust Images/Antonia Gray
White, cream and pink Espalier pear blossom captured in early spring at Peckover House and Gardens

Discover more at Oxburgh Estate

Find out when Oxburgh is open, how to get here, things to see and do and more.

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