Family-friendly things to do at Belton

A family walking away from Belton House with trail sheets in hand. — Enjoy Easter Adventures together at Belton Estate. | © Chris Lacey

Explore our fun family day out ideas, including our indoor play area and outdoor adventure playground. Make the most of your day out with the kids at Belton.

Planning your family visit

Booking your visit is no longer required.
The Outdoor Adventure Playground is open daily. Sadly the train is not currently in service due to damage from derailments.
The Ride indoor play area is open daily, 10am to 3pm with last entry at 3.30pm. Please note that we are currently trialling a booking system at busy times, with timed 45-minute sessions. Bookings can only be made on the day and in person.
Baby-changing facilities are available in the parkland, Stables Café, Muddy Hands, and the Ride toilets.

Easter Adventures at Belton

From Saturday 21 March to Sunday 19 April, join in with a big bug ball at Belton! Get hopping, buzzing and flying with 10 fun activities spread across the gardens in this family-friendly trail which celebrates the interesting insects that live here at Belton.

Families will also be able to take part in themed Easter crafts running on Saturday 21 March, 4 and 18 April and Thursday 9 and 16 April. These include the chance to create your own fluffy lambs, pop-up Easter chicks, stained glass butterflies, bee hives and dragonflies.

Plus, venture into the gardens together to take in their seasonal joy with beautiful displays of daffodils on show as well as the inspiring International Photographer of the Year exhibition, running from 27 March.

The Easter trail will include eggstra mile routes which take in the lake and fishing lodge as well as a moving exhibition, The Garden of Hope. This powerful installation, from the charity Evelyn's Butterfly Effect, features 98 handpainted steel butterflies, each representing a life lost to suicide in Lincolnshire. Created by local schools and community groups, the artwork encourages open conversations around mental health, suicide awareness, and - above all - hope.

Belton’s outdoor adventure playground

Swing, dangle, wobble, climb and jump your way through, across and over the National Trust’s largest outdoor adventure playground, set within an ancient wilderness.

Play opportunities at Belton encourage challenging playful experiences in a safe environment to facilitate child development at all stages. The equipment’s designed to be challenging.

Only you know the abilities and limitations of the children in your care, so please keep a careful watch on them and make sure they’re playing safely. You’re also encouraged to play in the spaces provided so that everyone can enjoy the play experience.

The equipment is designed to be challenging

As a result, some equipment may not be suitable for all children.

Sadly the train is not currently running

Unfortunately, due to significant damage caused by a derailment, the train will not be running until further notice while repairs are carried out. We are currently fundraising for a new train and would hugely appreciate any support you can give.

The Ride Indoor play café

Ideal for a rainy day, here grown-ups get the opportunity to enjoy a refreshment or two, while the kids enjoy the indoor play area. Full of challenging fun for younger children, this is adventure play, not soft play. Find us in the stable yard. We are currently trialling a booking system at busy times, with timed 45-minute sessions. Bookings can only be made on the day and in person.

Offering a beehive, Bellmount Tower and the Fishing Lodge, joined together with hanging walkways, cargo nets, slides and tunnels – there’s hours of fun to be had. During term times, there will be early years and sensory play equipment for younger visitors.

The Ride also hosts our Belton Acorns sessions every first and third Tuesday of the month. At these free session, your under 5s can enjoy learning about the beauty of Belton by engaging in crafts, play, song, and more.

Three copies of The Puzzling Case of the Missing Plum Cake mystery guide are held in the gardens with Belton House behind through trees. — Become detectives and solve our family-friendly mystery guide together! | © National Trust Images

New family-friendly mystery guide

Don your deerstalkers and fake moustaches and come along to Belton to see if you can solve The Puzzling Case of the Missing Plum Cake, our new family-friendly mystery guide!

When Belton's original owner John Brownlow died in 1697, his wife Alice and their five daughters, aged between 6 and 16, lived here with their Aunt Dorothy. A house full of young girls was ripe for mischief and our story imagines one stealing a fresh batch of plum cakes from Belton's kitchens. But which one was the cake-coveting culprit?

Assemble your team of detectives and solve puzzles as you explore the estate, whittling down your list of suspects.

Available from the Info Hub and Coach House Shop, guides are just £3.50 and include fascinating excerpts of Belton's history, opening your eyes to different aspects of this amazing place you might never have seen before.