Family-friendly things to do at Stowe Gardens

Family-friendly events

Sustainability Superhero Trail at Stowe - 24 - 31 May 

Adventure into the gardens and discover ways to become a sustainability superhero on this family friendly trail! To find out more click here.

The Festival Field at Stowe - 23 July - 31 August

Head to the Paddock (aka the Festival Field) at New Inn for a fun-filled summer. The Paddock will have lots of activities and games; perfect for a bit of friendly competition or relaxed fun. Bring your own picnic or treat yourself to something tasty from the café! Refresh with an ice cream from the Potting Shed kiosk and chill out this summer at Stowe! To find out more click here.

5K Bee Run - 16 August

Dress-up as your favourite pollinator and run, walk or toddle for nature. Entry fees go towards conservation at Stowe. Ticket price also includes all day access to the gardens. To find out more and to book click here.

Summer Thearte Performances - July and August

Enjoy a range of performances including William Shakespeare's As You Like It, Gilbert and Sullivan's the Pirates of Penzance (both performed by Illyria) and King Arthur and the Holy Fail - performed by the Three Inch Fools. To find out more and to book click here.

Missing & Moving Temples Trail and A-Z of Amazing Things at Stowe Gardens - Always Available

Missing & Moving Temples is a fun-filled family trail where you can solve puzzles in our free activity booklet and learn more about Stowe's past and present temples and monuments. 

A-Z of Amazing Things at Stowe Gardens takes visitors on an adventure around Stowe where you can learn fun facts about nature, architecture and history! 

Please visit the events page of our website for seasonal offerings.

Planning your family visit

Here's the information you need at a glance to help plan your day out at Stowe Gardens:

• Baby-changing facilities and accessible toilets are available
• There are buggy friendly routes around the garden
• Sturdy buggies for the garden are recommended rather than strollers
• Breastfeeding is welcome
• The café is located around the corner from the New Inn and a children's menu and high-chairs are available 
• Pocket money gifts and children's books are available to buy in the shop

Cycling at Stowe

We'd love for you to cycle to Stowe Gardens and you can lock bikes up in the spaces provided in the car park. Small scooters and balance bikes can be taken into the garden but please don't bring bikes with pedals.

Family-friendly things to do in the garden

Re-wild the children at Stowe Gardens by getting outdoors, away from the tech, and tuning into nature. The garden and parkland provide the ultimate backdrop for igniting imaginations. Explore a world of lakes, hidden woods, enormous temples, colourful reflections and twisted trees as you play and have fun on your family adventure.

Here are a few of the things to look out for in the garden:

• Explore the hidden depths and woodlands of Lamport Garden - perfect for that game of hide and seek
• Stop by the Sleeping Wood with its meandering paths
• Find the birds and farm animals dotted around the lakes and fields

What do you need to know when visiting the garden?

• Stowe Gardens is large, so plan a route to decide how far you'll go and choose rest stops along the way
• There's plenty of benches dotted around for when those little legs need a break
• To dodge rain showers, use the temples as shelters
• There's plenty of spots that make for a perfect picnic, so bring along a blanket or use one of our accessible picnic benches for your family feast (please no BBQs)
• We're happy for you to play in the gardens - bring a ball or a kite - just be mindful of other visitors and your surroundings as there are a number of lakes, animals, trees and slopes around the gardens