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Visiting Ickworth Estate with the family

Children run through the Walled Garden at Ickworth Estate
Children run through the Walled Garden at Ickworth Estate | © Tom Soper

There are lots of different family activities designed to help you explore and discover Ickworth Estate this summer. However you choose to spend your day with us, your adventure starts here.

Head outside and enjoy all that Ickworth Estate has to offer this Summer. Explore the Albana woodland with its leafy trails, or take a stroll through the parkland to discover the breathtaking views across the canal lake. Spend time with friends and family in the Italianate Garden and surround yourself with the season's warm, colourful blooms.   

Planning your family visit at a glance

Key Family Events 2026

  • Summer of Play | 18 July - 2 September
  • October Half Term | 24 October - 1 November
  • Christmas | November/December
Check out upcoming events

Make the most of your visit to Ickworth

Daily

Explore on two wheels

The cycle hub at Ickworth is located in the main carpark. It is open from Thursdays - Sundays and every day during Suffolk school holidays. There are all sorts of bikes available to hire for different ages and abilities. There are also children's trailers for children who are older than 12 months and smaller than 1m 5cm tall. The friendly team will fit you out with a bike that suits you, a helmet if you need one, and direct you to the cycle-friendly routes. 

Exploring on two wheels enables you to see a little more of the huge estate than you might have otherwise. There are lovely views of the parkland from the monument trail, which is the green route on the map.

Prices

  • Adult/child bikes: £8 for two hours or £16 all day  
  • Balance bikes: £3.50 or £7 all day 
  • Trailers: £8 for two hours or £16 all day
  • Electric 'e' bikes: £8 for two hours or £16 all day  
  • Recumbent bikes: £8 for two hours or £16 all day 

Open 10am - 4pm with last hire at 2pm

A visitor family waits to hire bikes at the cycle hub at Ickworth
The friendly cycle hub team will help kit you out with bikes | © James Dobson
Discover our upcoming events
A father and son smile at each other while trying out the beanbag toss at Summer of Play
A father and son try the beanbag throw at Summer of Play | © Tom Soper

Summer Events at Ickworth Estate

We have an extensive and varied programme of events for you this summer at Ickworth Estate with events being added all of the time so do keep checking back. Some activities are included in your admission, some have a small charge and some may require pre-booking. Please check each event for more details.

Summer of Play

18 July - 2 September | 9:30am - 4pm daily | normal admission charges apply, free for National Trust members

Head to our Walled Garden to experience 11 different themed play zones with loads to keep your and your family occupied. 

The Crafty Foxes Craft Workshops

Join The Crafty Foxes, a local crafts company, for themed craft workshops in our Walled Garden for Summer of Play! All materials provided. Normal admission charges also apply for non-National Trust members.

Under The Sea Craft Workshop

21 July | 10am, 11:30am & 1pm | £3.50 per child | Pre-booking required

This week's theme is Under the Sea crafts, three craft activities for children to enjoy and take home with you after the session. The Crafty Foxes use recycled and rescued materials to run their craft sessions, with fun and exciting crafts for you to enjoy. Book your space here.

Out of This World Craft Workshop

28 July | 10am, 11:30am & 1pm | £3.50 per child | Pre-booking required

This week's theme is Out of this World, three craft activities for children to enjoy and take home with you after the session. The Crafty Foxes use recycled and rescued materials to run their craft sessions, with fun and exciting crafts for you to enjoy. Book your space here.

Superhero Craft Workshop

4 August | 10am, 11:30am & 1pm | £3.50 per child | Pre-booking required

This week's theme is Superheroes! Three craft activities for children to enjoy and take home with you after the session. The Crafty Foxes use recycled and rescued materials to run their craft sessions, with fun and exciting crafts for you to enjoy. Book your space here.

Into The Woods Craft Workshop

11 August | 10am, 11:30am & 1pm | £3.50 per child | Pre-booking required

This week's theme is Into the Woods, woodland themed crafts, three craft activities for children to enjoy and take home with you after the session. The Crafty Foxes use recycled and rescued materials to run their craft sessions, with fun and exciting crafts for you to enjoy. Book your space here.

Pirates and Princesses Craft Workshop

18 August | 10am, 11:30am & 1pm | £3.50 per child | Pre-booking required

This week's theme is Pirate and Princesses crafts, three craft activities for children to enjoy and take home with you after the session. The Crafty Foxes use recycled and rescued materials to run their craft sessions, with fun and exciting crafts for you to enjoy. Book your space here.

Coastal Craft Workshop

25 August | 10am, 11:30am & 1pm | £3.50 per child | Pre-booking required

This week's theme is Coastal crafts, three craft activities for children to enjoy and take home with you after the session. The Crafty Foxes use recycled and rescued materials to run their craft sessions, with fun and exciting crafts for you to enjoy. Book your space here.

Lots of people sat outside on picnic and camping chairs facing towards an outdoor stage with actors on. the backdrop is the ickworth rotunda and some trees
Outdoor theatre on the North Lawn at Ickworth Estate, Suffolk | © National Trust/Ray Dale

Summer Outdoor Theatre

Ickworth forms the perfect back drop for outdoor theatre performances and we have three exciting performances taking place this summer.

Access for non-National Trust members for theatre performances

Non‑members will receive free access to the estate from 40 minutes before their booked show time, and can enjoy the grounds for the rest of the afternoon. Please note: Full admission price will be charged for entry to the estate if you wish to arrive earlier than 40 minutes before your booked performance time. Please be advised that there is a 10 minute walk from the overflow carpark to the event.

Jellyfish Theatre Presents - The Dragon Wagon

29 July | 3:30pm & 5pm | Tickets from £6.50 | Pre-booking required

Meet the Dragon Whisperer and her magical dragons. A joyfully interactive family show set on a colourful retro caravan, packed with puppetry, music and laughter. All performances are relaxed. Integrated Sign Supported English. Accessibility tools at www.jellyfishtheatre.com. Book your tickets here.

DOT Productions - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

23 August | 4:30pm | Tickets £12 | Pre-booking required

Step onto the Yellow Brick Road this summer with DOT Productions’ magical family theatre adventure. In this fast-paced 60-minute production, Dorothy is swept into a dazzling world where nothing is quite as it seems and adventure waits around every corner. Along the way she encounters curious companions, peculiar places, and powerful forces that test courage, kindness, and belief. Bursting with fun, silliness, and lively songs, this fantastical retelling sparkles with imagination and theatrical magic. Created for families and audiences of all ages, DOT Productions brings its signature warmth and playfulness to Baum’s timeless tale. A joyful celebration of wonder and friendship, this summer adventure reminds us all that there’s no place like home. Book your tickets here.

The Pantaloons present Twelfth Night

3 September | 6:30pm | Tickets from £10 | Pre-booking provided

The critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company present their own brand of Shakespearean mayhem in the Bard’s comedy of fools, duels and dual identities. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them!” Get in a fight. Cross-dress. Throw on some yellow stockings. Love can make you do the funniest things…! Bring your own picnic and enjoy a night at the theatre, with this outdoor production of Twelfthnight, family-friendly fun with live music and audience participation. Book your tickets here.

Common pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) in flight over silver birch branch
Join us for a bat walk at Ickworth Estate, Suffolk | © National Trust Images/Bat Conservation Trust/Hugh Clark

Bat Walk

4 & 5 September | 8pm | £14 per person

Ickworth Estate is home to many bats, this guided walk is a brilliant opportunity to see and hear some of them from experts. Start the evening with a chat to our Bat experts at the Porters Lodge to discover the difference between the calls of a Pipistrelle and a Daubenton's while enjoying a hot drink and a homemade biscuit; learn about their habitat and what we can do to improve it. We will then spend an hour outside discovering where the bats may be. Book your place here.

View of the Rotunda from the path with newly restored roof at Ickworth, Suffolk

Discover more at Ickworth

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

Plan your visit

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