A group of children on a sunny day enjoying a trail around the garden — Family days out in Sussex | © NTI

Family-friendly places to visit in Sussex

Discover magical family days out this spring with the National Trust in Sussex, including Nymans, Bodiam Castle, Petworth and more. Whether you’re popping in for a couple of hours or planning a bigger adventure, you’ll find May half term trails, natural play areas, family trails and café stops.

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Nymans

Take a magical wander inspired by Moominvalley with a family trail at Nymans. Spot seven characters from the Moomin stories, hiding around the garden, 3 May to 13 July. Build a den in the Play Glade, hide in the woodland cabin, explore the garden at leisure and picnic anywhere you like.

Three children run towards the camera, waving streamers. They are dressed in colourful summer clothes and the sun is shining

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Standen

Discover our ‘Ruby Plants a Radish’ garden adventure inspired by the book by Kate Petty and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. This family trail is free to enjoy and no booking is needed. 24 May to 22 June.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ at Sheffield Park & Garden

Join us for one of nature’s greatest transformations as you become the world’s most famous caterpillar from Eric Carle’s best-selling book The Very Hungry Caterpillar™.

An illustration from How to Train Your Dragon. Including Hiccup riding a dragon against a red scale background.

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Dragons at Bodiam Castle

Step into the shoes of Hiccup and his trusty dragon Toothless as you journey through the magical world of dragons. Bodiam Castle becomes your training ground as you take on the ultimate Viking challenge and learn 'How to Train your Dragon' with our themed trail inspired by Cressida Cowell epic book series. Will you get your dragon license?

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Pesky Pests at Bateman's

Discover the fascinating world of pesky pests at Bateman’s through fun games and activities. Along the trail, meet woodlice, ladybirds, silverfish, and uncover their curious habits.

Illustration from the book Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden

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May half term at Petworth House and Park

In Petworth’s Pleasure Garden there are games and activities for young families to discover on our free 'Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden' trail. Our colourful map takes you along buggy-friendly on this springtime adventure. Race your mini wheelbarrow to collect what you need, then design your own garden with our puzzle pieces. Look out for butterfly eggs hidden in giant nettle leaves! 24 May to 1 June, free with normal admission.

Family exploring nature in the park at Petworth, West Sussex

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Petworth House and Park

Petworth Park is an exciting place for families to explore. Roam through acres of parkland and look out for the fallow deer herd. The ancient tree trail includes hollow trunks big enough to crawl inside, plus there are games and activities every school holidays.

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Sheffield Park and Garden

Whether you are visiting with friends or family, there are plenty of new things to discover and fun ways to get active in nature at Sheffield Park and Garden.

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Standen House and Garden

Find family-friendly things to do at Standen, from activity based trails in the school holidays and walking woodland paths to building a den and running off steam in Adventure Corner. Download a copy of our family map to plan ahead with your family visit.

A young family in the garden with a child in arms pointing at a flower

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Things to do with the kids at Nymans

Take a magical wander inspired by Moominvalley this spring, with a family trail around the garden, meeting characters from the Moomin stories. (From Sat 3 May until Sun 13 Jul). Discover natural play in the Play Glade, activities and events in the school holidays and an ancient woodland and garden to discover, there's lots of fun for families at Nymans. Picnic anywhere in the garden, or pick up a snack from the cafe or kiosk. Baby change available by the house and in the cafe and car park.