Family-friendly things to do at Avebury

Planning your family visit

 

• Free entry for under 5s

• Baby-changing facilities available

• Children’s menu available at Circle Café

• Pocket money gifts and children’s books available in the shop

• Picnic tables in the Old Farmyard

Family fun at Avebury  

Summer of Play - begins Saturday 19 July

Join us this summer at Avebury for a host of family activities. Collect your complimentary summer map from visitor reception in the barn to explore a variety of fun experiences.

Dive into storytelling at the puppet theatre in the dovecote, unleash your creativity at the barn craft table, unwind in the Church Garden with deck chairs, picnic blankets, tipis, and classic lawn games.

Want to explore the whole site? Pick up a free trail sheet from the barn and see how many items you can find in the henge, stone circles, and farmyard.

There are 16 sights, sounds and smells to find during your visit. Can you find them all in one trip? 

Fairytale family theatre with Tall Tales - Friday 8 August

Join us outside the Dovecote for free, family-friendly performances of the beloved stories Rumpelstiltskin, Goldilocks and The Three Bears. With lively songs and engaging theatre, Tall Tales brings these classic tales to life in a way that will delight children and adults alike.

Bring a blanket and settle in for performances at 11am, 12:30pm, and 2pm. No booking required and all ages are welcome. Stop by the visitor reception in the barn when you arrive to learn more.

Afternoon with an Avebury Archaeologist - Thursday 31 July

Step back in time this summer at Avebury! As part of the Festival of Archaeology, visitors of all ages are invited to journey through over 10,000 years of history with our expert archaeologist. 

Head to the farmyard to take a fascinating (and free) walk through time - from the present day all the way back to Avebury’s earliest origins. You’ll also get a chance to see some of the exciting discoveries made during recent archaeological digs.

Avebury Henge and Stone Circles

4,500 years ago, people living here built the largest stone circle in the world, with two smaller circles within it* and dug a 9m deep bank and ditch around the outer one.

You can enter the stone circle, touch the stones (but don’t climb), walk all the way around it, and take a walk along West Kennet Avenue, one of the two stone rows that led to (or from) the circles.

The stones is enclosed by fences, but be careful crossing the roads. Most of the year there are sheep grazing the grass.

*Stonehenge would fit within one of these smaller circles.

Avebury Manor Garden 

The garden at Avebury Manor is organised into a series of 'rooms', each with it's own character. Take your time to explore or simply take a seat and enjoy the sights and scents around you.

Explorer backpacks, containing spotter sheets, books, and binoculars are available to borrow from the garden gate. We also have garden games and blankets available in the Church Garden. 

A sensory map for children is also available to pick up and follow from the garden gate.

Perfect for neurodivergent visitors or younger families, you can use the free map to discover the best places to listen to the wind, smell the herbs, and look at the wildlife. 

If you are visiting with children who like wildlife, make sure you head to the Topiary Garden to spot the Great crested newts in the pond. 

Learn about Avebury in the Alexander Keiller Museum

All of the artefacts in the museum come from local excavations, many from the time of Alexander Keiller who dug at Avebury in the 1930s. Here you can find out more about the Avebury World Heritage Site and the Neolithic people who built their monument here.

Discover Avebury Manor

Avebury Manor is currently closed for repairs and restoration work following flooding in January.

You can see images from the flooding on display in the barn and we will share more information on the manor will reopening as soon as we have it.