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

May half-term - Avebury Manor Garden 

Our half-term activities begin on Saturday 23 May and run through until Sunday 31 May.

You'll find plenty to keep younger visitors occupied in Avebury Manor Garden, including a new Busy Bees trail. This playful, interactive experience is suitable for all ages.

Head to the Church Garden to discover teepees, deck chairs, an obstacle course and children's games. 

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. 

Entry to Avebury Manor Garden is free for National Trust members. Dogs on fixed, short leads are also welcome in the garden. 

Avebury Manor 

Avebury Manor is now open again to visitors with a brand new experience titled 'Avebury at Home'. 

Visit the 16th century house to discover more about the people who have called the manor home over the centuries. 

Highlights for younger visitors include the Withdrawing Room on the first floor, which includes a new play den, children's toys and books, and the much-loved dressing up closet. 

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.

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.

Wild Spotter trail 

If you're looking to get out in the fresh air and open spaces, pick up a free Wild Spotter Trail sheet from the barn in the farmyard.

The sheet features a variety of birds, plants, animals and seasonal sights and sounds for you to tick off as you explore.

Indoor activities in the barn

Younger visitors can ‘build their own’ neolithic palisades on our magnetic play table in the barn. 

You will also find some puzzles, jigsaws, books, and colouring available at the children's table. 

Mixed-reality experiences: Ages of Avebury

We have a new mixed-reality adventure for any keen gamers to try out for free. 

Dive into the past by downloading Ages of Avebury on your phone in the barn. The game involves becoming a surveyor and searching for hidden stones, uncovering the mystery of a missing archaeologist. 

The downloadable app will also let you see an augmented reality version of Avebury.