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

Summer of Play - 23 July to 31 August 

This year's Summer of Play at Avebury includes traditional games, creative activities and moments to spark the imagination.

Try your hand at classic favourites like hoopla, skittles, and tin can alley in the Church Garden, or croquet on the South Lawn.

There are also free arts and crafts activities available in the Racquets Court every day, plus special volunteer-led sessions on Fridays throughout the summer holidays.

Normal garden admission applies, but all games and activities are free. Entry to Avebury Manor is free for National Trust members. 

Free activities in the farmyard include a build-your-own obstacle course, balls and hoops to borrow, and the chance to bring your own stories to life in our puppet theatre inside the dovecote. 

Summer of Play runs from Thursday 23 July to Monday 31 August 2026.

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.