Family-friendly things to do at Nunnington Hall

Girl running in the gardens in front of Nunnington Hall — There is always plenty to do with all the family at Nunnington Hall | © Paul Harris

There's plenty for all of the family to do on a visit to Nunnington Hall. From art exhibitions to games, crafts and more, including our Lion's Den play area. Visit during school holidays for extra activities for the kids to enjoy.

Planning your family visit

Here's all the information you need at a glance, to help plan your next day out to Nunnington Hall:

Baby-changing facilities are available on the first floor
Pushchairs can't enter the house, so you will need to leave them outside the hall or return them to the car
Picnics are welcome in the garden.

Please note: On Wednesday 17 September, the top floor at Nunnington Hall, which includes the Art Gallery, Community Gallery and Carlisle Collection, will close at 1pm.

Summer holidays at Nunnington Hall

Open daily from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 31 August

Don your explorer’s hat and stomp around with your favourite dinosaurs this summer holidays. Join us at Nunnington Hall for ‘Dawn of the Dinos’ and enter the Nunnington that time forgot with outdoor games for the whole family to enjoy.

Throughout the gardens explore interactive dinosaur themed games! Children can learn all about dinosaurs in a fun facts trail around the garden, help feed ‘Dave the dinosaur’ fish with our bean bag toss, uncover exciting fossils in our fossil dig area, plus lots more!

As always our creative hub will be open, full with art supplies to get stuck into. Children can also get active in the Lion's Den play area where little explorers can climb up, over, and wobble along a natural obstacle course.

You, Me and Who We’ll Be exhibition

Open daily from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 7 September

Our children's summer art exhibition is a journey about making friends, building relationships and supporting each other.

Enter the colourful worlds of children’s illustrator duo, Josie Brookes and Tom Madge. Through bold, eye-catching artwork, Josie and Tom create stories that explore the many ways we can help and understand each other. A dress-up station lets you share in the adventures of Molly the Flower. Before you go, help the story grow by adding your own artwork to the interactive gallery. With collages, prints and animation, there’s plenty to get children inspired.

Open 10.30am - 5pm, last entry at 4pm. No booking required. Normal admission applies with free entry for National Trust members and under fives.

Follow the link to find out more about our events and activities at Nunnington Hall throughout the year: What's on at Nunnington Hall

Children enjoying Lion's Den play area at Nunnington Hall — Children can enjoy the Lion's Den play area at Nunnington Hall during your visit | © National Trust Images/James Beck

Family-friendly things to do

Things to do when it rains

For the inevitable rainy days, there is plenty to see and do indoors at Nunnington Hall. Next to the exhibition space on the top floor there are colouring in activities for children, as well as a childrens second-hand bookshop.

Elsewhere in the hall, there's the impressive Oak Hall, the Carlisle Collection of miniature rooms and, of course, the quintessential tea-room in the old dining room offering table service.

The Lion's Den play area

Enter the Lion's Den play area where little explorers can climb up, over, and wobble along a natural obstacle course. There are tree stump steps to jump across, a rope bridge to climb across as well as a wooden climbing frame to conquer. There's also a picnic bench for mums, dads, or grandparents to sit and have a rest whilst your little ones burn off some energy.

Bird watching and observation area

Come and see how we garden organically at Nunnington. We've got our compost beds up here so you can see how we break down our waste to reuse around the garden. Help us by feeding your food waste to the RolyPig. Wander along the path to our bird watching area - see if you can spot some of our resident feathered friends. Use the chalk board to write down and tell us what you've seen.

Children enjoying drawing activities at Nunnington Hall — Children can get creative in the exhibition space at Nunnington | © James Beck

50 things to do before you’re 11¾ at Nunnington Hall

Let the adventure continue and tick off some items from the ‘50 things’ activity list. Here's a few suggestions to get you started:

No. 1 Get to know a tree: Head to the orchards and admire our blossoming trees. Which will be your favourite?
No. 33 Go cloud watching: Lie back on the lawn and watch the clouds go by. What shapes can you spot?
No. 36 Make a home for wildlife: Be inspired by the bug hotel and hedgehog house in the garden - could you help animals in your garden or local area?
No. 44 Watch a bird: Head to the cutting garden and take a peep through the bamboo bird hide to see what you might find. Birds can be easily scared, so be as quiet as a mouse and watch them fly in to feed. You might also spot a frog or newt swimming in the pond.