Family-friendly things to do at Nunnington Hall

Family walking around Nunnington Hall garden in autumn — Come and enjoy a family day out at Nunnington Hall | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

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 half term 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.

Autumn at Nunnington Hall

The Autumn Festival (Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 October)

Join us for our annual Autum Festival, when all the family can enjoy the decorated house, orchard tours and see the visiting stalls selling autumnal things and carrying out creative demonstrations.

Youngters will be able to get involved with autumn themed crafts and the tea-room will be offering some delicious autumnal treats.

This is not a ticketed event, however normal admission prices apply. Free admission for National Trust members and under fives.

Please note: Because of the anticipated strong winds, we're sorry but there won't be any visiting stalls featured in our Autumn Festival scheduled for Saturday 21 October. However, various aspects of the event will proceed as planned, such as our autumn crafts, apple juicing demonstrations, orchard tours and the opportunity to meet our garden team.

The Autumn Festival event will proceed as scheduled on Sunday 22 October, which will include the visiting stalls.

October half-term (Saturday 28 October – Sunday 5 November)

See the hall decorated for a seasonal celebration of light and shadow. There’s plenty for the whole family to enjoy, from creating shadow puppets at our shadow station, to a range of activities in the outdoors. Test your wits against a riddle trail to see if you can uncover the hidden creatures that make Nunnington their autumn home.

Open every day throughout half term, 10:30am - 5pm.

Apple tree in the garden at Nunnington Hall | © National Trust

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. This autumn there's the 'Fields, Folds and Farming Life' exhibition, which explores what it's like to live, grow up and work on a rural farm on the doorstep of Nunnington through the seasons.

Elsewhere in the hall, children can dress up as evacuees and learn more about the evacuess who made Nunnington Hall their home during World War Two. Then 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 Lions 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.

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.