Autumn has arrived and even though the weather is getting colder and the nights are getting shorter, there are plenty of amazing days out for babies and toddlers in the UK.
Grab your little one's scarf and winter coat and whisk them away for an adventure. It won't be long until its time for Christmas activities so let's make the most of this wonderful season before it is over.
We have handpicked the top days out in the UK this autumn which include treetop walkways, theme parks, PYO pumpkins and museums. Even if the weather is down in the dumps, your kids are sure to be entertained all day long!
Best Autumn days out for babies and toddlers
1 of 131) Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
Adults: £11; children over 5: £4; children under 5: free.
Autumn is THE best time to visit the National Arboretum at Westonbirt. Toddlers can tire themselves out looking for the Gruffalo and his friends in the Deep Dark Wood, while babies and adults alike will be enchanted by the reds, golds and greens that this season brings to the forest’s 18,000 trees.
2 of 132) Horniman Museum, London
Museum free; family ticket for extra exhibitions: from £18.
The Horniman could be five museums if it wanted. There’s an aquarium (great for rainy days), butterfly house (great for babies), small farm (great for everybody), natural history hall (great if you want to see its famous walrus) and indoor and outdoor musical instruments area (great for creating a melody). If that doesn’t tempt your little ones, take them to the temporary exhibition space, which currently explores the nature of ‘colour’ through soft play and interactive games.
3 of 133) Cotswold Wildlife Park, Oxfordshire
Adult ticket: £16; children over 3: £11; children under 3: free.
Got a budding David Attenborough at home? At the Cotswold Wildlife Park, they can come face-to-face with a rhino, watch the Asiatic lion have its lunch and stand up tall next to a giraffe, all in the park’s beautiful 160 acres. And when their little feet get tired, there’s a narrow-gauge railway to chug around on.
4 of 134) Cbeebies Land, Alton Towers, Stoke-on-Trent
Adult ticket: £58; children over 3: £48; children under 3: free.
Located in Alton Towers’ theme park, Cbeebies Land brings your children’s favourite TV characters to life. Zoom off on an adventure with the Go Jetters (guaranteed to be ‘geographic’), meet Bing, help out at Justin’s pie factory (very messy) and sing the radishes to sleep in Mr Bloom’s allotment. This is the stuff that children’s dreams are made of.
Check out our review of Cbeebies land here.
5 of 135) Peppa Pig World, Paultons Park, Hampshire
Tickets for adults or children of 1 metre tall: £37.75; children under 1 metre: free.
Whether it’s going on the (very tame) “rollercoaster”, getting splashed on the water ride or climbing up the slides and tubes of George’s Spaceship Playzone, kids will love stepping into Peppa’s world, even if it is only for one day.
Check out our review of Peppa Pig World here.
6 of 136) LC Waterpark, Swansea
Adults from £8; children over 3 from £6; children under 3: £2.50.
Babies can make a splash at Wales’ biggest indoor waterpark. This interactive pool has a mini slide, tipping buckets and fountains, and the explosive Volcano Bay. Those a little bigger can take on the Masterblaster, a white-knuckle waterslide, or mosey on down the Lazy River.
7 of 137) The Deep Aquarium, Hull
Adults from £16.50; children over 3: from £13; children under 3: Free.
Home to over 3,500 fish, sharks, stingrays and penguins, The Deep in Hull is one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world. As well as getting up close and personal in the UK’s only underwater lift and 10-metre-deep viewing tunnel, little ones can watch the sharks being fed during one of the regular dive shows and stroke a starfish at a touchpool session.
Check out our review of The Deep Aquarium here.
8 of 138) PYO Pumpkin at Craigies Farm, Queensferry - Edinburgh
Get your little ones ready for Halloween by taking them to harvest their very own pumpkin. Craigies Farm, just outside Edinburgh, has plenty to choose from, plus there’s a play area, tractor rides, chickens and pygmy goats to add to the post-picking entertainment.
9 of 139) Hobbledown Farm, Epsom
Adults from £14.25; children over 2: from £15.20; children under 2: free.
Farm-meets-adventure-park, Hobbledown is a place like no other. Babies will love tumbling around in The Hobbling Play Barn, aka a giant indoor soft play area, while bigger kids can explore the adventure playground at Hobbledown Village, see otters, parrots and meerkats at the farm, hide away in teepees and watch falconry displays. It really is a magical place.
10 of 1310) London Transport Museum, London
Adult: £18.50; children under 18: free.
Got an energetic toddler to entertain on a rainy day? Head to the London Transport Museum. They can tire themselves out clambering up, down and into Edwardian trams, Victorian trains and even a Thames clipper. Plus, they can have a go at driving a black cab, double decker bus and underground train without hurting anyone.
11 of 1311) Glenariff Forest Park, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Car: £5.
Teach them to appreciate the great outdoors from an early age with a kid-friendly walk around some of the most beautiful woodland that Northern Ireland has to offer. The Waterfall Walk Trail is just 3km and takes you past two stunningly beautiful waterfalls and over a river via boardwalks on stilts which certainly ups the excitement factor.
12 of 1312) Diggerland, Kent, Devon, County Durham, Yorkshire
Adults and children over 90cm; £23.95; children under 90cm: free.
A haven for budding petrolheads, Diggerland gives little ones the chance to try operating a real digger (it’s not as easy as it looks), drive a mini landrover, race go-karts and ride on the Diggerland train. Just don’t expect them to have clean clothes after a day shovelling mud!
13 of 1313) Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire
Adult: from £14.50; children 4-16 from £12.27; children under 4: free
Slimbridge Wetland Centre is the perefect place for budding bird enthusiasts. Enjoy one of the many wildlife talks, take a canoe trip downstream, jump in a jeep for the wildlife safari or simply walk around and enjoy the many species of birds that live there. Autumn is also the time when the Bewick Swan will return to the centre before migrating in March - so keep a close eye out!