Bitts Park
Carlisle's big riverside park, right under the castle walls: a large play area for all ages, a free splash park in the warmer months, skate park and acres of grass where the Eden and Caldew meet. The obvious free half of a Carlisle day.
Days out with the kids in Carlisle
8 places in Carlisle, Cumbria, 4 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
8 in Carlisle4 free2 indoor
Carlisle is further north than most families will casually drive, but if you are up there, or heading for Scotland, it holds a decent day. The castle is a working border fortress rather than a fairytale one - a squat red keep, prisoners' carvings on the second floor, ramparts to walk - and Tullie, the city's museum, lets under-18s in free while its rebuild carries on around you.
Walby Farm Park is the family banker: giant jumping pillows, pedal karts and an indoor play barn big enough to lose a wet Cumbrian afternoon in. Hadrian's Wall starts its best stretch half an hour east, which turns a stopover into a weekend, and the northern Lakes are forty minutes south. Days out in Carlisle with kids are a border mix of castles and cows, and none of it is crowded.
Places in Carlisle
Hammond's Pond
Carlisle's south side park, with free parking on two sides, play zones, a brand new concrete skatepark, a games court and a seasonal cafe. A miniature railway runs Sunday afternoons from Easter to October.
Rickerby Park
A big riverside park across the Eden from Carlisle city centre, with cattle grazing loose, a small free car park off Brampton Road and Hadrian's Wall Path running through over the suspension bridge.
Watchtree Nature Reserve
205 accessible acres on the Solway plain six miles out of Carlisle, free to enter and free to park, with a coffee shop, wildlife hides and over a hundred hire bikes suitable for all abilities.
Solway Aviation Museum
A genuine Avro Vulcan and a line of Cold War aircraft parked on the apron at Carlisle Airport, with volunteers who open them up and let children climb inside. Canberra, Sea Prince and Trident stay open all year.
Tullie
Carlisle's museum, plain Tullie since the rebrand, mid-transformation and all the better for it: under-18s go free, the adult ticket is £8.50, and £16 buys an annual pass. New galleries opened in 2025, though some of the old favourites are shut for the next phase.
Carlisle Castle
A working border fortress for 900 years, not a fairytale castle: a squat red keep full of prisoners' carvings, ramparts to walk and a military museum inside the walls. English Heritage, so members go free and everyone else should book online for the discount.
Walby Farm Park
Cumbria's big family farm park: animal handling, giant jumping pillows, pedal go-karts and an indoor play barn big enough to lose a wet afternoon in. The far-north option when you are up that way.
Also worth the drive
Not in Carlisle, but close enough for a day out.
Windermere Lake Cruises
England's biggest lake from the deck of a proper boat, with red, yellow and green routes so you can pick a 45-minute hop or a full lake cruise. Combo tickets pair it with the aquarium or the steam railway.
Brockhole on Windermere
The national park's visitor centre with treetop nets, archery, mini golf, boat hire and a big adventure playground running down to the lake shore. Free to wander; the activities are pay-as-you-go.
The World of Beatrix Potter
Peter Rabbit's world recreated in walk-through scenes, ending in the garden with Mr McGregor's vegetables. Squarely for the under-8s; it is small, sweet and unashamed of it.
Lakes Aquarium
A small, well-done aquarium at the quiet end of Windermere with an underwater tunnel walk beneath the lake's own fish, plus otters and rays. Pairs naturally with the steam railway next door.
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
A short, perfectly-formed steam line through the Leven valley that connects with the Windermere boats at Lakeside. Do train plus cruise and you have built the classic Lakes day without a single car park argument.
Lakeland Motor Museum
Thousands of vehicles and period pieces packed into a riverside mill, with the Campbell Bluebird story told properly in its own gallery. One for kids who like machines; a surprisingly good wet-weather card.
Whinlatter Forest
England's only true mountain forest: Gruffalo sculptures on the trail, the WildPlay adventure area, red squirrels if you are lucky, and Go Ape for older kids. Views over Derwentwater thrown in.
The Puzzling Place
An anti-gravity room where water appears to run uphill, a hologram gallery and a room that shrinks the grown-ups. Cheap, indoor, and exactly the right length for the age group.
What’s on near you, every Friday
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.