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
15 places in Carlisle, Cumbria, 6 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
15 in Carlisle6 free8 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
Carlisle Cathedral
Free, in the middle of Carlisle, with a cafe in the footprint of the medieval cloister. Not a day out on its own, but a good half hour between Tullie and the castle, and in December the building fills with a Christmas tree festival.
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.
Talkin Tarn Country Park
A council country park round a tarn near Brampton, with easy woodland footpaths, an orienteering course, water sports and a tearoom open every day. Free to walk in at any hour; the upstairs tearoom is shut for now.
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.
Aztec Adventure Play
A big walk-in soft play off Crown Street with a separate baby area and a proper hot food menu. There is no booking for general play, which is handy on a whim and a gamble on a wet Saturday in the holidays.
Hollywood Bowl Carlisle
Twenty-four lanes of tenpin on Currock Road with bumpers, light balls and ramps for little ones, plus arcade games, pool and a diner. Eat, drink and bowl deals start at £8; the per-game price only shows when you book.
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. The Vulcan shuts for the November Sunday openings; the Canberra, Sea Prince and Trident stay open.
The Sands Centre
Carlisle's rebuilt leisure centre: a 25m competition pool, a 20m teaching pool, Family Fun Swims with floats and toys, and three hours' free parking for swimmers.
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.
Fusion Trampoline Park
Trampolines, foam pits, a climbing wall, a soft play zone and a Skyrider indoors, plus an outdoor dinosaur crazy golf course, all behind Sainsbury's. The golf is the part that sells it to a mixed-age family, weather permitting.
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.
Wee Rascalz Adventure World
A family-run, jungle-themed soft play on a Currock Road trade estate, with a proper under 3s room and a cafe that bakes its own traybakes. Mornings are the move at weekends: it shuts at 2.45pm.
What’s on in Carlisle
11 dated events coming up, 3 of them this weekend.
Museum of the Moon at Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral, The Abbey, Carlisle
until 1 Nov. Daily, 1 October to 1 November; Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12 to 2pm
Luke Jerram's seven-metre glowing moon hangs in the cathedral for the whole of October, with children's workshops and pyjama parties on the programme. Entry is by donation, suggested £5 an adult or £12 a family, and daytime visits need no booking. Sunday opening is only 12 to 2.
Written by us
Little Explorers (ages 0 to 4)
Tullie, Castle Street · Carlisle
until 17 Dec. Term time Thursdays, 11am and 1pm
Little Explorers at Tullie in Carlisle, a gentle themed session for under 5s and their grown up in a different gallery each week. Children free with an adult ticket. Book ahead.
Written by us
Drop-in Family Crafts: October half term
Tullie, Castle Street · Carlisle
until 1 Nov. Daily, 24 October to 1 November, 1pm to 4pm
Spooky drop in crafts every afternoon of half term at Tullie in Carlisle, a different make each day. Children go free with an adult day ticket or annual pass.
Written by us
Bonfire Bonanza at Walby Farm Park
Walby Farm Park, Crosby-on-Eden · Carlisle
5 Nov. Thursday 5 November: doors 4pm, event 6pm to 9pm
Fireworks with a warm fallback: the ticket gets you into the indoor play barn from 4pm, so small children can burn off energy under a roof before going out for the display. Tickets are limited and the farm says they always sell quickly.
Written by us
Gosling Sike Wildlife Watch Group (opens on Cumbria Wildlife Trust)
Cumbria Wildlife Trust · Carlisle
14 Nov. Saturday 14 November, 2pm to 4pm
Join like-minded friends in exploring the natural world.
Listed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust · collected 1 Nov
Father Christmas on the Farm at Walby Farm Park
Walby Farm Park, Crosby-on-Eden · Carlisle
28 Nov to 24 Dec. Weekends from 28 November, then daily 21 to 24 December
The long version of meeting Santa: passport control, snow play, an enchanted forest with 3D glasses, gingerbread, real reindeer, marshmallows, then Father Christmas in small groups, a toy shop gift and a teddy to build. Full day farm access is included, and it sells out every year, so if Cumbria is your patch, book this first.
Written by us
Everything on in Carlisle5 more not shown here
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, on colour-coded routes from the 45-minute Islands cruise out of Bowness to the Yellow run down to Lakeside. Combo tickets pair it with the aquarium, the steam railway or the motor museum.
Brockhole on Windermere
The old national park visitor centre on the Windermere shore, now run by BeWILDerwood and still mid-makeover. The grounds are free to wander; Minty Land indoor play, Zip World's treetop courses, Wild Bounce and the lake cruises are the paid extras.
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: the Room on the Broom trail, Gruffalo orienteering, the WildPlay trail, 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.