Avenham & Miller Parks
Two Victorian parks joined at the hip beside the Ribble: a Japanese rock garden, a riverside cafe, a playground sited between the two, and the Easter egg rolling hill. Preston's best free afternoon.
Days out with the kids in Preston
12 places in Preston, Lancashire, 6 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
12 in Preston6 free6 indoor
Preston got its centrepiece back in September 2025, when the Harris reopened after a £19m rebuild and stayed free: a proper children's library, changing exhibitions and a cafe under one Grade I listed roof on the Flag Market. Ten minutes' walk away, Avenham and Miller Parks run down to the Ribble with a Japanese rock garden, a riverside cafe and the egg rolling hill that fills with the whole town every Easter. The playground sits between the two parks, so save it for the finale.
Brockholes is the half-day trip: a nature reserve whose visitor village genuinely floats on the lake, free apart from parking, with flat trails, bird hides and free family crafts through the summer holidays. The Ribble Steam Railway is the one to plan around - it is a Saturday railway, Easter to September, so check the running calendar before you promise anyone a train. Days out in Preston with kids lean heavily on the free stuff, and none of it feels like a compromise.
Places in Preston
Beacon Fell Country Park
A 266m hill on the edge of the Forest of Bowland with woodland and moorland paths, junior and senior orienteering courses, picnic areas, toilets and a cafe. Parking is £1 for the whole day, card or phone only.
Brockholes Nature Reserve
A nature reserve with a visitor village that floats on the lake. Genuinely floats. Easy flat trails, hides, a huge adventure playground and family crafts and events in the school holidays.
Cuerden Valley Park
650 acres of woods, meadows and river between the M6 and M65, with a visitor centre, a cafe and a river shallow enough to paddle in. Around 300,000 visitors a year and most of Warrington has never heard of it.
Samlesbury Hall
A half-timbered manor house from 1325 between Preston and Blackburn, with three floors of rooms, lawns, the Mayflower Playground and an eatery. Entry is by voluntary donation, but it shuts on Saturdays and Mondays.
The Harris
Preston's museum, gallery and library reopened in September 2025 after a £19m rebuild, and it is still free. A proper children's library, changing exhibitions and a cafe under one Grade I listed roof on the Flag Market.
Ribble Steam Railway & Museum
Steam trains along Preston's dockside with a museum shed full of engines, a playground and a tea room all on one ticket that covers all-day travel. A Saturday railway, so check the calendar before you promise anyone a train.
Turbary Woods Owl and Bird of Prey Sanctuary
A volunteer-run sanctuary near Lostock Hall with over 90 birds of prey in woodland aviaries and a flying display every day that visitors join in. Pay on the door. Winter hours are short: 11am to 2pm.
Flip Out Preston
Preston's Flip Out: trampolines, a Kids Arena, slamball, a stunt zone and two soft plays, one for toddlers. In term time it is shut on Mondays and opens at 12.30pm on weekdays.
The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre
A big leisure centre under a grass roof on the A6 north of Preston: six bowling lanes, a covered crazy golf course, a curling rink, a three-screen cinema and a £6 VR ride. Each activity is priced separately, so it adds up.
Rascals Play Centre
Preston's big indoor centre at Bamber Bridge, minutes off the M6, with a sports court, a disco room and a quieter SEN session on Tuesday evenings.
Wacky World Inflatable Park
Preston's largest indoor inflatable park, with wipeout-style inflatables, a rodeo bull and a base jump for the bigger ones, a toddler corner on the mezzanine, under-5s sessions and a weekly calm session for ASD and disabled children.
What’s on in Preston
19 dated events coming up, 1 of them this weekend.
Halloween Spooky Trains at Ribble Steam Railway
Ribble Steam Railway, Preston
until 1 Nov. Both days of Halloween weekend, 10.30am to 4.30pm
Steam trains along Preston Riverside with ghostly goings on aboard, both days of the Halloween weekend. A train that is going somewhere beats a queue for a photo with a witch.
Written by us
Brockholes Reserve Tour (opens on Lancashire Wildlife Trust)
Meet outside the Welcome Centre on our floating Visitor… · Preston
3 Nov to 24 Nov. Daily, 10.30am to 12.30pm
Join our Guided Walk Leaders for a fascinating tour of Brockholes.
Listed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust · collected 1 Nov
Toddler Group (opens on St Cuthbert's, Fulwood)
St Cuthbert's, Fulwood · Preston
4 Nov. Wednesday 4 November, 10am
Starts at 10am. Times, prices and tickets are on the organiser's own page.
Listed by St Cuthbert's, Fulwood · collected 1 Nov
Dog Friendly Bonfire Night at Brockholes (opens on Lancashire Wildlife Trust)
Visitor Village Entrance · Preston
5 Nov. Thursday 5 November, 5pm to 8pm
Join us on the 5th November for a dog friendly, no bang bonfire night at Brockholes!
Listed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust · collected 1 Nov
Toddler Group (opens on St Matthew's Mission)
St Matthew's Mission · Preston
5 Nov. Thursday 5 November, 9.15am
informal group for parents, carers and their pre school children
Listed by St Matthew's Mission · collected 1 Nov
Tot Stop (opens on St George's, Preston)
St George's, Preston
5 Nov. Thursday 5 November, 10am
A weekly group during term time for babies, tots and their carers.
Listed by St George's, Preston · collected 1 Nov
Everything on in Preston13 more not shown here
Also worth the drive
Not in Preston, but close enough for a day out.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
The big one. Nickelodeon Land covers the primary ages properly while the Big One and the wooden coasters wait for brave older kids. August queues are real; go in expecting them and it is a great day.
Blackpool Tower
Tower Top's glass floor 380 feet up, a proper circus that still knows how to play to kids, and the famous ballroom below for a fancy ice cream. Buy the attractions you want rather than the bundle you will not use.
Sandcastle Waterpark
The UK's biggest indoor waterpark, kept at tropical temperature: proper toddler pools and mini slides at one end, big flumes at the other. Rainy-day Blackpool solved.
Blackpool Zoo
Elephants, gorillas, giraffes and sea lions in 37 acres that are actually walkable with primary-age legs - big enough to feel like a full day, small enough that nobody ends up carried.
Sea Life Blackpool
A solid seafront aquarium with an ocean tunnel and rockpool sessions - the reliable wet-weather hour when the beach plan falls apart.
Stanley Park
Blackpool's grand free option: Italian gardens, a big boating lake, one of the best playgrounds on the coast and model boats on the lake. The antidote to a wristband day.
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre
Otters at feeding time, flamingos, pond dipping and a canoe safari through the reeds in season. One of those places that quietly turns a nature-indifferent child into a nature child.
Windmill Animal Farm
A friendly hands-on farm whose star turn is the miniature railway running out across the fields. Animal handling sessions, indoor play for wet spells, and it never feels too big.
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.