Days out with the kids in Ulverston

Ulverston is where Stan Laurel was born, and the town has not let anyone forget it. The Laurel & Hardy Museum fills the old Roxy cinema with memorabilia and plays the films on the big screen, £15 for a family, open daily until the end of October. In winter it tries to open every day but shuts in January, so ring before a long drive.

Ford Park is the free half: a charity-run park under Hoad Hill with an inclusive playground, a woodland animal trail and a walled garden, and an Apple Day on 3 October. Bardsea Alpacas, three miles away on the coast, is booked sessions only, from £8.50 a child to meet and feed the herd, and its season runs February to October.

Places in Ulverston

Ford Park

Ulverston~1 hr 35 min

★★★★★4.6(759)

A charity-run park under Hoad Hill in Ulverston with an inclusive playground, a woodland animal trail, a walled garden and orchard, and the path up to the Sir John Barrow Monument. Free, open daily and busy with family events.

Free - parking by donationAges 0-12

Laurel & Hardy Museum

Ulverston~1 hr 35 min

★★★★★4.5(1,276)

Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston, and the town's museum now fills the old Roxy cinema with memorabilia and the films themselves on the big screen. Cheap, dry, and funnier for children than you might expect.

Family ticket £15IndoorsAges 4-14

Bardsea Alpacas and Llamas

Ulverston~1 hr 40 min

★★★★★5.0(247)

Not an open farm but a booked session with a herd of 40 to 60 alpacas and llamas in Bardsea, on the coast just south of Ulverston. Walk one round the grounds, or just hand-feed the herd as it crowds round you.

Meet and feed from £8.50 a child, £16.80 an adultFebruary to OctoberAges 2-14

What’s on in Ulverston

6 dated events coming up, 3 of them this weekend.

Also worth the drive

Not in Ulverston, but close enough for a day out.

Windermere Lake Cruises

Windermere & Bowness~1 hr 30

★★★★★4.6(1,657)

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.

Family boat faresAges 4-11

Brockhole on Windermere

Windermere & Bowness~1 hr 35

★★★★★4.6(4,197)

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.

Free entry - pay per activity and parkingAges 4-11

The World of Beatrix Potter

Windermere & Bowness~1 hr 30

★★★★★4.5(6,202)

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.

Attraction ticketsIndoorsAges 4-7

Lakes Aquarium

Newby Bridge~1 hr 20

★★★★☆4.2(4,618)

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.

Attraction ticketsIndoorsAges 4-9

Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

Newby Bridge~1 hr 20

★★★★★4.6(5,800)

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.

Family faresAges 4-11

Lakeland Motor Museum

Newby Bridge~1 hr 20

★★★★★4.7(5,828)

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.

Attraction ticketsIndoorsAges 6-11

Whinlatter Forest

Keswick~1 hr 50

★★★★★4.8(2,987)

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.

Free entry, paid parkingAges 4-11

The Puzzling Place

Keswick~1 hr 50

★★★★☆4.4(2,039)

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.

Attraction ticketsIndoorsAges 5-11