Days out with the kids in Whitehaven

The Beacon Museum does Whitehaven's mining, shipping and rum-running past over four floors, with a bakery cafe attached and the harbour immediately outside. Adults are £7.50, children aged 4 to 16 are £4, and a family of four is £19. It is a good wet afternoon and it is the only thing we list in the town, so plan the rest of the day around it.

Places in Whitehaven

The Beacon Museum

Whitehaven~130 min

★★★★★4.6(592)

Four floors of galleries on Whitehaven harbourside covering the town's mining, shipping and rum-running past, with a bakery cafe attached. Exhibitions change, so a second visit is not a repeat.

Adults £7.50, kids £4, family £19IndoorsClosed Mondays outside the school holidaysAges 4-11

The Fun House

Whitehaven~2 hr 25 min

Adventure soft play on a Whitehaven industrial estate for children up to 12, with a separate baby and toddler area and a cafe doing hot meals. Weekend play runs only 10.30am to noon, and prices are not published.

Price not listedIndoorsAges 0-12

What’s on in Whitehaven

3 dated events coming up.

Also worth the drive

Not in Whitehaven, 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, 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.

Family boat faresAges 4-11

Brockhole on Windermere

Windermere & Bowness~1 hr 35

★★★★★4.6(4,197)

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.

Free grounds, paid parking and activitiesAges 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.

Adults £12.60, kids £7.80, family £38IndoorsClosed 11 to 31 January 2027 for maintenanceAges 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.

Adults £13.25, kids £7.90, family £36IndoorsAges 6-11

Whinlatter Forest

Keswick~1 hr 50

★★★★★4.8(2,987)

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.

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