Brockholes Nature Reserve
A nature reserve with a visitor village that floats on the lake - genuinely floats. Easy flat trails, hides, a good playground and free family crafts through the summer holidays.
The Harris
Preston, Lancashire
The Harris shut in 2021 and came back in September 2025 after a £19m refit, and the four years show. Museum, art gallery and library now blend into one building, so you drift from paintings to picture books without noticing a join. Entry is free, and for primary-age kids the redesigned children's library is the main event.
It sits on the Flag Market in the middle of Preston, an easy walk from the station and the city centre car parks. Open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, late until 9pm on Thursdays, and 11am to 4pm on Sundays. New cafe, new shop, upgraded toilets, and Harris Kids family programming running through the year.
The reopening exhibition was a Wallace and Gromit takeover, which tells you where the place has pitched itself. This is not a hushed gallery. Kids are expected, and the building is set up for them.
Know before you go
- Sunday hours are short - it shuts at 4pm - so make it a morning if you go on a weekend.
- Check the Harris Kids listings before you set off; family sessions run through the year.
Looking for more museums & science near Preston?
Also in Preston
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.
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.