15 outdoor attractions to visit in and around London
*GoApe in Battersea Park or at Chessington World of Adventures*
For outdoor climbing, try GoApe in Battersea Park or at Chessington World of Adventures–an attraction we reviewed in 2016 (Read my review HERE). There are zip-trekking tree top adventures for both adults and children. For families looking to do day trips further afield, GoApe also has high-rope adventure courses in other forest parks near London, such as in Surrey and Berkshire.
*Hampton Court Palace’s Magic Garden and the Maze*
At Hampton Court Palace families can enjoy a magical garden with towers and dragons, and play areas representing myths and legends relating to the historic palace. The Hampton Court Palace Gardens is also home to the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze.
*Richmond Bridge Boat Hire*
When visiting Richmond I’ve often thought it’s looked amazing to go rowing, and it’s an activity I keep thinking we should do on hot London days. Richmond Bridge Boat Hire offers traditional rowing skiffs for hire by the hour, and they can fit up to eight people. Perfect for a scenic summer day out in the city!
*Children’s Garden in Kew Gardens*
In Kew Gardens, there’s a new Children’s Garden, which opened in May, and the beautifully-designed space is split into sections representing the four elements needed for plants to grow–sun, earth, air and water. In the air section of the garden, there are tall, colourful windmills, nature-themed swings and trampolines hidden in the ground. In the water section, there is a fun water pump that children can use to fill a wooden bucket with plugs that can be removed to let the water flow into large wooden runs. The children’s garden also features areas for climbing and balancing, as well as a sandy, beach-style play area with slides and little play houses. In addition, there’s a four-metre high walk wrapped around a huge oak tree, and large, relaxing areas to take a break from it all. Tickets for 90-minute long play sessions can now be reserved online. (Read my full review from a recent visit HERE.)
*GoBoat London*
When visiting ZSL London Zoo, I’ve spotted happy-looking people out boating in practical motor boats from GoBoat London, which hires out boats from two locations–Paddington land Kingston. The boats look ideal for a picnic on the canal or river on a gorgeous London summer day, as they feature large tables in the middle. The boats can fit up to eight people each, making a boat rental doable as a day out for two families of four. This is one activity I can’t wait to try out! (Rental starts from £59 for one hour.)
*Hobbledown Farm and Adventure Park*
At Hobbledown Farm and Adventure Park in Surrey families can see a variety of animals as well as enjoy the large outdoor play areas and indoor play barn. In the outdoor play area, built in a medieval theme, children can dig for marbles, bounce on jumping pillows and much more. There is also a zorbing arena, a high ropes course with zip wire for older children, and in addition to seeing farm animals, families can enjoy the Wallaby Walk-Through, where visitors walk on a pathway and the wallabies roam around freely, and bird flying demonstrations.
*Garsons*
For a large pick-your-own farm near London, Garsons in Esher can make for a fun day trip, picking flowers, fruits or vegetables. The farm offers a large selection of crops for picking, and the availability of is updated online, so it is worth checking in advance to find out about availability. When we’ve visited, I’ve loved walking around the fields with in our wellies and picking vegetables.
*Bocketts Farm*
The farm park I’ve visited the most times is Bocketts Farm–a truly charming farm park set in the beautiful hilly Surrey countryside. In addition to meeting and feeding farm animals, families can enjoy the large play areas outside at Bocketts Farm. There are climbing frames, swings, jumping pillows and more. Older children can enjoy pony rides, and there’s a farm walk on the area, which is something I would like to explore some time. There are also indoor play areas, including soft play, little tractors to drive and a big tractor to climb into.
*RHS Garden Wisley*
The stunning RHS Garden at Wisley in Surrey has outdoor play areas, including an area with sticks that can be used for den building and several cafés. Over the school holiday, RHS Garden Wisley is celebrating 50 years since the publication of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar with themed family trails and activities.
*Battersea Park Children’s Zoo*
At Battersea Park Children’s Zoo families can see animals, such as monkeys, meerkats, pigs and donkeys, and children can run around in the outdoor play area, where there are climbing towers, swings and water and sand play.
*Willows Activity Farm*
With a pretty and fun Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground and a wide range of activities, Willows Activity Farm near St Albans is also a fantastic destination for a unique family day out. I loved the fun and unique Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground designed for children under 6 when we were first invited to the farm park, and we’ve been back this year to spend more time in the themed play areas and experience the fun Peter Rabbit-themed entertainment. The farm park, which it takes us around an hour to get to, also boasts a large barn with horses, cows, sheep, rabbits and guinea pigs.
*Odds Farm Park*
Another farm park that is easy to get to from South West London is Odds Farm Park near High Wycombe, which I was invited to review a few years back and it then took us around 50 minutes to drive there from Fulham (read review HERE). Last year, Odds Farm Park had a new water play area with 80 metres of channels, streams and pools, and the numerous play features allow young visitors to move water through a series of pumps, channels, rivulets, wheels and gates.
*Putt in the Park*
For a fun outdoor family activity that can be unplanned, Putt in the Park offers exciting mini golf courses in Battersea Park, Wandsworth Park and Acton Park. The venues are open until 8pm in the evenings and there is no need to book. The Acton Park and Battersea Park venues have pizzerias.
*WWT London Wetland Centre*
At the WWT London Wetland Centre families can escape the city and go for walks in the peaceful surroundings, help feed the birds, see otters, play outdoors and much more. The outdoor play area includes a climbing wall, water games and zip wires.
*ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo*
At ZSL London Zoo, families can usually see lions, gorillas, giraffes, monkeys, penguins, tigers, farm animals and much more. On warm summer days, there’s also a water play area that can be useful (Read more HERE). Another unique outdoor attraction is ZSL London Zoo’s sister zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, which makes for a completely different experience since it’s possible to drive around that zoo and there are elephants at Whipsnade. By taking the car into the zoo, families can drive on dedicated pathways to see animals in a different environment. In my experience, it’s taken around an hour to drive to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo from South West London (Read more HERE).
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