Activities for children in and around Richmond, North Yorkshire

Children's activities

Distances from Richmond are shown where applicable. 🥤- café or refreshments are available. 🦮 - dogs are believed to be welcome (conditions may apply). ☔️ - good for a rainy day.
  • Big Sheep, Little Cow, Bedale (12 miles). Farm tours, animal petting, play-barn with slides, climbs, ball-pools, pedal-carts. Café. 🥤
  • Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle (14 miles). Nature trail, family fun-days, crafts workshops, story garden, play area. 🥤☔️
  • Camp Hill Adventure Park, near Bedale (17 miles). Slides, play-houses, low ropes, climbing walls, woodland trails... 🥤 🦮
  • Castles, stately homes, fine buildings - see list under INFO above
  • Cinemas: Empire, Catterick Garrison (2 miles) ☔️ | Station Cinema, Richmond ☔️
  • Forbidden Corner, near Middleham (13 miles). A labyrith of tunnels, secret chambers, follies and surprises. Utterly unique. 🥤
  • Foxglove Covert, Catterick Garrison (3 miles). Local Nature Reserve, with trails, hides, activities and a Field Centre.🥤🦮
  • Georgian Theatre Royal. Go behind the scenes, try on costumes, discover your inner actor. ☔️
  • Green Howards Museum. Family friendly museum with stories of 300 years of friendship and adventure, service and sacrifice to explore.  Quizzes, holiday activities and a great gift shop. 🦮☔️
  • Lightwater Valley, north of Ripon (20 miles). Large theme park with many rides and attractions. 🥤
  • Locomotion, Shildon (18 miles). What child doesn't enjoy a railway museum, steam engines and all? 🥤☔️
  • Richmond Castle. Breathtaking Norman fortress, high above the River Swale. Great for picnics, family activities, running around. 🦮
  • Richmondshire Museum. Rambling old building, with exhibits from prehistory to the present day. Discovery Centre for children. ☔️
  • ​The Station. Renovated Victorian railway terminal, with ice-cream parlour, cinema, country walks on the doorstep. 🥤🦮☔️
  • Swaledale Museum, Reeth (10 miles). Geology, prehistory, and thousands of acres of glorious countryside all around. 🥤🦮☔️
  • Swimming: Catterick Garrison (2 miles) 🥤☔️ | Richmond (with mini-golf).🥤☔️
  • Theatre Hullabaloo, Darlington (13 miles). Children's theatre with frequent performances, Enchanted Forest play area. 🥤☔️
  • Thorp Perrow Arboretum, near Bedale (13 miles). Woodland trails, activities, adventure play area, birds of prey. 🥤🦮
  • Wackadayz, Brompton on Swale (2 miles). Indoor adventure area for youngsters and their parents. 🥤☔️
  • Wensleydale Railway, Leeming Bar (12 miles) – Redmire and stations between. Heritage line through beautiful countryside. 🥤🦮
  • What’s On: In  Richmond | In the district