1 / 6Oxfordshire packs a huge amount into one county: baroque palaces with adventure playgrounds, walk-through wildlife parks, a crocodile zoo, hands-on dinosaur museums and easy-going working farms. Whether you want a big showpiece day or a low-key morning with toddlers, here are our favourite confirmed family days out across Oxfordshire, with what each place is and why kids love it.
🎟️See things to do in Oxfordshire on GetYourGuide →Blenheim Palace
A UNESCO World Heritage baroque palace and 2,000-acre estate in Woodstock, birthplace of Winston Churchill, with grand State Rooms, formal gardens, a giant hedge maze, a butterfly house and a miniature train. For families the draw is the sheer space: acres of parkland to run around, an adventure playground, the hedge maze, the miniature train, the butterfly house and a Pleasure Gardens area built with children in mind. A full day out for mixed-age families in Woodstock.
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
A 160-acre zoo and gardens set around a Victorian manor house near Burford, home to rhinos, giraffes, lions, penguins and reptiles and open since 1970. Kids get walk-through animal enclosures, a big children's play area, a narrow-gauge railway and plenty of open space, making it easy to fill a whole family day in Burford.
Oxford Castle & Prison
A 1,000-year-old castle and former prison in the heart of Oxford, offering costumed guided tours of St George's Tower, the Debtors' Tower and the medieval crypt. Costumed guides spin dramatic ghostly and gruesome stories, and climbing the Saxon tower then descending into the crypt keeps older children thoroughly engaged. A great city-centre day out in Oxford.
Crocodiles of the World
The UK's only crocodile zoo, at Brize Norton near Carterton, home to over 100 crocodiles, alligators and caimans across 12-plus species, plus a Komodo dragon, snakes and meerkats. Daily feeding displays and keeper talks bring it to life, and kids get to see reptiles and meerkats up close that they rarely encounter elsewhere. Being largely indoors, it's a reliable weather-proof day out near Carterton.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
A free Victorian museum in Oxford, famous for its dinosaur skeletons and the Oxford Dodo, with hands-on exhibits and a shared building with the Pitt Rivers Museum. Free entry, real dinosaur skeletons, a touch table and printable family trails make it easy on the budget, and the connected Pitt Rivers Museum adds shrunken heads and treasures for extra wow. An ideal rainy-day option in Oxford.
Millets Farm Centre
A 150-acre family-owned farm centre at Frilford near Abingdon, with an animal walkway, soft play barn, farm shop, restaurants and seasonal events like a maize maze and pumpkin picking. Free site entry, a four-tier soft play barn, farm animals to meet, farmyard golf, a vintage carousel and ferris wheel and a seasonal maize maze give younger children plenty to do near Abingdon.
Cogges Manor Farm
A historic manor house and working farm across 17 acres in Witney, with farm animals, a walled garden, an orchard, an adventure playground and a cafe. Children can meet the farm animals, tackle the adventure playground and spread out across the orchard picnic space, all at a relaxed, low-key pace that suits younger families in Witney.
Tips for a family day out
Check opening times and any seasonal event dates before you travel, as several of these venues run maize mazes, feeding displays and holiday activities on set dates. Book ahead where you can to guarantee entry on busy weekends, pack layers and wellies for the outdoor sites, and mix a big-ticket day (like Blenheim Palace or the Cotswold Wildlife Park) with a free or indoor option (like the Natural History Museum) to balance the budget and beat the weather.
FAQs
What are the best free family days out in Oxfordshire? The Oxford University Museum of Natural History (and the connected Pitt Rivers Museum) offers free entry with dinosaur skeletons and family trails, and Millets Farm Centre has free site entry with paid activities on top.
Which Oxfordshire attractions are good in the rain? Crocodiles of the World is largely indoors and weather-proof, and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Oxford Castle & Prison are strong wet-weather choices too.
What's best for young children in Oxfordshire? Cogges Manor Farm and Millets Farm Centre are relaxed, low-key farm days with animals, play areas and space to roam, ideal for toddlers and younger kids.
🎟️ Top things to do in Oxfordshire
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