It's a UK summer. It will rain. Here are 12 brilliant rainy-day rescue plans we keep on standby — most indoor, all family-friendly, with a price range so you can pick by budget.
The big indoor experiences (worth booking ahead)
1. The Eden Project, Cornwall — £40 adults
Two enormous indoor biomes — tropical and Mediterranean. Easily a full day. Excellent kids' trail. Sound and smell of a rainforest while it pours outside is magical.
2. National Space Centre, Leicester — £19 adults
Iconic Rocket Tower visible from the M1. Real space rockets, astronaut training, planetarium. Brilliant for 5+ kids, especially anyone going through a space phase.
3. Jorvik Viking Centre, York — £14 adults
Short, immersive, brilliant. Kids 4+ love being inside an actual Viking village. Combine with the Railway Museum (free) for a proper York day.
4. SEA LIFE London Aquarium — £30 advance
Pricey but reliable indoor winner — sharks, jellyfish, rainforest section. Pre-book online or it's £40 on the door.
5. Manchester's Science and Industry Museum — free
Massive, free entry, brilliantly hands-on. Working steam engine, planes, kids' workshops every summer.
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Cheap rainy-day rescues (under £15 per person)
6. Trampoline parks — £10–15 per hour
The single best rainy-day plan if you have 6–14 year olds. Kids destroyed after 90 minutes. Try Gravity, Oxygen, Flip Out.
7. Soft play centres — £6–12 per child
Lifesaver for under-7s. Adults usually free. Always check for independents in your area — they're often less expensive than chains.
8. Indoor karting — £15–25 per session
TeamSport, Capital Karts, Daytona. Kids' karts available from age 8. Sessions are usually 15–20 minutes.
9. Bowling — £10–15 per game
Hollywood Bowl, Tenpin, Bowlplex. Add bumpers free for kids. Solid 90 minutes of family time.
10. Cinema kids' clubs — £2.50–3 per ticket
Vue Mini Mornings, Cineworld Movies for Juniors, Odeon Kids' Club. Cheapest big-screen activity going.
Free rainy-day rescues
11. Free national museums
- Natural History Museum, London — dinosaurs (free)
- Science Museum, London — pre-book free timed entry
- National Railway Museum, York — free, train-mad kids in heaven
- Riverside Museum, Glasgow — free, vehicles, ships
- Manchester Science and Industry — free
- National Football Museum, Manchester — small charge, brilliant for football fans
- National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield — free, real underground tour (kids 5+)
12. Library Summer Reading Challenge
Already covered in our free list — but worth repeating. Free, indoor, structured, your library staff will help. Perfect rainy-afternoon rescue.
Bonus: home rainy-day plans that don't suck
- Build a den with all the sofa cushions. Watch a film inside it.
- Baking day — cupcakes, bread, scones. Hours of activity, smells brilliant.
- Make-your-own pizza night
- Indoor scavenger hunt — write clues, hide chocolate.
- Family games tournament — Uno, Monopoly Deal, Catan Junior. Bracket-style with prizes.
More UK family day-out guides
- The big list: 50+ things to do with kids in the UK this summer
- 15 free things to do with kids this summer (UK)
- Best UK theme parks for families 2026
- Cheap days out with kids — every idea under £20
- Best UK beaches for families 2026
- Rainy day? 12 indoor things to do with kids around the UK
🎁 FREE — WIN £50 EVERY MONTH
Get the £50 Inspire Travel Card every month
Subscribe to The Boarding Pass Club newsletter — get our hand-picked UK family day-out ideas + you're auto-entered to win a £50 travel card every month. Spend it at TUI, Jet2, Booking.com, Travelodge, Premier Inn + more.
