Days Out Near Warrington With Children, Checked October 2026

For a day out near Warrington with children, most families start with Walton Hall and Gardens, which is free apart from parking; Gulliver’s World, the theme park off the M62 at £28 online; Chester Zoo; or Knowsley Safari, where you drive through in your own car. Every entry was checked against the venue’s own site on 28 October 2026.

We have not visited these places for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry sets out what the venue publishes about prices, opening hours, parking, dogs and access. Where a fact comes from somewhere other than the venue’s own site, we say so. Several big attractions price tickets by date, so where a venue does not publish a fixed price we say so rather than guess. Winter hours start this weekend at most of them, so check before you set off.

In Warrington

Walton Hall and Gardens, Higher Walton

The council-run estate says its park “is free to enter, just turn up and pay for parking”, with no need to book. It has a children’s zoo (10.30am to 4.15pm daily, last entry 4pm), a children’s playground, high ropes (10am to 5pm, tickets bought in advance), adventure golf at weekends and in school holidays, glasshouses and a land train that usually runs from 11.30am to 4pm at weekends and in the holidays. Parking is £4 on weekdays and £5 at weekends and bank holidays, with three hours free for blue badge holders; there is an accessible toilet with a hoist near the entrance. Dogs are welcome in the gardens but not in the children’s zoo. The games hut goes cashless from Sunday 1 November. Walton Lea Road, WA4 6SN; 01925 262908.

Gulliver’s World, Westbrook

A theme park and resort just off junctions 8 and 9 of the M62, with its own RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre on site. Its prices page gives a day ticket at £28 booked online in advance or £31 on the day, the same for adults and children; seniors £26 online, and children under 90cm free. Parking is free. Its calendar shows it open 10.30am to 4pm through this half-term week; its Land of Lights lantern festival returns this winter for a fourth season. Without a car, its directions page says bus 17 from Warrington Bus Station stops at the top of the drive, a five-minute walk from the entrance. Warrington, WA5 9YZ.

Apple Jack’s Adventure Farm and Spooky World, Stretton

An adventure farm aimed mainly at four to twelve year olds, with tractor rides, jumping pillows, zip wires and mazes, and covered areas for wet days. The farm says it is “not a petting zoo”, and it opens only at weekends and in school holidays during its season. This October it is running as Spooky World’s Fun by Day, 10am to 4pm daily until Sunday 1 November, at £15.50 over 90cm with a free pumpkin, as we reported in our half-term guide. Dogs on leads are welcome, parking is free, and picnics and barbecues are not allowed, though you can bring drinks and sandwiches. Its prices page still carries 2025 text, so check the booking page for next season. Stretton Road, WA4 4NW.

Zoos, wildlife and the aquarium

Chester Zoo, Upton-by-Chester

The zoo describes itself as “the UK’s Favourite Zoo” and says it is home to “thousands of animals”. Its opening times page gives 10am to 4.30pm until Sunday 1 November, then 10am to 4pm from 2 November to 23 December (3.30pm on Lanterns and Light evenings), with last admission an hour before closing; it shuts on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Ticket prices change by date and are shown when you book: the tickets page says booking online saves up to 20%, carers and under-ones go free, and parking is free. Its Lanterns and Light trail runs from 13 November to 3 January. Upton-by-Chester, CH2 1EU.

Knowsley Safari, Prescot

You drive the Safari Drive in your own car, and there is a Foot Safari and amusements as well. Its opening times page gives 10am to 4.30pm every day, with last entry to the Safari Drive at 3pm, and it warns that anyone arriving after that will be turned away. Prices are shown on its ticket site rather than published as a list. Its Rainy Day Promise offers a free return visit if continuous heavy rain lasts more than 90 minutes between 11am and 3pm, terms applying. It is signposted from the M57. Knowsley Safari, Prescot, L34 4AN.

Blue Planet Aquarium, Cheshire Oaks

An indoor aquarium next to the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet, off junction 10 of the M53, known for its sand tiger sharks and with junior shark dives. Its site says it is open daily from 10am, closed only on Christmas Day, currently 10am to 5pm with last entry an hour before closing. It does not publish a price list; prices appear on its booking page. Parking is £3 a vehicle however long you stay. Its tickets page says carers go free on a one-to-one basis, wheelchairs can be hired for a £10 returnable deposit, and there are selected quieter days for autistic visitors; contact the aquarium for dates. Cheshire Oaks, CH65 9LF; 0151 357 8804.

History, science and space

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Widnes

A science centre on the riverside by the Mersey Gateway bridge, with hands-on galleries, a TV studio, a glass-walled observatory gallery and a free PlayLab for under-fives at the back of the cafe. Its prices page gives £13 for adults, children and concessions alike, and every ticket currently includes a 12-month pass for return visits; tickets can only be bought in person while the ticketing system is upgraded. Weekend workshops and shows cost £2.75 extra. Its site gives opening as Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, closed on Mondays except bank holidays, with last admission an hour before closing. Parking is free, and the cafe is dog friendly. Mersey Road, Widnes, WA8 0DF; if you cross the Mersey Gateway, pay the toll within 24 hours.

Norton Priory Museum and Gardens, Runcorn

Founded in 1134, Norton Priory calls itself “the most excavated monastic site in Europe”, with a 12th-century undercroft, priory ruins, a museum that reopened in 2016, woodland walks with sculptures and a 2.5-acre Georgian walled garden. It is run by an independent charitable trust and says it gets no government funding. Its summer-season prices, which run to 2 November, let up to three children aged 4 to 16 in free with each full-price adult (£13.95 without Gift Aid), with under-fours free; it does not yet list winter prices. From 3 November the museum opens 10am to 4pm and the walled garden noon to 3pm, closed Wednesdays and open Thursdays only in school holidays. Dogs on leads are welcome everywhere except inside the Brooke Cafe, and parking is free. Tudor Road, WA7 1SX.

Jodrell Bank, near Macclesfield

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the Lovell Telescope, which its site calls “the UK’s largest radio telescope”. It opens Monday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, last entry 3.30pm, and asks visitors to allow extra time because of local roadworks. Tickets are booked through its online ticket site, which changed in January 2026. Parking is free. It is about six miles from junction 18 of the M6, off the A535 between Chelford and Holmes Chapel; by train, its directions page suggests Macclesfield and a 20-minute taxi. Jodrell Bank is part of the University of Manchester. Bomish Lane, Lower Withington, SK11 9DW.

Parks, farms and forests

Dunham Massey, near Altrincham

A National Trust estate with a deer park, garden and house. The National Trust’s page gives park and garden tickets at £11 for adults, £5.50 for children aged 5 to 17 and £27.50 for a family without Gift Aid, under-fives free, with the house extra and open in the warmer months only. The park opens 9am to 5pm and the garden 10am to 5pm, with last admission 45 minutes before closing, and booking is not needed. The Log Pile natural play area is next to the car park. Dogs are welcome in the parkland, and in the garden from noon, on a short lead; they can run off lead in North Park. Woodhouse Lane, Altrincham, WA14 4SJ.

Tatton Park, Knutsford

A thousand-acre deer park with meres, a playground and the Stableyard shops and restaurants, plus a mansion, 50 acres of gardens and a working farm. Its prices page charges £10 to £11 a vehicle to enter the parkland; single attractions are £11 to £15 for adults and £9 to £10 for children, with family tickets from £20. Its opening times show the parkland open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm in winter, closed Mondays; the farm opens Tuesday to Sunday for half term to 1 November, then weekends only, 11am to 4pm. Tatton Park, Knutsford, WA16 6QN.

Delamere Forest, near Northwich

A Forestry England forest with a Room on the Broom family trail, the accessible Eddi’s Hillfort play area, Go Ape, cycle hire and two marked cycling routes. Forestry England’s page gives parking at the visitor centre at £4 for an hour up to £12.50 for over three hours, cheaper at Whitefield, and free if you arrive by bike or car-free; the car parks are cashless and open 8am to 5pm in winter. There are toilets, a Changing Places toilet and baby changing, and dogs are welcome. Delamere station, on the Chester to Manchester line, is about five minutes’ walk from the visitor facilities. Linmere, Delamere, CW8 2HZ.

How we chose

These are the places Warrington families search for when they want a day out: the town’s own free park and theme park, the zoos, safari park and aquarium within an hour’s drive, and the heritage, science and countryside sites that publish what children can do there. The facts come from each venue’s own website, the National Trust and Forestry England. We left out places we could not find current opening details for. For indoor ideas on a wet day, see our soft play guide. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@warringtonwire.co.uk.

For more ideas, see things to do in Warrington, what’s on in Warrington this month, October half term in Warrington, our guides to Warrington playgrounds and walks near Warrington, or browse the Warrington business directory.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do for free with children near Warrington?

Walton Hall and Gardens in Higher Walton is free to enter, including its children’s zoo, playground and gardens; you pay only for parking, £4 on weekdays and £5 at weekends and bank holidays. Norton Priory in Runcorn has let up to three children aged 4 to 16 in free with each full-price adult this summer season.

How much does Gulliver’s World in Warrington cost?

Gulliver’s World lists a day ticket at £28 booked online in advance or £31 on the day, the same price for adults and children. Children under 90cm go free, and parking is free.

What can we do near Warrington when it rains?

Blue Planet Aquarium at Cheshire Oaks is indoors and open every day except Christmas Day, Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes has hands-on galleries and an under-5s PlayLab, and Knowsley Safari’s Safari Drive is done from your own car. Knowsley offers a free return visit if continuous heavy rain lasts more than 90 minutes between 11am and 3pm, terms applying.