WHOEVER suggested hibernating in winter hasn’t spent whole days inside with young kids, but as it happens, January and February can be a great time of year to treat the family to a budget day out.
Drizzly winter weather often means lower prices at top attractions, and there are plenty of exciting deals from now until spring. To prove rainy days don’t have to drain your bank account – we’ve hunted down the best bargain days out for families to enjoy in the wetter weather.
Plus, with February half term just around the corner, it’s best to plan ahead and pre-book your family days out – and secure these bargains whilst you can.
Read on for our pick of the best winter days out…
Theme parks and attractions
1. 50 per cent off Legoland Windsor Resort
Legoland Windsor Resort are offering some great deals ahead of the February half term, with half price tickets available when you book online.
Tickets can cost as little as £32 pp when booked in advance, saving you 50% on the walk up price.
Add on the adventure golf package for an extra £2 to save £42 pp on your trip to Legoland.
If you’ve got little ones under 90cm in height, they can enter for free.
The attraction is also offering “Brick Days” deals from 14 – 23 February.
These are days throughout the February half term packed with extra activities, specific weather-proof rides and meet and greets.
You can book a Brick Days deal online from £32pp, saving 53% when booked ahead.
2. Gulliver’s Kingdom family deal
Over at Gulliver’s Kingdom theme park in Matlock Bath, a family of four (with children aged 2-13) can visit for £39.
The deal comes courtesy of Wowcher, where families can save 61% off the original price of £99.
The family ticket is sold as a voucher, with flexible booking dates including 2026 school holiday availability.
There are also family vouchers for four available for £49 at the Warrington and Rother Valley locations.
3. Two thirds off at Chessington World of Adventures
Similarly, day tickets to Chessington World of Adventures have been slashed by two thirds during the February half term.
When prebooking online, tickets are available from just £22pp instead of £66pp.
A day ticket to Chessington includes entry to the theme park, zoo and SEA LIFE aquarium – that’s three attractions for just over twenty quid.
The same rule applies with those under 90cm being allowed in for free.
There’s even a short break deal from £32pp, meaning that you can stay overnight for the price of a regular day ticket.
And if it does get a bit chilly outside, Chessington has plenty of indoor attractions for you to explore.
There’s colourful soft play in the Dragon’s Playhouse, a walk-through tunnel in the indoor aquarium, and the Savannah Splash Pool.
4. After-school Legoland Adventure Golf
When it comes to crazy golf, Legoland Windsor Resort is a pretty unbeatable location.
Choose between three courses with space themes, pirates, or the impressive LEGO City.
The after school deal costs just £6pp instead of the £10pp walk up price.
This includes a round on one nine-hole course, and runs between 2 – 6pm from Monday through Thursday.
Make sure to prebook online at least a day in advance.
5. Merlin five attraction pass deal
This Merlin five attraction deal can save you up to 70% on family days out.
With this offer, you can visit five different Merlin Entertainments attractions over the course of 90 days for just £59pp.
This works out at £11.80pp per attraction, and is a great way of seeing some of London’s must-visits for families.
Choose between Shrek’s Adventure London, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds London, the London Dungeon and the Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Tour.
6. London Dungeon discounted day out
The London Dungeon is a thrilling indoor activity for older kids – and you can save extra if you book online in advance.
Inside there’s everything from the terrifying Drop Dead ride to a creepy escape room set in Guy Fawkes’ cell.
Attraction tickets on the day cost £35 per adult, but you can save up to an extra £8 by booking your tickets online ahead of time.
Adventure and weather-proof activities
7. Forest coaster with a free kids meal
Adventure centre Zip World are offering some major discounts, locals’ loyalty and after-school deals across locations in England and Wales.
On Thursday and Friday evenings in January, kids can enjoy a free hot meal and a drink when visiting the forest coaster at Betws-y-Coed.
From 3pm onwards, kids can enjoy a thrilling 1km ride through the forest before sitting down to a choice of free tomato pasta, bean or beef chilli.
Forest coaster bookings start at £25 for three rides, and if you’re a local resident you get an extra 30% off from Monday – Friday.
8. Cave trampolining with a free meal and unlimited squash
Over at Zip World’s Llechwedd location, kids can enjoy an hour of cave trampolining with a free meal and unlimited squash for £15.
The Bounce Below deal runs from 5 – 31 January on Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm.
You can also enjoy an extra 30% locals’ discount at Zip World attractions if you’re a resident of London, Manchester, Windermere, North Wales or South Wales.
The locals loyalty offer runs from 5 January – 13 February.
9. Ninja Warrior obstacle course
There’s some great deals running across Ninja Warrior UK courses – and this fully indoor attraction is perfect for any weather.
Here you make your way past a series of challenging inflatable obstacles, and end by facing the giant Ninja Warrior wall.
Early Bird and off-peak sessions cost £9.95pp, and a Ninja Toddlers session costs just £2.
There’s 17 locations to choose from, including Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, Wigan and more.
10. Indoor high ropes
Another great indoor option for burning off steam is the Gravity High Ropes experience in Birmingham.
At 31% off for just £10.95pp, adventurers can take on an action-packed course of climbing challenges, rope bridges and more.
You can save up to 41% if you book as a group, too, as the deal costs just £37.95 for a high ropes course for four.
11. Snow tubing deal
Elsewhere in Birmingham, take the kids to this unique snow tubing experience.
Those aged eight and over can grab themselves a doughnut tube and slide down a dry slope at Ackers Adventure Centre.
Taking place within a snow sports centre, this activity can be done in any weather.
The deal for two comes out to £8 per person if booked for two, which includes 30 minutes of tubing and is valid seven days a week.
12. Paintball for £2pp
For fans of outdoor adventure, Unreal Paintball in Madeley, Cheshire, is currently offering paintball group deals for 92% off.
A family-of-five can enjoy a paintballing day with 100 paintballs included for £10 – meaning the day out costs £2pp.
The Manor Farm location boasts nearly 40 acres of land including woodland, trenches, a castle and more to hide in.
The offer runs on weekends from 9am – 4pm for new Unreal Paintball customers.
13. 60% off Family Laser Quest
Over in Milton Keynes, the whole family can enjoy up to 60% off Laser Quest.
The deal includes two games for six players, costing just £6.50 per person – and there’s deals available for smaller groups, too.
This top-rated Laser Quest centre is decked out with misty fog, mazes, neon lights and pumping music.
The deal is available from Mondays – Fridays, from 4pm – 9pm during school time or 10am – 9pm during school holidays.
14. Bowling with dinner included
Bowling is another classic rainy weather activity for the whole family.
Hollywood Bowl has over 90 bowling centres, and they’re currently running a January Sales kids’ eat, drink and bowl deal from £8.50pp.
This includes one game of bowling, a choice between a burger or hotdog with fries, and drinks – which includes an alcoholic drinks for adults.
More offers include “Double the Fun Fridays”, where you can get a second game of bowling for free when you bowl after 9pm in January, using code JAN262G50 at online checkout.
15. 2-for-1 Ice skating and disco party
Planet Ice have skating rinks across the UK in cities like Peterborough, Leeds and Coventry – and they’ve got some great deals to book in time for February.
You can enjoy a 2-for-1 Valentines Day skating offer on February 13, which is suitable for all ages.
The offer is available online only – so make sure to snap up your plac by booking ahead on their website.
There’s also a half term disco skate taking place on February 13 and 20 across multiple locations.
16. Splash World waterpark
An indoor waterpark is always a safe bet on a drizzly day – and this offer for Splash World in Southport gets you 51% off full price.
This waterpark includes toddler splash zones, flume rides and a lazy river.
An £8 ticket (all ages) grants you a two hour session, with the offer ending in February.
17. Inflatable pool disco and obstacle course
Sticking with the waterpark theme, the London Aquatics Centre are running inflatable pool discos and obstacle courses on select dates until May.
For the Atlantis Obstacle Course, the Olympic-sized 50m pool becomes covered in a giant inflatable course with slides and climbing walls.
The obstacle course costs £12.60 per adult and £9.45 per junior.
The inflatable disco session, on the other hand, is suitable for ages five and above – and includes a fun inflatable run and massive floats.
The inflatable disco is priced at £10.50 for adults and £7.35 for juniors.
18. Cheap waterpark day in Derby
Moorways Sports Village and Waterpark in Derby is running Waterpark Wednesdays, giving families a cheaper option to visit during term time.
On Wednesdays from 4pm – 7pm during term time, adult tickets cost just £6.99, three to five-year-olds can visit for just £1 and under two’s go for free.
The waterpark is home to an aqua tube fast slide, a body slide, wave rider and rider slide – and a great choice whatever the weather.
19. Trampolining with giant inflatables and free pizza
Jump Inc have loads of indoor trampolining centres across the UK, including places like Blackpool, Birmingham, Chelmsford, Bristol and Aberdeen.
What makes this place unique is its great discounts and offers for families.
The After School Antics offer gives you two jump passes and a margherita pizza for dinner.
There’s also the unlimited jumps offer, where you pay for just one hour but can stay and bounce away up until closing.
The offer is valid from 3pm – 6pm from Mondays to Thursdays during term time. Offers vary by location.
20. Medieval mini golf
Knights Realm Adventure Golf in Basingstoke, Hampshire is home to an epic 18-hole themed golf course overlooked by a dragon.
Make your way around a medieval course dotted with armoured knights and historical scrolls teaching you all about the Middle Ages.
Plus you can save up to 31% off by booking through Groupon, and snap up a two adult ticket for £16 and child’s ticket for just £6.
21. 5D Cinema experience for £2.95
You can visit a 5D cinema for a unique movie experience for just £2.95 this winter.
There’s a choice of original films to pick from, including a thrilling rollercoaster journey named Amazon and a creepy horror called Blood Magic.
And if you’re bringing the whole family, you can get four tickets for just £8.95 – giving you something unique to try for a change of routine.
The 5D cinema is located within Laser Quest Bromley, so there’s another family-friendly activity to try out afterwards on your doorstep.
Museums and free exhibitions
Gone are the days where museums were for do-not-touch antiques and corridors of glass cabinets.
Now, there’s loads of unique museums across the UK that are both free to visit and full of exciting experiences made just for kids.
22. Manchester Museum
The Manchester Museum is free to enter, and full of exciting galleries like Living Worlds, Nature’s Library and a live vivarium.
And for families with dinosaur fans, the Manchester Museum has a brilliant Fossils and Dinosaurs gallery, and is home to a popular T. Rex called Stan.
23. Triceratops Exhibition
The dinosaur fun doesn’t stop there – there’s also a triceratops exhibition running at the Manchester Museum until February 22nd.
The exhibition features hands-on elements for kids like a fossil digging zone, and and is suitable for all ages.
Both entry to the museum and the triceratops exhibition are free, however you should book your slot for the exhibition online.
24. The National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland is another fantastic place to spend the day with kids indoors.
The colourful Imagine gallery has plenty of sensory and interactive options including dress-up, a musical floor, and a storybook reading corner.
Up on level five of the museum, Adventure Planet caters to older children.
Here, kids can use interactive touch screens to do everything from design their own fish to dig for dinosaur bones and fossils.
25. Giants exhibition
The Giants exhibition is set to open at the National Museum of Scotland on the 31 January.
The exhibition showcases amazing 3D sculptures, from life-sized elephants to the megalodon shark.
26. The National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in London’s Greenwich is both free to enter and packed with things for kids to do.
There’s The Cove playground, a sea-themed area with a giant shark, pirate ship and huge kraken with rope tentacles to swing from.
There’s also the AHOY! children’s gallery for kids aged 0-7, which has activities ranging from sensory play for babies to interactive pirate cannons.
Not to mention the storytelling characters who visit on Saturdays, and the under-5’s play group which runs every Tuesday at £4 per session.
27. The National Railway Museum, York
The National Railway Museum in York is another fantastic free-entry choice for a rainy day.
Here you can come face to face with a Japanese Bullet Train, or even take a ride on the museum’s miniature railway.
And for an additional £9.90pp, the Wonderlab is well worth getting stuck into.
Here kids can become mini-engineers, learning about the science behind locomotives with daily shows and demonstrations.
Kids can even have a go in a human wind tunnel and try out some hands-on science experiments.
28. House of Marbles, Devon
The House of Marbles in Devon is home to four unique museums and is free to visit.
There’s loads of unique marble runs to take part in, including a massive snooker ball-sized contraption as well as a games garden.
Their free games museum can be enjoyed by kids and parents alike, as you learn about the history that inspired Pac-Man and Space Invaders.
29. Newcastle Discovery Museum
Newcastle Discovery Museum is another great free option.
It’s home to Turbinia: a huge ship powered by steam turbines.
Their play space Tiny Tyneside is full of replica transport inventions to play with, and is open daily.
30. The Great North Museum: Hancock
The Great North Museum: Hancock is worth visiting for its unique Mouse House area.
It’s full of interactive surprises and runs free events such as Museum Mice, where kids can explore and handle museum objects – just make sure to prebook online.
31. Upside Down House
The Upside Down House is a unique indoor attraction that does what it says on the tin – everything inside the house has been turned completely upside-down.
Wandering through the house with kids makes for a unique indoor activity, plus some funny photos to look back on.
There are locations in Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol and London – the cheapest to visit being Liverpool at £6.45pp.
32. Discover Story Centre
The Discover Story Centre in London is a giant immersive space for kids with an exciting and colourful story world and garden.
Escape from the drizzly outdoors into a bright and colourful space with trails, singalongs and screenings.
The best part is that you’re able to build your day exactly how you’d like.
You can choose from a list of constantly updated activities and events like the Monster Funfair and Gabby’s Dollhouse movie screening (January 24).
Each event typically costs £2 – £5, with a Discover entry ticket costing £10 for adults, £5 for 1 year-olds and under 1’s go free.
33. National Football Museum
The National Football Museum in Manchester is a fantastic choice for a sports fanatic day indoors.
Inside, you can find the world’s first international football shirt and the oldest surviving FA cup trophy.
Tickets cost £15 for adults and £9 for kids – but the best part is that once you’ve bought your ticket, you can keep returning for free for an entire year.
There’s also a family saver ticket for four costing £39 – not bad for a whole year’s worth of visits.
34. Underwater exhibition and Octonauts trail
The Horniman Museum in London is opening up a “Voyage to the Deep – Underwater Adventures” exhibition from 13 February.
Here you board the ‘Nautilus’ submarine and discover everything from weird and wonderful sea creatures, to crawling through shipwrecks and decoding the secrets of Atlantis.
Plus, there’s an Octonauts “Adventure at the Horniman” Trail packed with activities.
Adult tickets cost £9.80 and kids tickets £7, with discounted rates for families of three (£20.20) or four (£27).
And if you’re on Universal Credit, the tickets are discounted to £2 – make sure to book in advance.
35. Free story festival
The young V&A in Bethnal Green, London is hosting a Story Festival in January 2026.
The festival will take place across the museum, and is completely free.
This includes singing and dancing performances, puppets and storytelling.
Drop-in storytelling activities take place on a first come first serve basis.
36. Free arts drawing sessions at London Southbank
At London’s Southbank Centre, families can drop in to relaxed drawing sessions over weekends.
Led by artist Erdem Kuslu, families can take part in drawing exercises and group games – entirely for free.
The experience is bookable from 16 January – just make sure you book a slot online in advance.
37. Wonderlab hands-on kids gallery
The Science Museum in London’s Kensington is home to a ticketed interactive kids gallery called Wonderlab.
Built for ages 7 – 14, this hands-on experience turns kids into budding scientists.
Wonderlab reopens on 16 January, and is open daily from 10am – 5pm.
Day passes cost £17 for ages 4+, with a family day pass based on 2 adults and 2 children giving you £3 off.
You can also save several pounds extra by booking your tickets in advance and at specific timeslots listed on the Wonderlab site.
Farms and outdoors
When the days are bright and dry, a family day out at the farm can be one of the best ways to get outdoors.
And we’ve found a range of open farms across the UK with free or cheap entry.
38. Bath City Farm
Bath City Farm is free to visit – and it’s easy to spend an entire day their exploring its woodland trails, children’s playground, seeing the animals and visiting the farm shop and cafe.
The farm is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am – 4pm, and on Sundays from 9.30am – 4pm.
39. Stonebridge City Farm
Another free option is Stonebridge City Farm in Nottingham.
This unique working farm in the middle of the city has amazing grounds, with a well-kept wildlife pond and even Japanese gardens.
They also run cheap events for kids, such as Rainbow Stripes on Tuesdays which is an interactive live music workshop.
40. Bucks Goat Centre
The Bucks Goat Centre in Aylesbury is offering a deal with just £4.55 entry for adults and £3.90 for children – or a family of four can visit for £15.40.
Here you can meet the friendly goats, chickens and alpacas, then sit down to enjoy hot chocolates and milkshakes in the Grazing Goat Cafe.
There’s also weekend events to look forward to like Bunny Brunch on Saturdays at 10:30, and Ferret Fun on Sundays at 11:30.
41. HAPPA Horse haven
For fans of horses and ponies, the HAPPA horse haven in Burnley is open to visitors.
Here you can meet rescue horses, donkeys and ponies, and take part in kids events like Pony Squad.
Visiting HAPPA costs £6 per adult and just £1 per child.
Make sure to book your slot online before visiting.
42. Mudchute Park and Farm
Mudchute Park and Farm in East London is another working farm that is free to visit – and has a massive 32 acres of land to explore.
Their courtyard and small animals area has just re-opened for the year, where you can visit guinea pigs and rabbits.
Here you can also meet cows, sheep, goats, and more.
43. Challenge Woods adventure playground
Outdoor activity centres like Bewilderwood can be quite expensive, especially by the time you’ve bought tickets for the whole family.
Challenge Woods in Norwich is miles cheaper than the nearby attraction, at just £4 entry for ages 4-17 with ages 0-3 going free.
Whilst it’s not quite high ropes, here kids can take part in zip lines, slides, wooden climbing structures and more, backed by Norfolk woodland.
44. Alpaca experience at Pennybridge Farm
Pennybridge Farm in Hampshire has gone fluffing mad with this discounted alpaca experience.
For just £7pp, you can meet and greet a herd of adorable alpacas at this open farm.
You even get to take part in feeding the animals, and learn all about the unique mammals.
The farm is open daily, and this bargain experience is a great way to spend a bright winter’s morning outdoors.
Soft play and younger children
There’s plenty of cheap and easy ways to keep little ones entertained over the winter months.
45. £1.75 Soft play with a drink
This soft play deal in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire is offering 50% off for two hours of play and a soft drink – costing just £1.75 per child.
Sqoshis Play Centre has plenty of climbing areas and slides, and it also has a laser and Nerf centre to entertain the older kids, too.
46. Slime making with kids meal and a hot drink
Colourful slime always goes down well with younger children, and this slime-making experience at Tilly Pots in Ravenshead makes for a creative afternoon out.
The deal includes a children’s meal and a hot drink for parents, costing just £6.95 for an adult and child together.
And for a family of four with two adults and two children, you can visit for just £11.95 – which is 46% off the usual price.
47. Little Diggers giant sandpit
Over in Leicester, mini-builders can put on their hard hat and visit a giant sandpit full of mini bulldozers, diggers and tractors – and play to their heart’s content.
The Little Diggers experience is currently 37% off, costing just £9.50 per child.
The experience takes place in Jump Giants Leicester, where there’s also trampolines and obstacle courses to enjoy.
48. Warwick Castle parent and toddler offer
Warwick Castle is currently running a parent and toddler offer for £20.
The deal includes access to the Zog Playland, the Horrible Histories maze, the UK’s largest birds of prey show and more.
The castle has more than 64 acres of grounds to explore with princess tower and dungeon experiences – plenty to keep the family entertained for an entire day.
49. Gruffalo Clubhouse term time deal
The Gruffalo Clubhouse in Blackpool is a great themed immersive indoor option.
Inside, there’s the Deep Dark Woods to explore, as well as soft play, a toddler play zone, a sensory room and the exciting Zog’s Dragon School Challenge.
Booking an adult and toddler ticket online costs £9 (saving you £10), and can be used from Monday – Friday during school term times.
50. Indoor play offer
A parent and child can visit Oasis Play in Surrey or London for a session of ball pits, slides and more for just £5.50 with this offer.
Oasis Play is a soft play centre with a sea-themed area, glowing neon lights – and it’s even rumoured that Bluey likes to visit.
This deal grants you 75-minute access on either weekdays or weekends, so your little ones can jump, climb and crawl to their heart’s content.
There’s further discounted offers available on Groupon, including a two adult one child ticket for £6.50 and a two adults two children ticket for just £10.50.