Things to do in Bristol with kids
We The Curious and SS Great Britain are the paid days out; the harbour ferries, M Shed and Ashton Court fill the rest for nothing.
15 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
SS Great Britain
Great Western Dockyard
Brunel’s iron steamship in the dock where she was built, with a dry dock you walk under.
Mostly under cover.
- Over £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Ticket valid for a year
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery
Clifton
Dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, a Banksy and a gypsy caravan, free, at the top of Park Street.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
M Shed
Harbourside
The story of Bristol in a dockside transit shed, with working cranes outside, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Aerospace Bristol
Filton
Walk through the last Concorde ever to fly, in the hangar where she was built.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
We The Curious
Millennium Square
A hands-on science centre with a planetarium in a silver sphere on the harbour.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Bristol Hippodrome
St Augustine’s Parade
A 1,900-seat Edwardian theatre for the big touring musicals.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Tobacco Factory and the Sunday market
Southville
A theatre, a bar and a Sunday market in an old cigarette factory south of the river.
Mostly under cover.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Clifton
Brunel’s bridge across the Avon Gorge, free to walk and best at sunset.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Harbourside and the ferries
Harbourside
A loop of the floating harbour on foot or by little yellow ferry.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Walk free; ferry a few pounds
Underfall Yard
Harbourside
The Victorian machinery that keeps the harbour afloat, with a free visitor centre and a café.
Mostly under cover. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Ashton Court Estate
Long Ashton
Eight hundred acres of parkland and deer just over the suspension bridge, free.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Blaise Castle Estate
Henbury
A folly castle, a gorge, a giant playground and a free museum in a country house.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Cabot Tower and Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill
A free tower on the oldest park in Bristol, with the harbour and the hills laid out below.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Leigh Woods and the gorge walk
Leigh Woods
Ancient woodland on the far side of the gorge, with the best views back to the bridge.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Bristol Zoo Project
Cribbs Causeway
The zoo’s new home in a woodland park north of the city, with giraffes, bears and a treetop walk.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- £10 to £25
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Good to know
What is there to do in Bristol with children?
We The Curious and SS Great Britain are the paid days out; the harbour ferries, M Shed and Ashton Court fill the rest for nothing. This list keeps 15 places that work with kids and moves the indoor ones up when it is raining.
Which of these are free for families?
Look for the "Free" label. Most cities have at least a couple of free museums and a big park on this list, which makes a cheap day out easy to put together.