Get ready for a summer of adventure, creativity and fun with the National Trust’s Summer of Play, running throughout the school holidays and sponsored by Starling Bank.
From July, families can head to Dunham Massey, Quarry Bank, Lyme, Speke Hall and other National Trust sites for a festival-style experience packed with games and activities set in stunning historic houses and gardens.
Whether it’s unleashing creativity in craft zones, making music with natural materials, enjoying imaginative role play on mini stages, or curling up with a book in a cosy nook – there’s something to spark every child’s imagination.
Activities are spread across open meadows, woodlands and garden spaces, offering plenty of room to play, relax with a picnic or recharge at cafés and food pop-ups. With shaded areas, toilets and all the facilities you need, it’s a day out the whole family can enjoy.
Best of all, every visit helps support the National Trust’s mission to care for special places for everyone, forever.
Plan your summer adventure at:
Speke Hall, Liverpool
21 July–31 August
Find games galore in the grounds of this Tudor manor house as Speke Hall transforms into a vibrant festival of fun for families. From mud pie making to running races, building and creating, or getting cosy with a good book from the second-hand bookshop, there’s lots of ways for families to play together.
Explore the historic grounds, let imaginations run wild in the accessible gated play area, build dens in the woodland, or zoom through the air on the zipwire. Stop by the sensory resource station in the Visitor Centre to borrow fidget toys, ear defenders and other sensory items while you visit.
Normal admission charges apply (£19 adult, £9.50 child, £47.50 family, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Rufford Old Hall near Ormskirk, Lancashire
18 July–1 September
There’s plenty to see and do for families at this Tudor house in Lancashire. From exploring the garden in style on a balance bike to spotting wildlife on the canal, there’s plenty of room to let imaginations run free.
Enjoy an abundance of garden games and self-led activities this summer. Head to the Orchard Paddock and take part in free sports activities including cricket, rounders, tennis, croquet and more. From the Coach House you can collect a sports day kit box which includes instructions, skipping ropes, hula hoops, race markers, beanbags and more.
Normal admission applies (£12 adult, £6 child, £30 family, under 5s go free, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Quarry Bank, Wilmslow
19 July – 1 September
Come rain or shine, there’s fun for all the family at Quarry Bank. Inside the huge mill, there’s a brand-new Play Hub where little ones can dress up, put on puppet shows, dive into soft play and enjoy giant board games. Older kids can get stuck into traditional games and crafts too.
Outside, on the Mill Meadow you can play nature bingo, race through the maze or build your own adventure. Enjoy a picnic on tables in the playground near the Mill Yard – or pull up a deck chair and treat yourself to an ice cream from the Stables Ice Cream Parlour.
And with Magic Mondays, Travel Tuesdays, Woodland Wednesdays, Theatre Thursdays, Fitness Fridays and Wild Weekends – there’s something new for you to try every time you visit.
Admission charges apply (£21 adult, £10.50 child, £52.50 family, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Dunham Massey, Altrincham
20 June – 7 September
Dunham Massey, near Manchester, is full of playful adventures this summer. Follow the colourful bunting to the Play Hub in the North Park where you’ll find giant deck chairs, a tipi and games to play with the whole family. And from circus skills to fancy dress, there’s lots of different activities to try every day of the week.
Climb and clamber over the Log Pile natural play area and spot fallow deer roaming the parkland. For a moment of quieter imagination, head inside the house and follow Speechly’s grand tour. Fill hungry tummies with a woodfired pizza and keep the adventures going.
Admission charges apply (£17 adult, £8.50 child, £42.50 family, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Lyme, Stockport
18 July–7 September
Fill a full day at Lyme on the edge of the Peak District. There’s pushchair-friendly paths and adventurous trails to explore. Every day this summer stories will come to life through the world of play.
In the garden, gallop your way from Netherfield to Meryton and experience the locations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice through the eyes of a child. Inside the house you can play with shadow puppets and recreate the Egyptian adventures of Thomas Legh, an explorer who lived at Lyme. And at the Boiler House, you can attend the Riverlands Silent Pond Disco, curl up with a book in the nature reading corner and play nature-themed board games.
The Timber Yard Café near the Crow Wood play area serves tasty treats from children’s lunch boxes and sandwiches to ice cream scoops.
Normal admission applies (£17 adult, £8.50 child, £42.50 family, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Hare Hill, Macclesfield
19 July–31 August
This tranquil wooded garden is perfect for kids to explore without crowds. Inside the walled garden you’ll find picnic spots and a big lawn for little ones to explore. See what wildlife you can spot on the flat, pushchair friendly paths – the bird hide is the perfect place to start your adventure. Or you can build, climb and balance in the natural woodland play area.
This summer go with the flow and follow the self-led Water Wonders trail though the gardens at Hare Hill. Inspired by the National Trust’s Riverlands, a project that aims to improve the health of the River Bollin across Cheshire, you can find ways to become a guardian of the water too.
Normal admission applies (£9 adult, £4.50 child, £22.50 family, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Little Moreton Hall, Congleton
19 July–31 August
This topsy-turvy Tudor manor house is full of wonky angles and quirky character, and this summer you can have fun exploring a blast from the past trail of play. Travel through time, without the need for a time machine, from Tudor period to present day, as you delve into the history of games in the outdoors. Will you come across a familiar favourite or discover a new game to give a go? Or discover your inner Robin Hood with archery sessions for all the family.
Normal admission applies (£15 adult, £7.50 child, £37.50 family, free entry for under 5s, carers and National Trust members). No additional event charges.
Find out more information here.
Event listings correct at time of writing please use individual property webpages for the latest information.
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