Family Days Out in Colchester

Colchester and its surrounding area is full of child-friendly venues and can provide one of the best family days out in Essex and the East of England.

With one of the best zoos in the country and a historic and family friendly castle for starters, Colchester is an appealing destination for children and their parents alike. When the sun is shining you can discover beautiful local beaches, nature discovery centres, the magical Wyvern Wood, or the newly opened Colchester Sports Park. On wet weather days there's still plenty to enjoy including a roller rink, trampoline park, and leisure pool.

Visit during the school holidays and you'll find a special programme of events put on by many of Colchester's best attractions, and there's always something available to do for free so a visit needn't break the bank.

Events for Children in Colchester

Discover a fun and entertaining selection of events for children and families running throughout the year ranging from kids sports, art activities for children, as well as nature clubs and games. From pre-schoolers to teenagers there's always something to keep the children entertained (and plenty to do that adults can secretly enjoy as well) making it the perfect destination for a family day out - or even a longer stay.

Wet Weather Ideas

Bad weather needn't put a dampener on your trip to Colchester. You'll find plenty to do under cover, sometime in the least likely of locations!

In the city centre, all the musuems and art galleries are child-friendly and within two minutes walk of each other. Most are also free entry. Perhaps you could catch a kids show at the Theatre or Arts centre too?

Colchester Zoo has a special 'duck under cover' route, keeping you dry and indoors (where many of the animals will be sheltering too)

Or if you've really been stuck inside too long, burn off some energy at an indoor activity centre - take your pick from Leisure World, Rollerworld, Jump Street, or one of Colchester's numerous Soft Play centres. Jump into our blog post on the subject to find out more.