The museum collections reflect the daily lives of people in Doncaster from the 18th century to the present day.
Today, visitors can step inside the Hall’s Great Kitchen where many feasts were prepared and view the stunning paintings on the ceiling of the chapel. Admission to the museum is free. Opening times:
The historic parkland surrounding Cusworth Hall is open to the public every day of the year. It’s the perfect location for picnics, walks with the dog, or family days out.
Children’s play areas and a playing field are also located within the Park and a variety of walking trails are available from the Hall reception. Admission to the Park is free (car parking charges apply)
Situated in Cusworth Hall’s former stable and coach house, Butlers Tea Room and Bistro serves meals, snacks and drinks – please visit their website for full details including opening hours.
The newly opened Old Brewhouse is a cosy microbrewery and bar built into the original brewhouse which served the Wrightson family for centuries.
Cusworth Lane, Doncaster DN67TU
01302 782342
Download and print some trails to do with the kids at Cusworth Hall here
Did you know that there is a FREE trail to do at Doncaster Lakeside with the kids?
One of the largest parks in Doncaster, Sandall Park is home to beautiful scenery and a variety of facilities.
There is lots of open space and lots to keep children entertained, including toddler and junior play areas, with zipwire and climbing frame, plus a brilliant new woodland adventure play area. They also have a sensory trail, which is an inclusive outdoor experience suitable for families whose children have special educational needs and disabilities. For more information, take a look at the Sandall Park website.
A range of sports facilities are available including outdoor gym equipment, basketball post and 3 football pitches.
We have enjoyed a picnic many times at Sandall Park, but there is also a cafe.
If you’re looking to get fit, there are Fit and Fun Walks, plus the Doncaster Parkrun here. See our adult fitness pages for more information.
Sandall Park, Thorne Road (opposite KFC). DN2 5DW
Within easy reach of Doncaster – huge lake to walk around (2 mile lakeside trail suitable for walkers, joggers and cyclists), Woodland walk and bird hides. plus adventure playground and picnic areas.
There is also a Room on the Broom Adventure Trail. Activity packs can be purchased from the visitor centre for £2. Follow the trail, find sculptures, look for animal footprints, trace rubbings and have fun doing activities along the way. Accessible for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
Anglers Country Park, Haw Park Lane, Wintersett, Wakefield, WF4 2EB
Mortal Ash Hill, Scunthorpe, DN16 3WR
Lake and walks, fishing.
Home Farm, Barlow Road, Thorpe Bassett, Selby YO88FX
01757 705101
Parking available, lovely spot to walk and see birds and butterflies.
Dramatic moorland rock formations. Explore Brimham Rocks, and have a great day out at nature’s playground.
This amazing collection of weird and wonderful rock formations makes a great day out for families, climbers and those wanting to enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air and magnificent views over Nidderdale.
We visited in August 2019. It’s a wonderful place, the kids loved climbing (my heart was in my mouth a few times as they climbed bigger rocks) but we all loved exploring.
There’s no admission charge at Brimham Rocks. Parking is free for National Trust members.
Non National Trust members, our car parking charges are as follows: £4 up to three hours, £5 thereafter
Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. There is always something new to see and do in the house, garden, farmyard & adventure playground.
Walk in the footsteps of the Ice Age hunter and enter a world of fire and flint.
Discover a legacy etched in stone with cave art 10,000 years older than the pyramids.
Explore life on the edge of the Ice Age world.
There is no charge to visit the Creswell Crags site or to walk around the lake and gorge. It is also free to visit the shop and coffee shop.
There is a £3 charge for all day parking (the ticket machines require exact change – change is available from reception).
Creswell Crags Museum & Heritage Centre
Crags Road, Welbeck, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 3LH
Several Heritage Walks ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 miles in length.
Doncaster Heritage Walk:
Conisbrough Heritage Walk:
Don Gorge Heritage Walk
Sprotborough Heritage Walk
Mexborough Heritage Walk
Swinton Heritage Walk
Drakeholes House, Eel Pool Road, Doncaster, DN10 5DF
Nice place for a stroll along the canal, there’s a pub, the tunnel which has nesting swallows at the right time of year and a place to picnic.
Explore the imposing ruins of Peveril Castle. From its hilltop position you can enjoy spectacular views of the pretty, medieval village of Castleton, as well as a magnificent panorama of Mam-Tor – the shivering mountain and site of a Bronze age hillfort.
Mentioned in the Domesday survey, this castle is one of England’s earlier Norman fortresses and the keep was built by Henry II in 1176.
Adult £6.50, Family £16.90
Market Place, Castleton, Derbyshire, S33 8WQ
“There are great paths around the Harewood estate (outside of the “need-to-pay” boundaries). You can park in the village hall car park where there’s an honesty box, or just down that little road (the road on the right before you get to the lights that used to have a little sofa / upholstery shop on the corner) then walk down the main path into the estate. Amazing views and very buggy-friendly – can do quite a good big circuit”
Highfields Country Park is perfect for enjoying family time outdoors.
There is beautiful scenery, including woodlands, wildflower areas and the lake, perfect for a nature trail.
A perfect place for a picnic, there are also playing fields.
Highfields Country Park, Coppice Road, DN6 7JA
Howell Wood Country Park is the perfect place to take a stroll and enjoy being in the outdoors.
The northern part of the wood is home to a country park, which is open to the public all year round.
Howell Wood Country Park, bottom of Burntwood Lane, S72 9EZ (parking available).
This wood and country park is a great space to get outdoors and enjoy a walk in some beautiful scenery.
It is ideal for walking and cycling.
Melton Wood Country Park is between Sheep Lane and Hangman Stone Road, with a small car park off Sheep Lane. Use the postcode DN5 7EB.
Newmillerdam Country Park has a central lake, surrounded by a surfaced path.
Help Gnome Tony find his gnome friends and the bear that has scared them all away! Enjoy a scenic walk, find the sculptures and complete activities and challenges as you go. Pick up a leaflet from the dispensers in the car park. Suitable for all ages and accessible for pushchairs and most wheelchairs (there are some slopes on the route).
Barnsley Road, WF2 6QQ (USe Post code WF2 6QP)
The North York Moors National Park is a beautiful landscape of stunning moorland, spectacular coast, ancient woodland and historic sites.
Find out what there is to see and do and discover how the National Park Authority works with the people who live here to care for this beautiful place.
Northwood Trail is nestled in a 100 acre wood at Buttercrambe close to York and this delightful woodland fairy sanctuary is the first of its kind in the world. The eco-aware sanctuary is off grid and, quite uniquely, designed to appeal to adults as much as children. As well as a beautiful woodland trail, it also includes an intriguing Fairy Museum, to display what is believed to be the world’s largest collection of fairy artefacts, collected over many years by owners Carolyn and Christian.
Northwood is about fostering a connection to nature, at its most beautiful and magical. The woodland trail winds through 1.5km of old fairy paths, peppered with fairy tree houses, stump houses, a willow walled maze and Elven thrones. There is also a natural play area for smaller children and den building for older kids. In keeping with the sustainable ethos, a stylish woodland kitchen will be serving organic teas and coffees as well as healthy and delicious local food.
Buttercrambe Wood, YO41 1AP
Clulmber park is a special and important place, one of just a handful of Grade 1 registered parks in the country. One of the top 5 most visited National Trust places in the country, there is something for everyone. Great for walking, cycling, exploring there is a great play area too.
Clumber Park, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 3AZ
There are centuries of history to explore in these gardens and perfect picnic spots, plus a castle that’s not quite what it seems!
Large play area suitable for all ages too and seasonal trails around the gardens. We visited in October 2019 and did a lovely trail with the kids.
Wentworth Castle Gardens, Park Drive, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 3EN
Peasholm Park Scarborough, North Yorkshire is open for everyone to enjoy all year round, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Entrance to the Park, which is never closed, is FREE.
Mallard Way, Doncaster, DN48DB
Fully accessible nature paths let you explore a stunning, safe wetland habitat. Fabulous for bird watching, you may have seen the recent starling murmurations (we did and it was so mezmerizing!) We have visited in all seasons – wellies on if the weather isn’t great, although visiting in the sunshine is really lovely. We often go in the summer holidays. Trails are popular with my children, so they like the fact that they can spot birds or ducks and tick them off on a trail sheet. They also love looking out for some of the wooden carved creatures along the way, plus there was a little den right at the end that they played in for ages! Potteric Carr hosts a wonderul variety of events from Forest Tots (forest play for pre schoolers) to arts and craft sessions during the school holidays. The cafe is great too.
Prices
Listing updated April 2019
01302 570077
Situated one mile from J39 of the M1, it is a 300 acre park – facilities for sailing, windsurfing and canoeing (equipment available to hire). Cycle hire available too. There is also a pirate playground.
Pugneys Light Railway is the scale miniature railway operating within Pugney’s Country Park during the summer and most school holidays.
Blown Away adventure trail : Zoom the zip line, snap yourself in the face boards, solve the puzzle boards, count the Geese, make some noise and more…a circular route around the lake accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Asdale Road, off Denby Dale Road, Wakefield, WF2 7EQ
A former quarrying site is now an award-winning park and local nature reserve, with a wide range of things to see and do.
There is a toddler play area, with slide, swings, a rope net pyramid and sand pit, plus a junior play area with climbing frame, tightrope walk, a hammock and zipwire. There is also a playing field and sports facilities including a multi-use games area and outdoor gym equipment.
Enjoy one of the walking routes and nature walks, along with an orienteering course if you want to do some exploring.
As a nature reserve, you will be able to see a variety or wildlife, so it’s a great place for a nature trail.
Quarry Park is just over 5 miles outside Doncaster town centre on the A18 to Dunsville. Parking facilities are available near to the Post Office on the High Street, Dunsville.
Rother Valley Country Park has so much to do for families – cycle around the lake, hire canoes, water ski, jet ski or sale. There is a large play area and a cafe.
Mansfield Road, Wales Bar, Sheffield, S26 5PQ
In the heart of Yorkshire’s Dearne Valley lies Old Moor, a family friendly nature reserve just waiting to welcome you. Blessed with a wide range of facilities and teeming with wildlife there is something for everyone to enjoy, from idyllic walks or wildlife watching to pond dipping and our adventure playground. In the summer our meadows are full of orchids, wildflowers and butterflies. In winter, we are home to hundreds of ducks, swans and geese.
See a special Mumbler review of the ‘toddler trail’ by local mum and childminder Louise here
With activity trails, play areas, bike hire, wild running and mountain biking trails, Sherwood Pines will set the scene for a great day out for all.
We have visited this place a lot and love it every time. They often have different trails available such as the Zog Trail and more recently Farmageddon, which was really interactive. The kids loved it.
Great place to cycle – lots of bike trails to suit all abilities. There are some purpose built World War I trenches too that you can climb down in to – it’s a little walk to find them.
Lots of space to picnic, great cafe, there is also a Go Ape.
Edwinstowe, Mansfield NG21 9JL
Doncaster DN57NB
Lovely spot for a walk in the countryside. Completely free
Field Station Road, Doncaster, DN6 0EA
01904 659570
Pastures lined with hedgerows, ponds, lakes and small woodlands. Particularly beautiful in summer when you can see a variety of butterflies, dragonflies and birds.
Dogs allowed on a lead.
Doncaster Rd, Thrybergh, Rotherham S65 4NU
Thrybergh Country Park has something for everyone. Whether it’s a walk around the lake or you just want to relax and enjoy the local wildlife and countryside.
One of Doncaster’s largest outdoor spaces, Town Field is great for walking, playing football or just enjoying the outdoors.
Just outside the town centre, there are large playing fields, with multi-use games area, sports pitches and walks.
Fit and Fun walks take place at this park. See our adult fitness area for more information.
Town Field, DN2 6BZ
Warmsworth Park is a great place to keep kids of all ages busy, with toddler and junior play areas, multi-use games area, playing fields, picnic area, wildflower area and lots of walking routes.
Warmsworth Park, Edlington Lane, DN4 9LS
