Take the kids
Sign up for your Enjoy England e-newsletter
City breaks in England are a fantastic way to keep the kids entertained, offering a dazzling range of attractions and events aimed at inquisitive little minds.
The Robin Hood Festival in the Sherwood Country Park, near Nottingham, is an annual treat for families in the know. Boys get the chance to play bows and arrows (under strict supervision), while in nearby costume tents, make-up artists turn little girls into Maid Marians. Elsewhere, medieval jousters challenge one another across an open field, and market stalls turn out medieval treats for hungry mouths. There are jesters and minstrels, jugglers and costumed performers, while the sour-faced Sheriff of Nottingham can be seen prowling the forest on horseback in search of his old adversary.
If the festival fails to sap all their energy, head straight for Go Ape! at Sherwood Pines, where extreme rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zips slides are suspended high among the trees.
Elizabethan games and dinner with sharks
Shakespeare may not be most kids' idea of fun, but Stratford-upon-Avon nevertheless has plenty to offer the little ones. At the Shakespeare Countryside Museum (next to the home of Shakespeare's mother) children can dress up in Tudor or Elizabethan costumes, pet the rare breeds in the adjacent farm, or enjoy a flying display by the Heart of England Falconry Centre (falconry was one of Shakespeare's passions and it features in many of his plays).
Stratford-upon-Avon is also home to Europe's largest butterfly farm, complete with Insect City, Arachnoland and the Caterpillar Room. Animals always go down well with children, and our zoos are some of the best and oldest in the world. Meet Salome, a baby gorilla at Bristol Zoo, or Rita and Tig, a pair of tawny frogmouths at London Zoo. In Hull, dine with sharks at tank-side tables in The Deep, the city's blockbuster new attraction – a giant 10-metre-deep aquarium with a viewing tunnel and an amazing acrylic lift (designed to provide diver's-eye views of the ocean).
Chocolate and quidditch
Chocolate. It's the holy grail of childhood, and Cadbury World in Birmingham is as close as a child can get to the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. See how the hallowed substance is made, taste the result and finish the tour in the world's biggest Cadbury shop.
Allow your child's imagination to run riot at Seven Stories in Newcastle, an exhibition space dedicated to the celebration of children's literature. The centre runs ongoing holiday and weekend drop-in activities for families, including wordplay, illustration, dramatic fun and dressing up.
For young children, the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough is something very special: it is home to every child's favourite engine, Thomas. Don't miss the regular Thomas events, when visitors get the chance to ride in this genuine old steam train.
Fast forward a few years and it's no longer Thomas, but Harry (Potter) that is the name on every child's lips. Oxford is home to a very special place – Christ Church College, one-time digs to 13 British prime ministers but better known today for other associations: the great hall here was the inspiration for the Hogwarts dining hall. Better still, head north of Newcastle to Alnwick Castle, aka Hogwarts itself. Play a game of imaginary quidditch on the Hogwarts quidditch field, then enrol in the Knights' School, where youngsters can learn the art of medieval combat and courtly chivalry.
Within sight of the castle lies Alnwick Garden and the Treehouse Restaurant – a truly unique dining experience inside the world's largest wooden tree house.