35 Essential Days Out With Kids in Surrey

Whilst London is full of family fun, sometimes an escape to its surrounding greenery is needed to get the kids breathing in some fresh country air. We've rounded up the top things to do in Surrey as a family, so next time the clouds clear why not venture out of the city and make sure you look for what's on in Greater London near you this weekend!

Enjoy a day away from the hustle and bustle of London and head to Surrey's renowned Kew Gardens where your mini adventurers will be spoilt for entertainment! Set over 300 acres, visit the beautiful botanical gardens which are a paradise for children with everything from tropical rainforests to treetop adventures. Kew Gardens also boasts tonnes of regular events and an incredible Children's Garden, with four fabulously themed playgrounds for each of the Earth's elements. Whether you've got budding photographers or botany fanatics, Kew Gardens is one of the best things to do in Surrey and a great day out for all the family!

With stunning gardens, a 300-year-old maze, magnificent palace and tonnes of interactive exhibitions, Hampton Court Palace makes for one of the best all-round family days out in Surrey. Time travel back to the days of royal feasting, jesters and ghosts by exploring the Hampton Court kitchens and Haunted Gallery which make Henry VIII's ancient palace a haven for mini historians. Why not book onto one of their exciting family activities and let your little ones become a spy for the day?! Through their secret spy school and mysterious storytelling games, it's your job to discover who is trying to overthrow Elizabeth I this half-term! Kidadler mum Danielle describes her Surrey experience - "we had the most fantastic time at Hampton Court Palace today. Spent the whole day there and could have stayed longer!".

Hampton Court Palace is also home to a huge adventure playground featuring super sandpits and water fountains to get splashing in summer - just remember to bring a towel and change of clothes!

At another of Pencil & Fork's unique Surrey-based cooking workshops, explore the delights of Spanish culture in every form in this two-in-one culinary class at Fitzroy House. Enrich your beginner's knowledge of both the Spanish language and cuisine in this exciting 'Spanish for the Family' experience where the symbolism of each dish is explored every week. Take you children under 12 to learn some fun life skills and get cooking together as a family, all in a new language!

Explore the River Wey with the Weybridge to New Haw Lock walk is the perfect way to explore Surrey's natural habitat with your kids while taking in a bit of local history along the way! Get up and close to the River Wey, which meanders through some beautiful unspoilt scenery in a gorgeous green corridor of Surrey. Your children will love learning and following the route of the last commercial barges, which carried grain from the Royal Docks in London to Coxes Mill in Addlestone until the late 1960s, on the Wey Navigations. Don't miss the Dapdune Wharf in Guildford where you can spot the last three remaining Wey barges! This countryside walk is the perfect way to escape the city and breath in some history with your family.

Calling all foodies young and old! Plan the perfect Spring weekend at the Surrey Food Festival on April 25-26th to indulge your taste buds, meet the chefs and listen to some funky live music in Old Deer Park. As well as delicious delights from all over the world including the Crepe Stop, Taste of Thailand and traditional German Sausages there will be tonnes of fun-filled family activities to keep the kids entertained. Discover body zorbs, bouncy castles, fair ground rides, a bungee run, obstacle course and fun run, face painting and sand art at this eclectic festival the whole family will love. Even better - Kidadlers can get a huge 65% off their family ticket with our food festival discount code, where under 12s go free!

Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with your food? If you’re constantly snubbing your little ones’ messy food experiments, you can now let them run wild with Pencil & Fork’s explosive cookery class at Fitzroy House! Combining chemistry, physics and food, this unique masterclass is like nothing you’ve ever undertaken before where children are encouraged to play out scientific experiments using everyday food, as well as some more whacky ingredients! Transform your dinner at this hilarious workshop perfect for crazy scientists young and old, and complete your Surrey day out by enjoying your gastronomical creations afterwards in Worcester Park.

Deemed an 'area of outstanding natural beauty', Surrey Hills is a huge 422km area of South East England countryside waiting to be explored. With over 60 top attractions to explore in the hills, from tranquil ponds to mini woodland houses and trickling waterfalls to ruined abbeys, Surrey Hills has your family fun covered. Don't miss the paved nature reserve and stunning views of Surrey on top of some of England's most picturesque rolling hills.

Surrey is home to the UK's largest bird park covering an entire 26 acres. Featuring an Underwater World aquarium and charming children's farm, you can meet-and-greet your favourite animals, get chatting to parrots and feed the huge array of birds.

Brooklands Museum is the perfect place for little transport fanatics as the birthplace of British motorsport, aviation and home of the famous Concorde. Explore interactive collections of motor and aircraft vehicles and hear the stories of real-life men and women who pioneered the world of aviation. Fly high with your little ones and re-live the thrills of over 100 years of Great British motor history at Surrey's Brooklands Museum!

Hobbledown is an amazing Adventure Farm in Epsom, Surrey, with everything your little ones could wish for from animal meet-and-greets, daring high rope courses, whacky zorbing and intriguing raptor centres. This renowned Hobbledown experience is full of great attractions for family fun including an indoor play barn for little ones and wooden adventure playground that will ensure children of every age have the best time with this inclusive family day out.

This dairy farm converted into a zoo by David Mills features natural enclosures that focus on celebrating wildlife and some amazing owl shows that aren't to be missed.

With 400 acres of parkland and woodland landscaped by Humphry Repton, Hatchlands Park is one of the largest country estates in Surrey. Explore wonderful weaving walks, tranquil quiet gardens, natural adventure areas and their exciting treehouse which make this National Trust park an ideal city-escape for all the family.

Providing farmyard fun for over 40 years, Godstone Farm is a real Surrey gem for all the family to enjoy. This interactive farm is home to more than 500 animals including pigs, horses, goats, cows and sheep as well as the cutest bunnies, chicks and guinea pigs that you can cuddle in their supervised holding area! Spend the day at Godstone with exciting tractor rides, an array of in and outdoor play equipment and tailored activities in their special play barn.

Created by some of the greatest landscape designers of the 18th century charts, Claremont Landscape Garden is an exquisite site to explore in Surrey with tonnes of unique features to discover amongst these picturesque gardens. As well as the amazing amphitheatre, serpentine lake and Belvedere Tower your children will love the Victorian Thatched Cottage, filled with toys, games, picnic rugs and dressing up clothes, and new Badger's Basecamp wooden den-building area!

This delightful rescue zoo is home to an array of adorable little animals and reptiles, where you can even adopt one yourself to take home!

Gatwick Aviation Museum is the perfect place for plane-buffs hosting a unique collection of British aircrafts from the likes of De Havilland, Bristol and Rolls Royce, which display the timeline of aviation between the wars. Discover the history of Gatwick Airport, browse the memorabilia of airlines that are no flying high and explore aviation at ground level with their extensive collection of fun miniature models that will get the kids want to build aircraft things themselves!

If you've had your fill of tranquility then why not head to Go Ape's Alice Holt location in Surrey whose Treetop Challenge and Treetop Adventure will satifsy any thrill-seekers. With an Adventure route for climbers-in-learning or gut-wrenching Challenge course for daring adrenaline junkies unafraid of heights, Alice Holt Forest has something for everyone. Once you’ve climbed, balanced and zipped to heart's content why not explore one of the nearby woodland walks or incredible wooden play areas, featuring their Gruffalo sculpture and Timberline play trail!

Discover Bocketts Farm 'free range fun for all the family' with an animal-lovers ideal day out in Surrey! As a working farm Bocketts is home to a host of baby animals including lambs, piglets and chicks which you can visit and meet in their animal holding sessions. After making some new furry friends the kids can let off some steam with their giant slides, trampolines, indoor soft play barns and outdoor adventure trails, then wind down as a family with some delicious homemade food in their Old Barn Tearooms.

Known as 'Britain's Wildest Adventure', the famous Chessington World of Adventures is the ultimate kids theme park with over 40 rides and attractions, 10 themed lands and 1,000 animals in their zoo and SEA LIFE centre! With so many different areas and regularly changing events like their Zootastic weekends and Animals Adventures half-term special, no two visits to Chessington have to be the same. Once you've hit as many rides as you can and caught one of their daily shows, why not explore Rainforest Land or the Gruffalo - perfect for toddlers!

Painshill is an award-winning 18th century landscape garden with stunning views, beautiful buildings and meandering woodland trails. Stroll around the Serpentine Lake, Ruined Abbey, and Gothic Tower and be mesmerised by the magical Crystal Grotto caves (check opening times and accessibility for the caves during winter and rainy seasons!). Enjoy a delightful day out for all the family (and your dog!) at Painshill Park with their natural play area, wildlife spotting trials, picnic areas and delicious tea room.

Craggy Island has been been offering a top climbing experience in Surrey for 10 years with indoor climbing tailored to every ability. Craggy aims to prove that climbing is a great way to get active whilst having tonnes of fun with your peers and learning a new, unique skill. With hundreds of top roped climbs, bouldering, beginner's areas and an excellent cafe, Craggy Island is one of the best things to do in Guildford where your little monkeys will have a great time climbing, swinging and scampering.

Needing no introduction, Thorpe Park is one of the best theme parks in England featuring the fasted rollercoaster in the UK - Stealth! Have you dared take the plunge?

Discover the fascinating history of the capital's buses from horse-and-carts to the groundbreaking trolley bus, and take a ride on an old route master around Surrey's local roads!

And we couldn't not mention...

Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park

Croydon, open daily 11am-7pm (closes 6pm Sundays)

Guildford Ski Slope

Open weekdays 9am-9:30pm and weekends 9:30am-6:30pm

Segway Unleashed

Godstone, open weekdays 9am-5pm and weekends 10:30am-4:30pm

Containment Ltd Escape Room

Guildford, open daily 10am-9pm

The Royal Landscape

Englefield Green, open daily

Winkworth Arboretum

Godalming, open daily 10am-4pm

Clue HQ Escape Room

Kingston, open daily 10am-10pm

Dapdune Wharf

Guildford, close to the Surrey County Cricket Club ground

Delta Force Paintball

Cobham, open daily 9:15am-5pm

Guildford Escape Rooms

Open Thursdays 5pm-10pm and Friday-Sunday 10am-10pm