Looking for the best things to do in Hampshire with kids?  This guide covers the top family-friendly attractions, outdoor adventures, museums, beaches, and days out across the county.

Hampshire is packed with brilliant places for families, from animal parks and countryside walks to interactive museums and coastal days out.  Whether you’re planning a weekend trip, family day out or looking for things to do in the holidays, you’ll find plenty of inspiration here.

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In this guide, I’ll share the top things to do in Hampshire with kids, with practical tips and first-hand recommendations to help you plan the perfect family day out.

Top 30 things to do in Hampshire with kids

Animal attractions are one of the most popular family days out in Hampshire, especially for younger children who love seeing animals up close.

Finkley Down Farm is an excellent all-weather family attraction near Andover.

Wildlife lovers can visit the farmyard animals, explore the reptile house or pop into meerkat mansion.

As well as animal encounters, Finkley Down Farm has several indoor soft play zones and amazing playground areas.  With so much going on, this is definitely one of the best family attractions in Hampshire.

The Hawk Conservancy Trust is a conservation centre dedicated to birds of prey.  It is home to a variety of birds, including owls, vultures, eagles, and kestrels.

Throughout the day, the centre hosts a programme of activities with keepers’ talks, feeding sessions and flying demonstrations.  In addition to this, children can enjoy tractor rides around the site, a playground and a ferret race!  Overall, it’s a great educational attraction for nature-loving families.

Located on Southsea seafront, Blue Reef Aquarium, Portsmouth is ideal for a rainy day in Hampshire.  The aquarium is home to an extensive collection of underwater creatures from around the world.

Children will discover rays, lobsters and starfish from the local Solent Seas or exotic marine life from warmer tropical oceans.

Liberty’s Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre is a smaller wildlife centre located near Ringwood, in the New Forest.  It’s home to a collection of owls, birds of prey and reptiles.

Highlights at the wildlife centre include vultures, eagles, kestrels, and kookaburra.  Make sure you are there for 12.00 or 2pm to see the flying displays.

After visiting the animals, younger children can head to the play area, where they have a sandpit, fort, and balance trails.

One of the best days out for toddlers and young children in Hampshire is the Longdown Activity Farm near Southampton.  Longdown is a really interactive farm, where children can get hands-on experience of feeding the animals.   In their animal encounter barn, they have all sorts of small, friendly animals, which the kids can hold and pet.

Outside at Longdown Farm, you’ll find a great choice of activities for kids.  Choose from the all-inclusive play area, trampolines, crazy gold, zip wire, and diggers.

And don’t worry, on a rainy day, kids can have fun in the inside play barn.

The second of the amazing national parks in Hampshire is the South Downs National Park, which stretches from Hampshire to East Sussex.

The South Downs National Park is a stunning range of hills and has one of the best choice of outdoor activities for families in Hampshire.  You can go walking, cycling, horse-riding or try some of the many water activities that are on offer.

If it’s hiking you are interested in, try some of the walks on the South Downs Way.  This  trail stretches for 100 miles across rolling hills, woodland and some of the pretty Hampshire villages.  It’s a exhilarating way to take in some of the spectacular views of the local countryside.

Click for some of the best things to do in the South Downs National Park.

Located near Petersfield, Queen Elizabeth Country Park offers walks and bike trails, a playground, and assault course.  You can also climb up Butser Hill for stunning views across Hampshire.

Another family-friendly cycle route in Hampshire, is The Meon Valley Cycle Trail.  The route follows a disused railway and is absolutely perfect for a family cycle ride, as it is completely flat and traffic-free.

This picturesque ride is about 10 miles and goes from West Meon to Wickham.  Of course, you could start at the other end and shorten the route for younger children.  Alternatively, the Meon Valley Trail is also great for a walk, or even a horse ride.

If you’re looking for exciting things to do in Hampshire with kids, the county has some excellent theme parks and adventure attractions.

Probably the best water attraction in Hampshire, is the New Forest Water Park. This giant aqua park has one of the UK’s biggest inflatable, obstacle courses on the water.  It even includes its own trampolines, flip boards and climbing wall.

Other water activities at the New Forest Water Park include kayaking and paddleboarding.  There is also a cable system for any kids wanting to learn to wakeboard.

One of the best family days out is always a trip to the seaside and Hampshire’s location on the South Coast, means it has a good choice choice of family-friendly beaches.

Some of the best Hampshire beaches include Eastney Beach, Southsea Beach and  Calshot Beach.  Of course, you could always pop over to Beachlands at Hayling Island, which holds a European Blue Flag beach award.  The Hampshire beaches are mostly shingle or pebble, but are popular seaside resorts, with amazing views across the Solent.

If you are looking for somewhere to collect shells and fossils, head for Barton-on-Sea.  This small, cliff-top village is perfect for collecting the famous Barton fossils.

If you don’t fancy skydiving, try the indoor ski centre, where you can practise on a giant rotating carpet.

Another of the best indoor activities for kids in Hampshire is Flip Out.  Flip Out is a giant trampoline centre, where kids can wear themselves out bouncing and flipping around.

Flip out now has trampoline parks in Portsmouth, Southampton and Basingstoke and is a great option for a rainy day in Hampshire.

However, Beaulieu has far more to offer than just cars.  History fans can enjoy a visit to the Beaulieu Palace House, with its Victorian kitchens and WWII spy school. The gardens at Beaulieu are splendid and keep an eye out for the ruins of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey.

Even better for children there is a monorail to get around and a new adventure playground, Little Beaulieu. We were even lucky enough to see an amazing falconry display on our last visit.

With over 100 interactive science exhibits, Winchester Science Centre is one of the best child-friendly museums in Hampshire.  Everything is hands-on, so even the youngest of children will have fun learning about the world of science and technology.

Winchester Science Centre is also home to the largest stand-alone planetarium in the UK.  Here, you can go on a tour of the universe without leaving your seat.  Kids will discover all they need to know about the stars and planets under this 360 degree domed-screen.

A great idea for things to do on a rainy day in Hampshire is a visit to the Milestone Museum of Living History in Basingstoke.  Children can step back in time to discover what life was like in the times of their grandparents.

As well as authentic street scenes, old shops and vintage cars, children can marvel at household items from earlier times.  Kids will also love the old penny arcade and traditional sweet shop at the museum.

It’s no surprise, that Milestones is one of the most popular museums in Hampshire.

If your kids are interested in aircraft, take a visit to the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton.  This little museum in the south of Hampshire provides an insight into the history of aviation in the Solent area.

With over 20 aircraft from the golden age of aviation, visitors can expect to see some of the world’s greatest fighting aircraft, including the world-famous spitfire and Tiger Moth.  You can even see a flying boat and the Hampshire Police and Fire Museum.

Little Woodham in Gosport is a recreated 17th century village where families can discover what rural village life used to be like in Hampshire.  Real villagers (costumed volunteers) bring the history to life, providing and engaging and educational experience.

Silchester is one of the best preserved Roman towns in Britain and makes a fantastic free day out near Basingstoke. Visitors can walk along the ruins of the ancient city walls and explore the Roman ampitheatre.  This is a useful day out for children studying the Romans at school.

A treasure trail is a fun way for kids to explore the historic town of Odiham with children.  Clues lead you to historic landmarks, such as the stocks, Pest House,  and Bridewell Prison.  Whilst you are there, you could extend your visit with a walk along the Basingstoke Canal to St John’s Castle.

Read more: best things to do with children in Odiham.

You can do a lovely family walk from Milford-on-Sea to Hurst Castle, another of the Tudor Castles on the coast.  Explore the castle, before returning by boat to Keyhaven, stopping for a spot of crabbing along the way.

Southsea Castle is a Tudor fortress, which guards the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.  It was one of a series of forts built by King Henry VIII to defend the coast of England. Unfortunately, shortly after completion in 1544, King Henry’s flagship, Mary Rose, sunk before his eyes in front of the castle.

Today, visitors can wander the ramparts or learn more about King Henry and the castle’s history at the interactive exhibition in the keep.  Entry is free, making it a great budget-friendly attraction in Portsmouth.

Just South of Petersfield, in the South Downs National Park is an open air archaeology museum which covers 10,000 years of history.   Butser Ancient Farm is an active research centre, where they learn about the past by recreating it.

Children can visit the reconstructed houses to learn about the homes of their ancestors throughout the ages.  The collection of ancient buildings at Butser Farm include a Bronze Age roundhouse, Roman villa and Stone Age farm.  You can also see the ancient crops and some rare-breed animals.

Another fun day out for toddlers in Hampshire is a ride on a steam train at the Mid-Hants railway.  It’s even better if you can go on one of their event days,  so that the kids can meet  with Thomas the Tank Engine or even Santa.

You may also enjoy:

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• 5 fun nature walks with kids in North Hampshire
• A visit to The Vyne, Hampshire
• A visit to West Green House Gardens in Hampshire
• 40 things to do in Surrey with kids

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