With summer just around the corner, parents and families will be looking ahead for ways to keep the kids entertained over the holidays – and as cheap as possible. We’re blessed here in Manchester with an abundance of great free activity options, and now one location in particular has been named one of the best free family days out in the UK.
Ahead of the summer months, the outdoor experts at GO Outdoors have analysed search volume, Google reviews, and the popularity of UK attractions to reveal the best free activities to visit this year.
Manchester Museum named one of the best free family days out in the UK
Manchester Museum came fourth in the rankings of the best free family days out, thanks to its 648,595 visitors in 2025 and second-highest search volume at 1,197,500. With an overall score of 8.31, Manchester Museum is the UK’s largest university museum. Housed in a striking neo-Gothic building, it boasts an extensive collection of over 4.5 million items spanning natural history, anthropology, and archaeology, including iconic dinosaur skeletons and fascinating ancient Egyptian artefacts.
Manchester Museum offers a great free family day out for those in and around the city, with it being easily accessible by train or bus. The museum is located within the stunning grounds of the University of Manchester, meaning it’s just a short walk from Manchester Oxford Road station, and plenty of buses servicing it on routes between the city centre and south Manchester.
Other top free family days out in the UK
Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History takes first place, with a score of 9.18/10. Originally founded in 1860 as the centre for scientific study at the University of Oxford, the museum now holds over seven million specimens, including the famous Oxford Dodo. In second place is Durham Cathedral. The Cathedral, which is part of Durham’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, was visited over 390,000 times last year, and visitors can explore inside the cathedral, as well as the cafe and gift shop.
In third place is the National Memorial Arboretum, scoring 8.69/10. The Arboretum is an evolving, maturing woodland landscape featuring 25,000 trees and a large collection of over 400 memorials. Visitors can visit for free or pay for tailor-made tours such as buggy tours and land train tours. Reviewers on TripAdvisor call the grounds ‘calming’ and ‘spotless’.
Top 10 best free family days out in the UK
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History
- Durham Cathedral
- National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire
- Manchester Museum
- Windsor Great Park, London
- V&A East Storehouse, London
- Imperial War Museum London
- Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
- Glasgow Cathedral
- Museum of Liverpool