Photo: User:Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Cumbria
Wondering what to do in Cumbria? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip.
Showing museums, aquariums and attractions with indoor areas — the ones that work whatever the forecast.
🎟️ This weekend near Cumbria
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 18:00
An Evening With - Michael Bridges & Dean Walling
Box Arena, Carlisle · 23.7 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:30
Death of Guitar Pop
Old Fire Station, Carlisle · 24.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 12:00
Carlisle Audio Tour: An Acoustic Journey Through History
St Martin's College, Carlisle · 23.8 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Sat 14 Nov · 19:30
The Smiths Ltd - The Old Fire Station, Carlisle
Carlisle Old Fire Station, Carlisle · 24.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Aquariums
18.9 mi from Cumbria
Lakes Aquarium
Lakes Aquarium sits in Colton, in the Lake District, and is open daily from 10am. You can catch the Otter Talk and Feed, held daily, and explore exhibits covering conservation, cre...
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23.1 mi from Cumbria
Lake District Coast Aquarium
The Lake District Coast Aquarium sits on the harbourside in Maryport, Cumbria, with over 75 displays of local and marine species, a SeaLab lobster hatchery and seahorses, plus dail...
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Museums & Galleries
4.5 mi from Cumbria
Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum
Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum sits in a working quarry near Keswick in the Lake District, where you can ride a narrow gauge railway into the old workings, explore a mining and g...
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6.5 mi from Cumbria
Keswick Museum & Art Gallery
Keswick Museum sits on the edge of Fitz Park, just five minutes' walk from the town centre, and has been part of Keswick's community since 1873. Inside, you'll find exhibitions exp...
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6.6 mi from Cumbria
Dove Cottage
Dove Cottage was the Lake District home of William Wordsworth, a humble cottage with whitewashed walls and Lakeland slate floors, where he wrote some of the most famous poetry in t...
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6.6 mi from Cumbria
Puzzling Place
Puzzling Place is an indoor attraction in Keswick, in the heart of the Lake District, dedicated entirely to optical illusion. Inside you'll find the Anti-gravity Room, the Ames Roo...
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6.8 mi from Cumbria
The Retro Zone
The Retro Zone is a small, independently run museum in Keswick showcasing a personal collection of 1970s and 1980s toys, bikes, early home computers and vintage gadgets, including...
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6.8 mi from Cumbria
Derwent Pencil Museum
The Derwent Pencil Museum is a museum dedicated to the manufacturing and history of pencils, located in Keswick, in the north-west of England. — Wikipedia
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8.1 mi from Cumbria
The Armitt Museum & Library
The Armitt Museum & Library is a museum, gallery, and library full of interesting and unusual objects telling the history and heritage of Ambleside, its people, and the surrounding...
12.2 mi from Cumbria
Hawkshead Grammar School
Hawkshead Grammar School in Hawkshead, Cumbria, England was founded in 1585 by Archbishop Edwin Sandys, the incumbent Archbishop of York, whose family came from the Hawkshead area.... — Wikipedia
12.6 mi from Cumbria
From Auschwitz to Ambleside
This small exhibition tells the story of 300 child Holocaust survivors who arrived in Windermere in 1945 to recuperate, including artefacts, images and an award-winning video docum...
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12.7 mi from Cumbria
Penrith & Eden Musuem
Penrith and Eden Museum tells the story of the local area through art, artefacts, history and collections, with displays on local history and a newly refurbished gallery tracing th...
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12.8 mi from Cumbria
The Ruskin Museum
The Ruskin Museum sits in the heart of Coniston village and tells the 'Story of Coniston', from Stone Age fell-walkers to Donald Campbell's record-breaking Bluebird K7, now on disp...
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12.8 mi from Cumbria
Windermere Jetty
Windermere Jetty Museum sits on the lakeshore just outside Bowness, telling over 200 years of Windermere's boating story through historic vessels, interactive galleries and a worki...
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13.8 mi from Cumbria
Brantwood
Brantwood is the historic lakeside home of John Ruskin, now a museum set across a 250-acre estate on the eastern shore of Coniston Water. You can explore the seven rooms Ruskin liv...
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15 mi from Cumbria
Eskdale Mill
Eskdale Mill is a Grade II* listed watermill in the village of Boot, and it's the last remaining working water-powered corn mill in the Lake District National Park. Dating back to...
17.6 mi from Cumbria
Acorn Bank
Acorn Bank is a National Trust garden and estate near Temple Sowerby, best known for its walled herb garden, traditional orchards and a partially restored watermill beside Crowdund...
18.3 mi from Cumbria
Stott Park Bobbin Mill
19th-century bobbin mill museum; at Newby Bridge, Cumbria, England.
18.3 mi from Cumbria
Kendal Museum
Kendal Museum brings together natural history and regional heritage under one roof. In the Kendal & Westmorland Gallery you can trace the area's story from the Neolithic Age throug...
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18.7 mi from Cumbria
Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry
Lakeland Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, explores centuries of Lakeland life and how the landscape has shaped local communities and industry thr...
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20.1 mi from Cumbria
Lakeland Motor Museum
Lakeland Motor Museum, in Haverthwaite, Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, is housed in a converted mill and brings together around 30,000 exhibits tracing twentieth-century road tr...
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Theme Parks
27.1 mi from Cumbria
Walby Farm Park
Walby Farm Park is a working family farm near Carlisle that has opened part of its land as a visitor attraction since 2008. You can meet farm animals, watch the Fab Ferret Show, tr...
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Water Parks
15.1 mi from Cumbria
Subtropical Swimming Paradise
The Subtropical Swimming Paradise is a heated indoor-outdoor water park, kept at 29.5°C all year round and filled with tropical plants and trees. You'll find wave pools, lazy river...
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Zoos & Wildlife
26.6 mi from Cumbria
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is a small 3-acre licensed zoo near Beetham, Cumbria, home to over 100 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. It offers a...
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Where to stay near Cumbria
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Cumbria
Itineraries
- A weekend in Keswick: an accessible itinerary · 2 days
- A weekend in Keswick with the kids · 2 days
- A weekend in Keswick · 2 days
Haunted Britain
Cumbria is a region you can plan loosely and still get right. The four towns most people use as a base — Windermere, Keswick, Ambleside and Kendal — each give you a different flavour of the same county, and the water is never far away. Lake Windermere, Ullswater and Derwentwater all reward a slow morning, and the Yorkshire Dales sits within reach if you fancy a change of scenery. What follows is a practical way to sort the options into days that actually work.
Best days out with children
Families tend to do well here because the attractions are varied rather than enormous. The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in Windermere is the obvious one for younger children, and it holds their attention without needing good weather. Walby Farm Park is the sort of place you can hand over a whole day to, with enough to do that nobody clock-watches. In warmer months, The Lakes Aqua Park gives older children and teenagers something to burn energy on, and Knox Wood Wildlife Centre in Keswick suits mixed-age groups who want to be outside but not walking miles.
- Under-fives: The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, then time by the water at Lake Windermere.
- Primary age: Walby Farm Park or Knox Wood Wildlife Centre.
- Teenagers: The Lakes Aqua Park, with The Retro Zone as a backup.
Where to go when it rains
It will rain at some point, so it's worth knowing your indoor options before you need them. Keswick is unusually well stocked: Keswick Museum & Art Gallery, the West Cumberland Railway Museum, The Retro Zone and JB Banks Ironmongers can be strung together into a full afternoon on foot. Over towards Windermere, Windermere Jetty and the Lakeland Motor Museum both suit anyone with an interest in how things were made and moved. Ravenglass Railway Museum and Eskdale Mill are good choices if you're exploring the quieter western side of the Lake District, and Brantwood is the one to save for a day when you want something a little more thoughtful.
Outdoors without the big climb
You don't need to take on a fell to get the best of the landscape. Derwentwater gives you level shoreline walking from Keswick; Ullswater suits a longer, quieter day; and Lake Windermere is the easiest to build a family day around. If you want the outdoors with a bit of structure, the grounds at Levens Hall and Dalemain give you gardens to wander and somewhere to sit down afterwards. Wray Castle is another good option when you want a walk with a clear destination at the end of it.
Heritage and houses
Three National Trust properties do a lot of the heavy lifting: Hill Top, Townend and Wray Castle. Hill Top is small and often busy, so treat it as a morning job rather than a drop-in. Townend is the one to choose if you like ordinary domestic history rather than grand rooms. Beyond the Trust, Levens Hall and Dalemain cover the stately-home end, Furness Abbey Visitor Centre puts the ruins into context, and Gretna Green is worth a stop if you're arriving from the north and want a proper landmark to break the journey.
Sensible ways to group a day
- Windermere day: The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in the morning, lunch, then Windermere Jetty or the Lakeland Motor Museum, finishing beside Lake Windermere.
- Keswick day: A shoreline walk at Derwentwater, then Keswick Museum & Art Gallery and the West Cumberland Railway Museum, with JB Banks Ironmongers slotted in if there's time.
- Heritage day: Hill Top early to beat the crowds, then Townend or Wray Castle, with a pub meal to finish.
- Family day: Walby Farm Park or Knox Wood Wildlife Centre, nothing else planned.
Where to eat
For a sit-down lunch between attractions, Bench Cafe is a straightforward tea-room choice. Relish is useful when you'd rather assemble a picnic and eat it by the water — sensible on a day around Ullswater or Derwentwater when you don't want to lose an hour to a table. For an evening meal, the Wheatsheaf Inn and the Twa Dogs Inn are both pubs that do the job after a long day outdoors. Greggs covers the early start when you're driving before anything else has opened. All of these hold five-star hygiene ratings.
Making it a short break
Three nights is the sweet spot: one day indoors, one day on or beside a lake, one day for heritage. Basing yourself in Kendal or Ambleside keeps you central; Keswick suits anyone prioritising Derwentwater and museums; Windermere is easiest with small children. There are 1,568 places to stay in Cumbria on BritStays, so it's worth deciding which town fits your plans before you filter.
Practical points: book Hill Top and anything weather-dependent in advance, check seasonal opening for The Lakes Aqua Park before you build a day around it, carry waterproofs even in July, and keep one indoor attraction unbooked as a spare so a wet morning doesn't waste a day.
Frequently asked questions
Which Cumbria attractions work best on a wet day?
Keswick has the densest cluster: Keswick Museum & Art Gallery, the West Cumberland Railway Museum, The Retro Zone and JB Banks Ironmongers. Around Windermere, try Windermere Jetty, the Lakeland Motor Museum and The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. Elsewhere in the Lake District, Brantwood, Eskdale Mill and the Ravenglass Railway Museum are all indoor options.
Are there National Trust properties in the region?
Yes, three: Hill Top, Townend and Wray Castle. Hill Top is small and gets busy, so it's best visited early in the day.
What's there to do with young children?
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in Windermere suits under-fives, Walby Farm Park and Knox Wood Wildlife Centre in Keswick work well for primary-age children, and The Lakes Aqua Park is better for older children and teenagers.
Which town makes the best base?
Windermere, Keswick, Ambleside and Kendal are the four main options. Windermere is easiest with small children, Keswick suits anyone focused on Derwentwater and museums, and Kendal or Ambleside keep you fairly central.
Where can we eat with confidence on hygiene?
Bench Cafe (tea rooms), Relish (deli and local produce), the Wheatsheaf Inn and Twa Dogs Inn (pubs), and Greggs all hold five-star hygiene ratings.
Which lakes should we prioritise?
Lake Windermere is the easiest to build a family day around, Derwentwater gives you level shoreline walking from Keswick, and Ullswater suits a longer, quieter day out.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Cumbria.