Photo: Abbasi1111 (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Windermere
The best holidays are planned around great days out. Here's what's on the doorstep in Windermere, from big-ticket attractions to rainy-day savers.
🎟️ This weekend near Windermere
Events from
Skiddle
Sat 14 Nov · 13:00
K-Pop Dance Heroes
The Coro Ulverston, Ulverston · 15.4 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Sat 14 Nov · 19:00
Curry Night 14/11 - Buzz Bingo Morecambe
Buzz Bingo Morecambe, Morecambe · 21.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Sat 14 Nov · 14:00
Fawlty Towers Christmas Weekend
Holiday Inn Lancaster By IHG, Lancaster · 22.0 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Aquariums
7.4 mi from Windermere
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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Museums & Galleries
0.3 mi from Windermere
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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0.9 mi from Windermere
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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3.8 mi from Windermere
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
4.4 mi from Windermere
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...
6.4 mi from Windermere
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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6.8 mi from Windermere
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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6.9 mi from Windermere
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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7 mi from Windermere
Stott Park Bobbin Mill
19th-century bobbin mill museum; at Newby Bridge, Cumbria, England.
7.4 mi from Windermere
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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7.6 mi from Windermere
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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9 mi from Windermere
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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12.7 mi from Windermere
Heron Corn Mill
Heron Corn Mill is a rare 18th-century working watermill set on the River Bela in Cumbria, where you can see heritage milling in action and learn about sustainable energy in a welc...
14.7 mi from Windermere
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...
14.9 mi from Windermere
Laurel and Hardy Museum
The Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston celebrates the history of the famous comedy duo, having grown from a small collection into what is now the Roxy cinema complex. It's a fitt...
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15.2 mi from Windermere
Sir John Barrow Cottage
Sir John Barrow Cottage is the birthplace of Sir John Barrow, now a small museum in Ulverston. Inside, you'll find historic furniture, artefacts and information display boards that...
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16.8 mi from Windermere
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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17.9 mi from Windermere
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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17.9 mi from Windermere
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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18.1 mi from Windermere
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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Theme Parks
5.5 mi from Windermere
Go Ape Grizedale
Go Ape Grizedale sits in Grizedale Forest, part of the Lake District National Park near Satterthwaite. It offers high ropes and zip-line adventures, including the signature Zip Tre...
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20.4 mi from Windermere
Go Ape Whinlatter
Go Ape Whinlatter sits deep in Whinlatter Forest in the Lake District near Keswick, offering high ropes courses, ziplines and Forest Segways set against mountain and woodland scene...
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Water Parks
19.7 mi from Windermere
The Lakes Aqua Park
The Lakes Aqua Park is a floating inflatable obstacle course set on a freshwater lagoon, with slides, ramps, jumps, trampolines and seesaws to challenge friends and family together...
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20.3 mi from Windermere
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
14.3 mi from Windermere
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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23.7 mi from Windermere
Butterfly House and Mini Zoo
This is a former Edwardian palm house turned rainforest habitat, now home to free-flying butterflies such as the blue morpho and owl butterfly, alongside Koi carp, tortoises and a...
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Where to stay near Windermere
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Windermere
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
Plan it day by day
Create a free account and hit "Save to my trip" on anything below — then assign each one to a day of your holiday so the whole week is sorted before you pack. And if you haven't booked yet, see our guide to holidays in Windermere for the best places to stay.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best things to do in Windermere?
The list below shows attractions nearby with distances from Windermere.
What can we do in Windermere when it rains?
Museums, galleries and aquariums are your friends — filter the list below by category and keep a couple in reserve for wet days.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Windermere.