Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bassijpkes/ (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Hampshire
Wondering what to do in Hampshire? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip.
🎟️ This weekend near Hampshire
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 12:00
Portsmouth Audio Tour: Legends, Landmarks, and Legacy
HMS M33, Portsmouth · 19.0 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
![Late Night Brunch [BOOK VIA WEBSITE]](https://d31fr2pwly4c4s.cloudfront.net/e/3/f/2249839_8ce54031_late-night-brunch-book-via-website-.jpg)
Fri 13 Nov · 18:00
Late Night Brunch [BOOK VIA WEBSITE]
Medbar Southampton, Southampton · 11.3 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:00
The Vintage Explosion
EngineRooms, Southampton · 11.4 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:00
The Big Indie Fest | Portsmouth
The Gaiety Southsea, Southsea · 21.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Aquariums
Museums & Galleries
0.8 mi from Hampshire
City Mill
The Winchester City Mill is a restored water mill situated on the River Itchen in the centre of the ancient English city of Winchester. The mill is owned by the National Trust and... — Wikipedia
1.2 mi from Hampshire
King's Royal Hussars Museum
HorsePower: The Museum of the King's Royal Hussars is a military museum in Winchester, Hampshire, that is dedicated to documenting the King's Royal Hussars, a cavalry regiment of t... — Wikipedia
1.2 mi from Hampshire
Gurkha Museum
The Gurkha Museum commemorates the service of Gurkha soldiers to the British Crown, a relationship that has endured since 1815. It is located in Winchester in Hampshire, England an... — Wikipedia
1.3 mi from Hampshire
Royal Green Jackets Museum
The Rifleman's Museum tells the story of the regiments that 'dared to be different', with a centrepiece Waterloo diorama containing 30,000 model soldiers and horses, brought to lif...
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1.3 mi from Hampshire
The Rifles Museum
The Rifleman's Museum in Winchester tells the story of rifle regiments through displays including a Waterloo diorama containing 30,000 models of soldiers and horses, brought to lif...
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1.3 mi from Hampshire
Museum of the Adjutant General's Corps
The Adjutant General's Corps Museum, also known as The AGC Museum is a visitor attraction at Peninsula Barracks in Winchester. It displays the history of the Adjutant General's Cor... — Wikipedia
4.3 mi from Hampshire
Royal Logistic Corps Museum
The Royal Logistic Corps Museum in Worthy Down, near Winchester, tells the story of military logistics from Waterloo to Kabul through uniforms, medals, ordnance and personal mement...
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10.9 mi from Hampshire
SeaCity Museum
SeaCity Museum tells Southampton's Titanic story through an interactive model of the ship, recorded passenger messages from the night it sank, and original objects brought up from...
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11.3 mi from Hampshire
Solent Sky
Solent Sky is a museum in Southampton celebrating the Spitfire and the Empire flying boats, and it also shares its site with the Hampshire Police & Fire Heritage Trust. It's open a...
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11.4 mi from Hampshire
Bursledon Brickworks
The Brickworks Museum, also known as Bursledon Brickworks, is a volunteer-run museum in Swanwick, Hampshire, England. It is described as the UK's sole surviving Victorian steam-dri... — Wikipedia
11.4 mi from Hampshire
Medieval Merchants House
Tucked away near Southampton's busy city centre is the Medieval Merchant's House, one of the oldest surviving merchant's houses in England. It was begun in about 1290 by John Forti...
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11.4 mi from Hampshire
Tudor House Museum
Tudor House is Southampton's oldest museum, set in a timber-framed building dating from the late 15th century in the heart of the Old Town. Inside, you'll discover over 800 years o...
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12.4 mi from Hampshire
Eling Tide Mill Experience Visitor Centre
Eling Tide Mill Experience is a working tide mill and visitor centre in Totton and Eling, New Forest, where you can see the power of the tide turning the water wheel and powering t...
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12.4 mi from Hampshire
Whitchurch Silk Mill
Whitchurch Silk Mill is an industrial heritage museum in Hampshire that has been weaving silk since 1830, and it continues to train weavers and preserve the critically endangered c...
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12.8 mi from Hampshire
Royal Victoria Hospital Museum
The Royal Victoria Hospital or Netley Hospital was a large military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Quee... — Wikipedia
13.5 mi from Hampshire
Museum of the Iron Age
The Museum of the Iron Age tells the story of the nearby Danebury hillfort, excavated by Professor Barry Cunliffe between 1969 and 1988, using real artefacts and reconstructions co...
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Theme Parks
7.5 mi from Hampshire
Go Ape Southampton
Go Ape Southampton sits in Itchen Valley Country Park in West End, Eastleigh, offering high ropes courses, zip wires and axe throwing among 440 acres of water meadows and woodland...
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13 mi from Hampshire
Paultons Park
Paultons Park is a large family theme park set within 140 acres of parkland on the edge of the New Forest National Park in Hampshire. There's plenty to do, from rollercoasters and...
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20.2 mi from Hampshire
Clarence Pier
Clarence Pier is Southsea's well-known seaside amusement park on the Portsmouth seafront, offering fairground rides, arcades, indoor crazy golf and a Wimpy restaurant. The fairgrou...
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21.7 mi from Hampshire
Go Ape Alice Holt
Go Ape Alice Holt sits in woodland near Binsted, East Hampshire, offering high ropes adventures including a 126-metre zip wire and the 41-crossing Treetop Challenge with its Tarzan...
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22.8 mi from Hampshire
Funland Hayling Island
Funland Hayling Island is an amusement park close to Portsmouth, offering over 18 rides such as rollercoasters, a carousel and dodgems, alongside an amusement arcade, a pirate-them...
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25.2 mi from Hampshire
Robin Hill
Robin Hill is a theme park set across 88 acres of parkland, woodland and countryside gardens at Havenstreet and Ashey on the Isle of Wight. You can take on the Botswana assault cou...
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27.6 mi from Hampshire
Go Ape Moors Valley
Go Ape Moors Valley sits within Moors Valley Country Park in St. Leonards and St. Ives, Dorset, near Bournemouth and the New Forest. You can take on the original Treetop Challenge...
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28.9 mi from Hampshire
The Needles Landmark Attraction
The Needles Landmark Attraction sits at Totland on the Isle of Wight, overlooking the famous Needles Rocks and Lighthouse. You can ride the iconic chairlift down to Alum Bay, take...
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Water Parks
23.4 mi from Hampshire
New Forest Water Park
New Forest Water Park, in Hyde near Fordingbridge, is a family-friendly water park offering wakeboarding on a cable system, an inflatable Aqua Park obstacle course, and kayak or pa...
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Zoos & Wildlife
4 mi from Hampshire
Marwell Zoo
Marwell Zoo is a 140-acre zoological park near Winchester where you can see hundreds of animals, including giraffes, leopards, meerkats and penguins, alongside attractions like the...
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14.2 mi from Hampshire
The New Forest Wildlife Park
The New Forest Wildlife Park at Denny Lodge is a family-friendly zoo and wildlife attraction where you can walk through Wallaby Wood, meet friendly deer in a walk-through encounter...
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21.8 mi from Hampshire
Birdworld
Birdworld is the UK's only dedicated bird park, spread across 18 acres of landscaped gardens in Berkshire, home to 181 bird species including penguins, flamingos and owls, alongsid...
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23.8 mi from Hampshire
Monkey Haven
Monkey Haven is the Isle of Wight's primate rescue centre in Newport and Carisbrooke, where you can meet monkeys, owls, meerkats and reptiles, many rescued from tragic situations o...
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25.3 mi from Hampshire
Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre
Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre is an outdoor attraction in the New Forest, near Bournemouth, Dorset, built around its birds of prey and reptiles. The star resident is Lib...
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27.5 mi from Hampshire
Amazon World
Amazon World Zoo Park is a zoo and wildlife attraction near Arreton on the Isle of Wight, home to around 200 different species spanning the animal kingdom. You can explore the anim...
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27.8 mi from Hampshire
The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, formerly the Isle of Wight Zoo, is a rescue centre in Sandown where you can see bears, tigers, lions, lemurs and other rescued animals. Expect close...
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29.4 mi from Hampshire
Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary
The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary is a charity-run rescue home near Wroxall where you can meet over 100 donkeys, mules and Shetland ponies. There's no need to book — just turn up...
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Where to stay near Hampshire
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Hampshire
Haunted Britain
Hampshire gives you a lot of different days out from one base: a working harbour city, a national park, a zoo set in parkland, a theme park built for younger children, and a scattering of grand houses tucked down lanes you'd otherwise drive past. It also has plenty of room to stay — there are 283 places to stay on BritStays in this region — so you can pick a base near the coast, near the New Forest, or somewhere quiet in between and still reach most of it comfortably.
Days out with children
Two names do most of the heavy lifting here. Paultons Park is the obvious one for families with primary-age children — a full day rather than a half, and best treated as the whole plan rather than something you squeeze around other stops. Marwell Zoo is the gentler alternative: lots of walking between enclosures, grass to sit on, and the sort of pace that suits mixed-age groups and grandparents coming along.
If you're staying towards the western side of the county, New Forest Water Park is worth knowing about for older children and teenagers who'd rather be in the water than looking at things. Check what's running before you commit, as water activities are far more weather- and season-dependent than an indoor attraction.
When it rains
Portsmouth is your wet-weather insurance. The City Museum is an easy, low-cost couple of hours and sits in a part of the city where you can walk between things without getting soaked crossing car parks. City Mill, a National Trust property, is another good rainy-day option — small in scale, which is exactly what you want when everyone's damp and patience is short.
If you're happy to travel further for the day, the Isle of Wight has a run of small, idiosyncratic museums — the Isle of Wight Glass Museum, the Lilliput Doll and Toy Museum, Brading Railway Heritage Centre and the West Wight Heritage Centre among them. They're the kind of places that reward a slow, curious visit rather than a rushed one.
Outdoors
The New Forest is the region's great outdoor asset and it doesn't need a plan. Park, walk, let the children spot ponies, find somewhere for lunch. It works in most weather if you've got boots and a spare jumper in the car, and it's the easiest way to fill a day that you haven't booked anything for.
Sandham Memorial Chapel, also National Trust, pairs well with a walk — it's a short visit in itself, so build it into a morning or afternoon rather than planning a day around it.
Heritage and grand houses
Hampshire has an unusual density of stately homes: Hinton Ampner, Rotherfield Park, Cranbury House, Preshaw House, Gaston Grange and Redenham House. Hinton Ampner is National Trust and the most straightforward to plan around. The others vary enormously in how and when they open — some private houses admit visitors only on set days or by arrangement — so always check directly before you set off rather than turning up hopefully.
Where to eat
These all hold 5-star hygiene ratings, which is a reasonable first filter when you're somewhere unfamiliar:
- The Red Lion — a pub lunch, and the better bet after a long walk
- Salt Shack Café — casual, good for a mid-walk stop
- Leigh Cafe — straightforward café food
- Costa and Starbucks — useful for a reliable coffee and a loo stop when you're between places
On big attraction days at Paultons Park or Marwell Zoo, bring a packed lunch as well. It saves queueing at the busiest hour and means you're not committed to eating at twelve just because that's when the children spotted the food van.
Grouping it into a sensible day
Don't try to combine two large attractions. A workable pattern:
- City day: City Museum in Portsmouth, lunch, then a wander; keep it on foot.
- Forest day: a New Forest walk, pub lunch at The Red Lion, Sandham Memorial Chapel or City Mill in the afternoon if anyone still has energy.
- Big day out: Paultons Park or Marwell Zoo, nothing else.
- Houses day: Hinton Ampner plus a café stop — add a second house only if you've confirmed it's open.
Making it a short break
Three nights is the sweet spot: one big attraction, one forest or coast day, one flexible day you decide over breakfast based on the forecast. Four nights lets you add an Isle of Wight crossing without rushing it.
Book the ticketed attractions first and build the rest around them. Keep one day genuinely unplanned — in Hampshire that's your rain day, and the New Forest or a Portsmouth museum will absorb it either way. Check opening days for anything small or privately owned before you drive, and set off early for Paultons Park and Marwell Zoo, where car parks and the first hour are always the busiest part.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best day out in Hampshire with young children?
Paultons Park is the strongest choice for primary-age children and is best treated as a full day on its own. Marwell Zoo is the gentler alternative if you have mixed ages or grandparents along, with plenty of walking and space to sit.
What can we do in Hampshire if it rains?
Head to Portsmouth for the City Museum, which gives you an easy couple of hours indoors. City Mill, a National Trust property, is another good wet-weather option, and it's small enough to suit short attention spans.
Which National Trust places are there in this region?
Three of the listed landmarks are National Trust: Hinton Ampner, Sandham Memorial Chapel and City Mill. Hinton Ampner is the easiest of the three to plan a day around; the other two are shorter visits that work well built into a morning or afternoon.
Can we visit the stately homes like Rotherfield Park and Preshaw House?
Opening arrangements vary a great deal. Hinton Ampner is National Trust and the most straightforward, while Rotherfield Park, Cranbury House, Preshaw House, Gaston Grange and Redenham House are private houses that may only admit visitors on set days or by arrangement. Always check directly before you travel.
Where can we eat with a good hygiene rating?
The Red Lion is a pub option that suits a post-walk lunch, Salt Shack Café and Leigh Cafe are casual café stops, and Costa and Starbucks are useful when you just want a reliable coffee between places. All five hold 5-star hygiene ratings.
How long should a short break in Hampshire be?
Three nights works well: one big attraction day, one outdoor day in the New Forest, and one flexible day decided by the weather. Four nights gives you room to add an Isle of Wight trip for museums such as the Isle of Wight Glass Museum or Brading Railway Heritage Centre without rushing. There are 283 places to stay on BritStays in the region.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Hampshire.