Holidays in Nottinghamshire

More around Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire is a county of woods, big skies and quietly brilliant small museums. You can spend a morning in a cave where people sheltered in the Ice Age and an afternoon looking at lions, or follow a stately home with a pub lunch and a long flat walk. With 253 places to stay on BritStays across the region, it works just as well as a base for a longer trip as it does for a single day out.

Best for families

Two names do most of the heavy lifting here. Sundown Adventureland is aimed squarely at younger children, so it suits families who want a whole day in one place without height restrictions ruining the plan. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is the bigger-ticket animal day, and the sort of outing where you'll want sensible shoes and a plan for lunch.

If you're happy to cross the county line for a day, Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre gives children something calmer and more hands-on, and Mini Monsters in Rutland is a soft-play style stop for the age group that runs out of patience in a museum. On the Nottinghamshire side, Clumber Park is the cheapest way to tire everyone out: open space, paths and plenty of room for bikes.

Best for a rainy day

Nottinghamshire is unusually well supplied with small, specific museums, which is exactly what you want when the forecast turns.

Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre — the standout, combining prehistoric caves with an indoor heritage centre.
Mr Straw's House — a National Trust property and a genuinely odd, absorbing time capsule of ordinary domestic life.
Flintham Museum — small, village-scale local history.
Nottingham Forest Museum — obvious if there's a football fan in the party, and a decent hour if there isn't.
Judges Retiring Room and Ashworth Barracks Victoria Cross Museum — two niche collections that reward a bit of curiosity.
Wollaton Dovecote — tiny, quick, and easy to pair with something else.

Push a little further and you can reach the Peak District Mining Museum and the splendidly unlikely Vacuum Cleaner Museum and Repairer in Matlock, the Alfred Denny Museum and Legends of the Lane in Sheffield, or the John Taylor Bellfoundry Museum in Leicestershire. Several of these are small operations with limited opening, so always check before setting off.

Best for the outdoors

Clumber Park is the default and deservedly so — it's the one place in the county that absorbs a whole day of walking, cycling and sitting about. Thoresby Hall adds grand-house scenery to an afternoon's wander, and the grounds and approach to Tickhill Castle and Winkburn Hall suit anyone who likes their history outdoors rather than behind glass.

Best for heritage

Nottingham Castle is the headline, and Gainsborough Old Hall is the one to see if you prefer timber and atmosphere to battlements. Southwell Workhouse is the most affecting of the lot — a National Trust property that deals plainly with poverty and welfare, and worth building a visit around rather than squeezing in. Along with Mr Straw's House and Clumber Park, that makes three National Trust sites in the region, so membership pays for itself quickly here.

Grouping it into a sensible day

Heritage day: Southwell Workhouse in the morning while you're fresh, then Winkburn Hall or Thoresby Hall for something lighter.
Family day: Sundown Adventureland or Yorkshire Wildlife Park as the single main event — don't try to add a museum afterwards.
Mixed day: Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre in the morning, Clumber Park in the afternoon.
Curiosity day: Wollaton Dovecote, Flintham Museum and Nottingham Forest Museum strung together, with slack in the schedule for short opening hours.

Where to eat

We don't currently have any verified food listings for Nottinghamshire, so we'd rather not point you at somewhere we can't stand behind. In practice that's no hardship: pack a proper picnic for Clumber Park, eat on site at Sundown Adventureland or Yorkshire Wildlife Park where you're committed to a full day anyway, and save sit-down meals for the evening near your stay, when you can read current reviews and book.

Turning it into a short break

Three nights is the sweet spot. Give one day to a family attraction, one to heritage — Nottingham Castle or Gainsborough Old Hall — and keep the third flexible for weather, using Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre or Mr Straw's House as the wet-weather fallback and Clumber Park as the fine-weather one.

Practically: book the big-ticket days in advance, ring the smaller museums to confirm they're open, carry cash for the little ones, and don't plan more than one ticketed attraction per day with children in tow.

Frequently asked questions

Which National Trust places are there in Nottinghamshire?

Three: Clumber Park, Southwell Workhouse and Mr Straw's House. If you're a member, or thinking of joining, they make a natural trio over a short break.

What's the best rainy-day attraction in Nottinghamshire?

Creswell Crags Museum and Heritage Centre is the strongest all-weather option, combining caves with an indoor heritage centre. Mr Straw's House, Flintham Museum, the Nottingham Forest Museum, the Judges Retiring Room and Ashworth Barracks Victoria Cross Museum are good indoor backups.

What is there for younger children?

Sundown Adventureland is aimed at younger children and works as a full-day outing. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is the main animal attraction. Just over the county line in Rutland you'll also find Mini Monsters and the Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre.

Are there good attractions just outside Nottinghamshire?

Yes. Matlock has the Peak District Mining Museum, the Vacuum Cleaner Museum and Repairer, and the Museum And Gift Shop. Sheffield has the Alfred Denny Museum and Legends of the Lane. Leicestershire has the John Taylor Bellfoundry Museum and Castle Donington Museum. Rutland has Mini Monsters and the Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre.

Where should we eat in Nottinghamshire?

We don't have any verified five-star hygiene listings for the region, so we won't recommend specific places. Take a picnic to Clumber Park, eat on site at Sundown Adventureland or Yorkshire Wildlife Park if you're there for the day, and check current reviews for evening meals near your stay.

How long should a Nottinghamshire short break be?

Three nights suits the county well: one day for a family attraction, one for heritage such as Nottingham Castle, Gainsborough Old Hall or Thoresby Hall, and one kept flexible for the weather. There are 253 places to stay in the region on BritStays.