Farm parks are one of the best things to do with babies and toddlers, no matter where you are in the UK.
Both entertaining and educational, the best farm parks will have a good number of animals to see and learn from, as well as other toddler-appropriate fun like soft play, slides and even rides!
There are farm parks in every corner of the UK: some big, some small, some true working farms, some with just a few cows and pigs. We’ve rounded up the best of the best so you can be sure of a great day out with your little ones.
The Best Farm Parks for Babies and Toddlers
Odds Farm Park
Odds Farm Park can be found just outside High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire and is routinely voted as one of the best farm parks — and days out as a whole — in the entire country.
Open all year round, Odds is home to a number of different farm animals, including varieties of goats, cows, pigs, sheep, donkeys, ponies, chickens and rabbits. There’s a demonstration barn where you can meet new arrivals and a huge animal barn where you can hand feed the sheep and goats.
It’s not only about the animals at Odds Farm Park though — your kids will also love the Adventure Maze, the Giant Indoor Playbarn, go-karts, sand and water play, tractor rides, Outdoor Adventure Play and maybe even Marmalade’s Mini Rovers.
Fairytale Farm
Fairytale Farm in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, is a farm park with a difference. While all the family are sure to have a great day out here, it was actually designed as a sensory and learning wonderland where disabled children come first. It’s truly inclusive and accessible.
There are six different ‘zones’ to explore at Fairytale Farm, and the animals can be found in Alfie and Friends. Here live miniature Shetland ponies, micropigs, Billy Goats Gruff, Chicken-Licken, Turkey-Lurkie, rabbits, guinea pigs, South American rheas, and plenty more besides.
There’s a huge number of fairytale sensory experiences to investigate across the rest of the zones, including Jack’s Beanstalk, Snow White’s Castle and Mermaid Garden. Make sure to burn off some energy in the brilliant Huff and Puff Adventure Playground before you go!
Cotswold Farm Park
Cotswold Farm Park, just outside of Cheltenham, is one of the UK’s most famous and celebrated farm parks. Originally opened back in 1971, it focuses on rare breeds and so is a great place to educate your kids on all the incredible farm animals the UK has been home to throughout history.
The animal barn is always a hit and the best place to see the newborn animals — as well as brand new baby lambs come Springtime. Here you’ll see newborn piglets, donkey foals, calves and goat kids. The Discovery Barn is great for getting up close with smaller animals like chicks, rabbits, guinea pigs and more.
Make sure you also make time for the Wildlife Walk, Rare Breeds Through History Trail, outdoor playground, bouncy pillows, muddy kitchen and Construction Corner.
Mudchute Farm
Right in the heart of East London is the brilliant Mudchute Farm — 32 acres of glorious countryside that’s absolutely free to visit.
Mudchute is a working farm and one of the largest inner city farms in the entirety of Europe. Making their home here are a variety of animals, including cows, sheep, horses, turkeys, goats, pigs, llamas, chickens and geese. You can even book animal encounter sessions here which would be a great idea for a children’s party.
There are no theme park-style rides or attractions at Mudchute like you have at some of the other farm parks on this list, although there are stables for horse riders and a variety of education services for schools and local kids.
Dairyland Farm World
Dairyland Farm World can be found near Newquay in Cornwall and is a great option for families looking for a day out at a farm adventure park. It’s a great option for a rainy day too as plenty of the attractions are under cover.
You’ve got all the usual farm animals at Dairyland, some of which you can get up close with in the Pat a Pet section. For a small additional fee, kids are able to take a pony ride, while there’s lots more to explore around the lakes, nature trails, Maize Maze and the brilliant Lamborghini Hayride.
One of the biggest attractions here is undoubtedly the Bull Pen — a huge indoor soft play centre that covers over 12,000 square feet! Toddlers can be kept safe away from older kids in the mini all action area while older children can make the most of the Adventure Zone, featuring climbing nets, drop slides, astra slides and a tumble tower.
Bocketts Farm
Bocketts Farm in Leatherhead, Surrey, is one of the UK’s favourite farm parks. It’s a great combo of farm and play for the ultimate educational and entertaining day out.
The Animal Discovery Barn is the place to be if you want to meet the animals — sheep, llamas, goats, pigs and cows — while Little Hoppington is the spot for smaller animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, chinchillas and chipmunks. Make sure you take in a pig race and even a £2 pony ride while you’re here!
When it comes to play, there’s plenty to choose from at Bocketts whatever the age of your kids. The Play Barn is a massive undercover soft play that’s got a separate baby play zone perfect for babies and toddlers. Older kids will love the 4-lane astro slide. In good weather, make sure you take advantage of the outdoor play opportunities, including a maze, slides and play houses.
Pennywell Farm
Down in Buckfastleigh, Devon, you’ll find Pennywell Farm. This gorgeous farm park has absolutely loads to do — they boast that they’ve got a new activity every 30 minutes on their website! 😲
As well as meeting all the beautiful farm animals, there are additional activities to enjoy like piggy cuddles with the miniature pigs, goat milking, pond dipping, ferret racing, egg collecting, meet the hedgehogs and bottle feeding the lambs and goat kids.
Babies and toddlers will love the rides available on the Rainbow Railways and Tractor & Trailer, while older kids can have a go on the Red Rocket Ride and Run Rabbit Go-Karts. There’s also the Pennywell Theatre with big show performers, deer park, crazy golf, Willow Maze and much more.
Tapnell Farm Park
Tapnell Farm Park is located in Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight and is an all-weather attraction with plenty of fun to be had both indoors and outdoors. It’s a former working dairy farm but has a host of interesting and unusual farm animals to meet while you’re here — make sure you check out Wallaby Walkabout and the Meerkat Enclosure!
There’s a good mix of outdoor and undercover activities at Tapnell. The indoor soft play barn has a massive 3 storeys of soft play, including a toddler zone for the little ones. For the older ones, the Straw Adventure Barn will keep them happy for hours thanks to the zip wires, trampolines, go-karts and climbing wall. There’s also a Meet The Animals barn where you can get up close with some of the farm’s smaller residents.
Plenty of fun is to be found outside as well thanks to the playgrounds, jump pillows, mini golf, sledge slides and even a beach!
Avon Valley Country Park
Avon Valley Country Park is found in Keynsham outside of Bristol and is both an adventure and a wildlife park with fun for all the family. There’s a whole host of interesting animals to encounter here, including reindeer (shout outs to Donna and Blitzen 🙌), foxes, llamas, alpacas, pygmy goats, tortoises, birds of prey, and much more.
When it comes to adventure, Avon Valley has got a few rides ideally suited to young kids, including a miniature railway, Mini Jeep Safari and the Chair-O-Plane. There’s a huge outdoor playground and even a toddler play zone for the little ones. There’s also a brilliant riverside trail to get stuck into, with plenty of obstacle play bits to enjoy as you spot the different animals.
Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park
As you might guess from its name, Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park is home to a number of Heavy horses, a rare breed. As such, the farm park is regarded as both a fun day out as well as a conservation centre.
There aren’t many ‘rides’ like some of the bigger farm parks on this list, but there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides, pony rides, tractor and trailer rides, and a cool collection of vintage trucks and caravans that transport-mad kids will love. Make sure you also check out the go-karts, under-cover bouncy castle, Timber Land play barn and Victorian fairground rides.
There aren’t only Heavy horses — it’s a true farm park in the sense that there’s lots of other farmyard animals to get to know. Donkeys, alpacas, Kune Kune pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs and more make their home here.
Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo
Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire is one of Wales’ premier attractions for families and believe us when we say that there’s loads to do here. More than just a farm park, Folly Farm is really an adventure park and a kid-friendly zoo rolled into one.
There are over 90 different species at home here, including lions, penguins, giraffes and rhinos — as well as all the farmyard animals you would expect. Make sure you check out Cwtch Corner if you want to handle any of the smaller animals!
When it comes to play, young kids will love the vintage fairground as well as Carousel Woods, a massive indoor play area that has separate sections for babies and toddlers. When the sun is shining (or even if it’s just not raining 😅), everyone will love the themed play parks outdoors — take a look at Pirate Adventure and Destruction Playground.
Mabie Farm Park
Mabie is a lovely farm park with plenty of attractions for toddlers and young kids that’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in Dumfries, Scotland. The park is set over 77 hectares and was originally a dairy farm, so there’s some real history here!
The animals are split between the paddocks and the barn, and you can feed them at anytime! Some of the species to look out for include Shetland ponies, llamas, Vietnamese pot bellied pigs, goats, donkeys, lots of sheep, peacocks, and many more. Donkey rides are also available.
Young animal lovers will enjoy Pets Corner where you can handle and feed some of the smaller animals like rabbits and guinea pigs. There’s also a good size play barn and straw barn with lots of opportunities for adventure. Make sure you get a ride on the Choo Choo Express with your little ones!
Green Dragon Eco Farm
Green Dragon in Buckingham is a smaller scale farm park compared to most of the others on this list, but it’s a great day out with young kids and definitely an educational experience.
You can find cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and ponies here, as well as a large number of smaller pet animals. They even have their own reindeer herd that are on site all year round! If your kids are really keen to learn more and get involved, you can sign them up for an animal encounter which will allow them to get close and really interact with the wildlife.
There are no ‘rides’ at Green Dragon but there are a few play experiences that are ideal for the under 8s, including a heated soft play barn, a brilliant messy play barn, a big adventure playground and even a special area for the under 5s.
Kent Life Heritage Farm Park
Kent Life in Maidstone is a fantastic family day out which offers animals, history and play all in one. The Vintage Village shows a farmhouse restored to its Victorian heyday, WW2 cottages, a 16th century farmhouse and much more. Budding historians will get a real kick out of it!
The farmyard is full of animals and there are lots of opportunities to get up close with your favourites, especially in Cuddle Corner! There are also lambing sheds, meerkats and an owl academy. Donkey rides are also on offer.
Playtime can be had indoors and out at Kent Life, with a huge indoor soft play, a paint-a-pot studio and tractor trailer rides. There are lots of seasonal activities to enjoy as well.
Looking for alternatives? Make sure to check out our activities section for more ideas.
