For someone who runs a "things to do" website, and lives in North Somerset, I do not write enough about everything there is to do in Bristol! So I'm just going to set that right with a little round up of the top days out for kids in Bristol - and I'll do deeper reviews of each thing in due course.
Sometimes when you live close to a place, you can stop seeing what it actually has to offer - but there's actually loads to do in Bristol if you're visiting the South West for a holiday, much of which is very suitable for a rainy day!
Top attraction for kids in Bristol: SS Great Britain
We visited the SS Great Britain back in 2019, and had a nice day out - but when I went back again with my daughter's class on a school trip a couple of months ago, I was really struck by how unique it is as a day out!
There are various parts to the attraction, with a museum that lets you explore the Dockyard and how things like propellers work, the Dry Dock, where you go under the boat (there's glass above you with water on it so the kids feel like they're really under water! This was my daughter's favourite part of the day), a museum all about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and of course the ship itself.
The one thing I'd say about the ship, is that some younger visitors - or older too actually - may find it a little intense or overwhelming if they don't love smells and things feeling quite small and close. There are no real claustrophobic sections like you might have in caves, but there are small rooms to poke your head into, and it can smell a little fousty at times. But there's lots to see on the ship itself and I think it's very interesting for primary school aged children and parents. Toddlers may feel a little confined.
When we went during a Half Term, they had an arts and crafts session running to make rat masks, so do check their website for other holiday activities and events.
The new Bristol Zoo: Bristol Zoo Project
When Bristol Zoo was still in Clifton, they opened an out of town attraction called The Wild Place Project. Bristol Zoo Gardens opened near Clifton Village in 1836, but unfortunately closed in 2022 and made The Wild Place Project the official zoo for Bristol, renamed Bristol Zoo Project. Whilst it's not still in the city centre, so you won't walk there from a central hotel, it's just a short drive up the M5.
When it first opened in 2013, it was famous for it's Bear Wood, where you can walk along a long wooden walk way and see bears roaming in a large woodland. This is still an iconic attraction, but they've got many more animals there now too including red pandas and giraffes. You can also get very close to lemurs as you walk around their enclosure.
What is Wake the Tiger?
I went to Wake the Tiger in 2023 - and despite writing a long review of it here, I still can't really describe to you what it is! It's an art installation, but one that you walk through and join in with at times. They call themselves an Amazement Park. It's large, and often dark, and just has lots and lots for kids to look at. It is worth doing, but keep an eye out for when they're running half price tickets (as they often do in school holidays).
Bristol Aerospace Museum
We stumbled upon the Bristol Aerospace Museum almost by accident when having a weekend in Bristol with the kids and looking for something to do that we hadn't done a million times before already. We totally knew Concorde was in Bristol, but for some reason it just never really occured to us as a day out. But we went and we were all really impressed.
The museum section is very interactive with lots for the kids to do, there was a lego event happening during the half term we visited (as they usually have events on in school holidays) and of course, you can go on a real Concorde and learn all about the record breaking plane. Overall we'd really recommend this as a very worthwhile day out, with interactive features in the museum that all ages will be able to press or pull for fun. If you're local, it's great that the admission ticket also lets you return within 1 year.
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, and the RWA
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery is free to enter and has so much for kids of all ages to look at - including a wide range of taxidermy, if your kids are into birds and animals. They also then have short term exhibitions, some of which you have to pay for. It's been a while since I went, but I know my kids - who were young at the time - found it interesting.
It's then just a 3 minute walk to the RWA - the Royal West of England Academy - another free art gallery with a constantly updating list of events and activities for children. We went a while ago to see an exhibition about "Drawing Europe", featuring work by artists such as Quentin Blake and Axel Scheffler.
We the Curious science museum
If you've heard of We the Curious, you might wonder what it is... it's basically the Science Museum, but with a cryptic name. We've got a write up of how much has changed since it had to close for a couple of years due to a fire. There is lots there for all ages to explore and learn, including a fun section about film and animation thanks to the amazing award winning Aardman being based in Bristol.
The pictures in the gallery on this post are from before the fire, but I've heard that the features are largely the same. We the Curious is also home to the UK's only 3d Planetarium. This looks like a giant silver ball when you're outside in Millennium Square, but once inside it gives you a tour of the galaxy in a cinema experience and is well worth doing.
Right next door to We The Curious is Bristol Aquarium... but to be honest we didn't super love this. But then we've never really loved an aquarium. But Bristol has one if that's your thing!
Bristol: home to the UK's largest restaurant
Zaza Bazaar is on Bristol's waterfront (very close to We the Curious and the Aquarium) and serves all you can eat world cuisine. We went a while ago because I'd always fancied trying it but didn't have high expectations. But we were very pleasantly surprised! My full write up is here.
Bristol is also home to the chain Lounges, which I have on good authority do the best kid's burger to be found on a kid's menu. According to my 11 year old who always moans about having to choose from the children's menu. Other family favourites include Franco Manca who feature on our kids eat free or for £1 map.
Free self-guided walking tours in Bristol
If you need a free day out to break up these paid for attractions, we've put together a free walking tour of film and TV locations across Bristol's city centre. At under 3 miles, you can probably do it in an hour, or a little longer with little legs!
Slightly further afield
If you're visiting Bristol from further away, then take the opportunity for a day at the beach by heading out to Weston-Super-Mare. There you'll find an enormous beach, indoor neon crazy golf at Revo Glo Golf, plenty of fish and chips and ice cream and of course the Grand Pier. The Grand Pier features an indoor fun fair with lots of rides and attractions but they also run lots of activities and events during school holidays.
Just 15 minutes past Bristol airport you'll be in the World famous Cheddar Gorge (read about a day out in the Gorge here) with caves to explore and beautiful walks around the Mendips - one of the UK's Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There's also the famous Helicopter Museum and if you're lucky, an open day at the North Somerset Bird of Prey Centre. The other large visitor attraction in Weston-super-Mare is Puxton Park, with rides and high ropes and animals - or for a smaller scale farm based day out visit Court Farm.
Once you're outside the city you can also explore countryside pursuits like horse riding - read our review of Tynnings Trekking Centre here. Or go a little further still to explore the Cathedral City of Wells.
If you head over to Bath (which only takes a few minutes on the train from Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Spa), we've got our guide to a free day out sight seeing with little ones here. It's also just a short drive or train ride to Cardiff, who often have their half term holidays at different times to England, meaning attractions can be quieter.
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