Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
City Guide
City Guide
City Guide
City Guide
City Guide
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham
City Guide
City Guide
City Guide
City Guide
City Guide
Table of Contents
IN A NUTSHELL
Visit Cheltenham with Children
Cheltenham is a wonderful family destination offering amazing history and heritage, beautiful walks and Cotswold scenery. Plus, with plenty of fabulous places to eat, sleep and play, visiting Cheltenham with children will be just superb.
Known as The Festival Town, Cheltenham plays host to over 30 major events and festivals every year. Many of those proving great attractions for families and children such as The Cheltenham Science Festival, Literature Festival and Fantasy Forest Festival. Cheltenham is family-friendly and targets all age groups. with plenty on offer that is fun and/or educational. From farm parks to trampoline parks, steam trains, escape rooms and walking tours. There is always something going on.
The Best Time to Visit Cheltenham with Children
Cheltenham is lovely all year round and always has something going on for families to enjoy. For the best experience, it would be good to coincide a visit with one of the many festivals that happen throughout the year. Some of these festivals include the Jazz Festival in April, Science Festival and Wychwood in June and Literature Festival in October.
How to Get to Cheltenham with Children
Cheltenham is a very well connected town, with frequent train services to all major UK cities, an extensive bus network, good road and motorway links and even a local, international airport too. This makes it easy for you to get to the town, however you prefer to travel.
Must Dos When in Cheltenham with Children
Cheltenham Brewery Quarter – A one-stop shop to shop, dine, stay and play. With Cineworld, Mr Muligans and Hollywood Bowl, as well as heaps of family-friendly restaurants, all within minutes of each other it is the perfect place to entertain the family.
Pittville Park – Along with its surrounding area is a beautiful part of the town to visit, with a fantastic play area, a lake, an aviary, multiple cafes and the stunning Pittville Pump room to explore.
The Cotswold Countryside – There are lots of fantastic walks in and around Cheltenham. Highlights include Leckhampton Hill and Charlton King Common, Cleeve Hill and Crickley Hill.
Highlights for families in 2023 include
- Science Festival, Literature Festival
- Wychwood Festival, Fantasy Forest Festival
- Midsummer Fiesta, GWSR Festival of Steam
- Cheltenham Children’s Festival
LOCATION
Hotels in Cheltenham
Our Top Family-Friendly Hotels in Cheltenham
- Malmasion ****
- Holiday Inn Express ***
- Colesbourne Inn ***
- Cowley Manor ****
- Ellenborough Park *****
PLAY
Activities for children ages 0-5
Tiring our babies and toddlers whilst they absorb all that is around them.
The Playfarm – An indoor children’s play area in Cheltenham, offering a range of activities including soft play, trampolines, and a sensory room.
Cotswold Farm Park – A working farm and visitor attraction near Cheltenham, with a range of animals to see and activities for families, such as tractor rides and animal feeding.
GWSR Steam Train – A heritage railway that runs through the Gloucestershire countryside.
Slimbridge Wetland Centre – A nature reserve and visitor attraction in Gloucestershire, near Cheltenham.
PLAY
Activities for older children
Keeping the older kids happy, entertained, and reducing the amount of times they ask for a screen or complain about being bored.
Sudeley Castle – A historic castle and gardens located in the Cotswolds near Cheltenham, which has been home to many famous figures throughout history.
Funky Warehouse – An indoor trampoline park, offering a range of activities including trampolining, dodgeball, and foam pits.
Jumpin Fun – An indoor inflatable park, offering a range of bouncy castles, obstacle courses, and slides for children to play on.
Hollywood Bowl – A popular ten-pin bowling alley, with modern facilities and a range of fun games and activities for all ages.
Mr Mulligan’s Mini Golf – A themed mini golf course, featuring interactive obstacles and challenges based on various historical periods and popular culture.
Paint it Yourself Pottery Co. – A creative studio where visitors can choose a piece of pottery to paint and decorate, making their own unique and personalised creation.
Escape Rooms – (Escape Entertainment, Escape Hunt, Escape Rooms Cheltenham) – Various escape rooms, where players have to solve puzzles and clues to escape a themed room within a set time limit.
Holst Victorian House – A historic museum, dedicated to the life and work of composer Gustav Holst.
PLAY
Parks & Playgrounds
Visiting Cheltenham with children will surely provide you with beautiful scenery. You will find lots of parks, green spaces and play areas for children to enjoy.
There are lovely walks up Leckhampton Hill, Crickley Hill and Cleeve Hill.
Pittville Park – Features one of the largest play areas in the area. The park is also home to the beautiful Regency Pittville Pump Room which has a free, interactive heritage trail as well as a boating lake where families can hire rowing boats and a large aviary with birds and rabbits.
Imperial Gardens and Montpellier Gardens – Located in the heart of the town centre.
Outside of the Town Centre, there are lots of other parks such as Hatherley, Naunton and Burrows Field.
Cotswold Farm Park – Great for petting zoo fans. From April to October visitors can enjoy the farm park’s annual bottle-feeding event and get hands-on feeding the new spring lambs.
FOOD
Family-friendly cafés & restaurants in Cheltenham
Our Favourite Places to Eat When in Cheltenham with Children
Families are spoilt for choice in Cheltenham with many well-known high street favourites, such as Wagamama and Prezzo, offering great kids’ menus and a wide range of brilliant family-friendly independent eateries to choose from too.
There are heaps of cafes and pubs to choose from for a leisurely brunch or tasty Sunday Roast. Highlights include – The House in the Tree, The Exmouth Arms, The Royal, Curious Café, Fioro Lounge and Pittville Pump Room Heritage Lounge.
Great places to enjoy dessert include: Creams Café, Kaspas and Sisu Pancakes.
TRANSPORTATION
How to Get Around Cheltenham with Children
The design and style of Regency Cheltenham centred upon visitors being able to enjoy walking and socialising at ease along fine, tree-lined promenades, through beautiful parks and among splendid architecture to make an enjoyable Spa experience.
Cheltenham’s compact town centre is best explored on foot or bike, or one of the many electric Zwing scooters that can be found around the town.
Discover more about getting around Cheltenham with your family.
TOYS
Toy Shops & Clothing Stores in Cheltenham for Children
Insider Tips
Explore the Countryside
Take a family hike in the countryside, explore local landmarks or visit a farm park for a hands-on experience with animals.
Spot the Wishing Fish Clock
It was Created in 1985 as the centrepiece for the Regent Arcade shopping centre. The Wishing Fish Clock is more than just a timepiece; it’s believed to be the world’s tallest mechanical clock and features a range of characters, including a family of mice, a goose laying golden eggs, and blowing bubbles every half-hour.
Sandford Parks Lido
For a family-friendly activity on a warm day between April and October, visit the Sandford Parks Lido, a listed heated outdoor swimming pool with a children’s pool, and a paddling pool too.
TRAVEL TO CHELTENHAM
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Booking With Kids gives you family travel tips to inspiration on the best places to travel with kids, we’re here to help you make your next trip a positive one.
Booking With Kids gives you family travel tips to inspiration on the best places to travel with kids, we’re here to help you make your next trip a positive one.
