Marwell Zoo

2 miles from Osborne

Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, built as a summer home for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Visitors can explore the grand Italianate architecture, royal apartments, extensive gardens, and enjoy the unique historic setting including a private beach and the Durbar Room with Indian influences. The site offers a mix of indoor and outdoor experiences with historic interiors and landscaped grounds.

Near Highcliffe Castle

Highcliffe Castle is a Grade I listed Gothic mansion on a cliff top in Dorset, offering restored historic interiors with exhibitions and beach access. Visitors can explore the house, enjoy the scenic grounds, and use the on-site cafe and picnic areas.

Located in Christchurch

Christchurch is a historic town on the south coast of Dorset, England, featuring a medieval priory, castle ruins, a picturesque harbour, and vibrant cultural events, making it a popular and accessible tourist destination.

3 miles from St Helens Duver

St Helens Duver is a sandy spit of land on the Isle of Wight featuring beaches, rock pools, woodlands, and historical sites including a former royal golf course. It offers coastal walks with wildlife spotting opportunities and is dog-friendly with wheelchair accessible paths.

Located in Ryde

Ryde is a historic seaside town on the Isle of Wight known for its expansive sandy beaches, the fourth longest listed pier in the UK, and a charming town centre with Regency and Victorian architecture. It offers a variety of leisure activities including boating, amusement arcades, parks, and cultural events such as carnivals.

Near Stockbridge Down

Stockbridge Down is a National Trust biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire featuring an Iron Age hillfort, Bronze Age burial mounds, diverse butterfly species, and distinct chalk and grassland habitats.

2 miles from Rosetta Cottage

Rosetta Cottage is a Victorian manor house in Cowes, Isle of Wight, known for its connection to Winston Churchill's parents' marriage proposal. It comprises two holiday cottages managed by the National Trust and is part of the island's Churchill Trail.

Near Selborne Common

Selborne Common is a protected biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Hampshire, featuring ancient beechwood, diverse wildlife including rare butterflies and birds, wildflowers, and historic field systems. It offers outdoor exploration within a nationally managed nature reserve accessible via public footpaths.

Near Houghton Lodge Gardens

Houghton Lodge Gardens is a historic 18th-century garden featuring formal and informal landscapes, a new Oriental Garden, champion trees, and riverside walks with alpine and sheep sightings. It offers a picturesque outdoor experience with plant sales and refreshments available.

Near Birdworld

Birdworld is the UK's largest bird park featuring over 180 bird species, including many endangered, with outdoor exhibits such as the themed Terry Pratchett Owl Parliament, free-flying parrot aviary, and penguin colonies. It offers a family-friendly outdoor wildlife experience in Hampshire.

3 miles from Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle on the Isle of Wight known for its 13th-century buildings, Elizabethan fortifications, and as the prison of King Charles I. Visitors can explore the castle's interiors, the Isle of Wight Museum, and outdoor earthworks including a well with a working donkey wheel.

2 miles from Mottisfont

Mottisfont Abbey is a Grade I listed historic estate and former priory in Hampshire, featuring a historic house museum, extensive gardens with a renowned rose collection, riverside walks, and seasonal cultural and children's activities. Operated by the National Trust, it combines meaningful indoor and outdoor experiences with art exhibitions and family-friendly events.

2 miles from We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt™ Halloween Adventure

5 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)

A Halloween trail based on the children’s books, in which families follow the Bunnies of Hoppity Hill as they search for hidden ghosts around Mottisfont. Activities include choosing a bunny name, playing Halloween hoopla and racing broomsticks before a celebration party.

Located in Cowes

Cowes is a historic English port town on the Isle of Wight known globally for its maritime heritage, especially yachting and the annual Cowes Week regatta. It offers a walkable town center with diverse shops, eateries, and cultural sights including Cowes Castle and a floating chain ferry connecting to East Cowes.

3 miles from The Summer House

The Summer House is a Georgian Gothic folly in Hampshire situated in a landscaped park by Capability Brown. Visitors can experience restored interiors, including a unique octagonal dining room and historic bathing room, as well as explore the surrounding gardens and nearby historic ruins on guided tours.

2 miles from The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty

The Hospital of St Cross is an ancient almshouse and historic site in Winchester, offering visitors tours of its medieval buildings, tranquil gardens, and a café. It combines rich history and beautiful outdoor spaces in a tranquil riverside setting, with good wheelchair access and facilities.

3 miles from Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

Exbury Gardens is a 200-acre outdoor garden known for its world-famous rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and magnolias, with seasonal floral displays and engaging woodland paths. The garden includes a children's play area, wildlife habitats, and visitor facilities such as refreshments and plant sales.

2 miles from Newtown National Nature Reserve and Old Town Hall

Newtown National Nature Reserve on the Isle of Wight offers a unique blend of ancient woodlands, wildflower meadows, and a picturesque harbour filled with diverse birdlife. Visitors can explore peaceful walking trails, enjoy guided historical and wellbeing walks, and take part in water activities like canoeing. The 17th-century Old Town Hall nearby adds a historical element to the natural setting. The site is dog-friendly, wheelchair accessible on certain paths, and has food available at the Visitor Point.

2 miles from Fort Cumberland (England)

Fort Cumberland is a historic pentagonal artillery fort in Southsea, Hampshire, protecting the entrance to Langstone Harbour and the Royal Navy Dockyard. Now managed by English Heritage, it offers pre-booked guided tours of its extensive masonry fortifications and houses a distillery and veterans charities within its casemates.

2 miles from Ludgershall Castle

Ludgershall Castle is a historical ruined 12th-century royal residence in Ludgershall, Wiltshire, featuring large surviving walls and earthworks. It was used as a hunting lodge by King John and Henry III and is now a scheduled monument open to the public as an outdoor historical site.

3 miles from East Head

East Head is a natural coastline area in West Sussex featuring rare sand-dune habitats, a sandy beach, shingle, and salt-marsh. Visitors can enjoy scenic coastal walks, beach activities, wildlife spotting including seals, and dog-friendly access with some restrictions during bird nesting season.

2 miles from New Forest Wildlife Park

New Forest Wildlife Park is a zoological park focused on native British wildlife and global otters and owls, offering conservation projects, animal exhibits including a butterfly walk-through, and visitor facilities like a café and gift shop.

2 miles from Uppark

Uppark is a Grade I listed 17th-century historic house museum in West Sussex, open to the public as a National Trust property. It features extensive collections from the 18th century, has been carefully restored after a major fire in 1989, and holds historical significance including ties to writer H. G. Wells.

3 miles from Stansted Park: Scandal and Society

16 Oct (next Friday)

A talk by Stansted Park’s Collections Coordinator explores the people who owned the estate before the Earls of Bessborough arrived in 1924, and the historical events and stories associated with them. Tickets include a drink on arrival.

2 miles from Winterbourne Downs

Winterbourne Downs is a RSPB nature reserve in Wiltshire preserving and restoring rare chalk grassland habitats. Visitors can enjoy marked nature trails, wildlife viewing screens, and panoramic views while spotting rare birds like Stone-curlews. The site offers wheelchair accessible paths and picnic areas but no indoor facilities or food services.

2 miles from Langstone Harbour

Langstone Harbour is a nature reserve with tidal mudflats, saltmarsh, and lagoons supporting diverse waterbirds. It offers outdoor wildlife viewing along coastal paths with no visitor centre, on-site facilities, or entry fees.

2 miles from Harting Down

Harting Down is a large area of ancient chalk downland featuring scenic hilltop views, diverse wildlife, and historical remnants including an Iron Age hill fort and Napoleonic war telegraph station. It offers extensive outdoor walking trails through a pristine natural landscape managed by the National Trust.

3 miles from Stansted House: Celebrating the 1920’s

10 Oct (this Saturday)

Visitors can explore Stansted House as it was in the late 1920s, seeing archival items and learning about the Bessborough family and life among the servants. The day includes piano performances, drop-in Charleston workshops, a children’s trail, an exhibition about Stansted Theatre and talks.

3 miles from Bembridge Windmill

Bembridge Windmill is a Grade I listed historic tower mill on the Isle of Wight, built around 1700 and operated by the National Trust. Visitors can explore this four-storey mill with original machinery, open to the public seasonally from March to November.

3 miles from Farnham Castle

Farnham Castle is a historic 12th-century castle in Surrey that served as the residence of the Bishops of Winchester for over 800 years, featuring a preserved shell keep, curtain walls, historic gardens, and a visitors' exhibition detailing its 900-year history. It offers indoor tours of the keep and palace with outdoor exploration of its grounds and gardens.

Near Winchester City Mill

Winchester City Mill is a restored watermill from 1744 in Winchester, offering historical water-powered flour milling, weekend demonstrations, a café, and wildlife viewing including otters.

2 miles from Chawton House

Chawton House Gardens in Hampshire offers historical gardens from the 18th to 20th centuries with seasonal displays, woodland walks, Jane Austen exhibits, and a café, providing a rich combination of outdoor and indoor experiences for visitors.

Located in Newport

Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, known for its historic centre, Roman villa, arts and culture venues, and river quay, offering visitors a lively market town experience with annual music festivals.

3 miles from Westquay

Westquay is a major shopping centre in Southampton, offering over 130 retail stores including major brands, a wide range of dining options, a cinema, and leisure facilities all within a large indoor complex heated by geothermal energy.

3 miles from Newtown Old Town Hall

Newtown Old Town Hall is a historic Tudor-style municipal building on the Isle of Wight, owned by the National Trust. Visitors can explore its historic interiors and learn about its role in UK parliamentary history and Ferguson's Gang.

3 miles from Farnham Castle

Farnham Castle is a historic site with 900 years of history featuring a Norman Keep, medieval great hall, and Tudor lodging range. Visitors can enjoy self-guided tours of the Castle Keep and exhibition room as well as guided tours of the Bishop’s Palace. The site combines indoor historical exhibits with outdoor grounds and offers free parking and some accessibility provisions. The Castle Keep will be closed for repairs in 2025.

2 miles from Furzey Gardens

Furzey Gardens is a 10-acre informal woodland garden with winding paths, featuring a historic plant collection, a recreated Chelsea Flower Show gold medal garden, and natural wildlife habitats. It offers facilities including refreshments, a children's play area, and parking, with free access for RHS Members on selected days.

2 miles from Figsbury Ring

Figsbury Ring is an ancient earthwork site in Wiltshire featuring Neolithic and Iron Age archaeological remains set within protected grassland on a chalk ridge, managed by the National Trust and open to the public as a significant outdoor historical landmark.

3 miles from The Pepperbox

The Pepperbox is an historic hexagonal folly tower built in 1606 on Pepperbox Hill, Wiltshire. It offers panoramic views across the surrounding countryside including Salisbury. The tower is a Grade II listed building and a notable early folly, owned and preserved by the National Trust.

3 miles from Farnham Castle Keep

Farnham Castle Keep features historic motte and shell keep remains founded in 1138, with a free exhibition about 900 years of castle history. The site offers scenic views over Farnham town and is partially wheelchair accessible with parking and nearby town facilities.

3 miles from Stockbridge Marsh

Stockbridge Common Marsh is a 64.8 ha biological Site of Special Scientific Interest featuring diverse wetland habitats along the River Test flood plain in Hampshire, with rich flora.

3 miles from A special storyteller event celebrating We're Going on a Ghost Hunt!

10–11 Oct, 25 Oct…

Children can join a storyteller-led session based on *We're Going on a Ghost Hunt*, following the Bunnies of Hoppity Hill on a gentle, spooky adventure with pumpkins, bats, owls, music and storytelling.

Located in Lymington

Lymington is a charming coastal port town in Hampshire known for its rich maritime history, yachting culture, Victorian and Georgian architecture, and vibrant tourist amenities including markets, marinas, and cultural venues.

2 miles from Hawk Conservancy Trust

The Hawk Conservancy Trust is a bird park and conservation charity in Hampshire with over 130 birds of prey, woodland and meadow habitats, and a national bird hospital. It offers outdoor bird displays and conservational work.

3 miles from Stansted Park

Stansted Park is an Edwardian country house set within 1800 acres of landscaped parkland and forest, offering visitors house tours, gardens, a chapel, woodland walks, and various outdoor attractions including a maze and light railway. Facilities include accessible parking, a café, and buggy service, with family-friendly activities and seasonal guided tours.

2 miles from Gilbert White’s House & Gardens

Gilbert White’s House and Gardens is a 30-acre garden inspired by the English Landscape Movement and the naturalist's work of Gilbert White, featuring wildflower meadows, a wildlife pond, orchards, and herb gardens with sustainable organic management and onsite honey sales.