Marwell Zoo

2 miles from 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 New Milton

New Milton is a historic market town in Hampshire with a rich heritage, cultural venues, nearby coastal cliffs and walking paths, and accessible transport options including a railway station and bus services.

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.

3 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.

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.

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.

2 miles from Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is a historic 16th-century artillery fort located on Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, built by Henry VIII to protect the Solent. It features extensive 19th-century gun batteries, an active lighthouse, and served military roles through two World Wars. Now managed by English Heritage, the site offers visitors a glimpse into England's coastal defence history amid ongoing conservation efforts due to coastal erosion.

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.

2 miles from Marwell Zoo

Marwell Zoo in Hampshire is a large wildlife park featuring diverse animal exhibits, including endangered species, accompanied by playgrounds, food outlets and conservation efforts. It offers an outdoor family-friendly experience within the historic Marwell Hall estate.

3 miles from Christchurch Castle

Christchurch Castle in Dorset is a historic Norman motte and bailey castle featuring ruins of a stone keep and the Constable's House, a rare Norman domestic dwelling. The site offers outdoor exploration of the castle grounds and gardens, as well as indoor experience of the preserved Constable's House, managed by English Heritage.

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.

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 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.

2 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 Hinton Ampner

Hinton Ampner is a National Trust country house and garden estate in Hampshire, featuring a neo-Georgian mansion with rich interiors and extensive 20th-century gardens, alongside a historic village and church. Visitors can explore both the indoor historic house museum and the outdoor gardens and parkland.

3 miles from Hinton Ampner: Unseen

5–18 Oct (another 9 days)

Hinton Ampner: Unseen is an exhibition revealing rarely displayed objects, hidden areas and stories from the historic house. Visitors can explore furniture, the China Store and the conservation work involved in caring for the collections.

Near 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.

Located in East Cowes

East Cowes is a historic town on the Isle of Wight known for its royal connections, maritime heritage, and walking routes along the River Medina. It features landmarks such as Osborne House and Norris Castle, along with a lively town center and transport links via ferry and bus services.

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 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.

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 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.

3 miles from Fort Brockhurst

Fort Brockhurst is a historic 19th-century Palmerston Fort in Gosport, Hampshire, built to protect Portsmouth. Now an English Heritage site, it features a moat, drawbridge, a circular moated keep, heavy artillery on ramparts and is occasionally open to the public with grounds freely accessible.

2 miles from 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.

3 miles from Staunton Country Park

Staunton Country Park is a Grade II listed Regency Landscape garden spanning 200 acres featuring formal gardens, an ornamental lake, a walled garden, and a notable collection of trees. It includes facilities for children, refreshment options, and welcomes dogs, making it a family-friendly outdoor destination with historical and botanical interest.

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.

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.

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 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.