Oxford with Children
Oxford with children
Oxford has several free museums, a children’s literature museum and a large park with playgrounds. Most attractions have age limits or special prices, so check those before you book. Prices are in pounds sterling.
The Story Museum
The Story Museum is at 42 Pembroke Street and is about children’s books and storytelling, not local history. Galleries entry is £16 for ages 5 and over and for adults, £8.25 for ages 1 to 4, and free for under-1s. Small Worlds, for under-5s, is £8.25. In term time it opens Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 16:30 and is closed on Mondays. In school holidays it opens daily 10:00 to 17:30. Details are on the Story Museum visitor page .
Free museums
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is free and open daily 10:00 to 17:00. The Dodo and the Megalosaurus suit younger children, and the touchable minerals are back. Pitt Rivers Museum is free and is entered through the Natural History Museum. It opens Monday 12:00 to 17:00 and Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, and it has no human remains on display. Visit the Natural History Museum site for current events.
Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park
This park has three playgrounds, an aviary, mini-golf and a cafe, and a splash feature that runs in the warmer months, so check the opening date. The miniature railway is run by the City of Oxford Society of Model Engineers, from April to October on a short list of running days, with last admission at 16:30. Check the society’s website for dates before you travel. Families looking for a playground should head here rather than University Parks.
Oxford Castle and Prison
Child tickets start at about £10.80 online. The cells and the Spooky Tours may not suit younger children, so check age guidance with the operator first.
Blenheim Palace and Cotswold Wildlife Park
Blenheim sells an Adventure Play add-on at about £5 for adults and £7 for children, and a child’s Palace pass is £24. The Cotswold Wildlife Park charges £14.00 for a child aged 3 to 16 at the gate, and seniors pay the child price. Read more: day trips from Oxford for how to get to both.
Christ Church family guide
The multimedia guide included with Christ Church admission has an Alice-themed family version. In Michaelmas term a child (5 to 17) pays £17.50 on weekdays and £19.50 at weekends, and under-5s are free. The Great Hall is closed 12:00 to 14:00 on weekdays, so book a slot earlier in the day.
Age limits and safety
- Bodleian library tours are for ages 11 and over.
- The University Church tower is for ages 8 and over, with 127 steps.
- Carfax Tower does not admit under-5s.
- Nobody under 16 can hire a punt from the Cherwell Boathouse.
- Keep children away from river edges, weirs and locks, and note that Port Meadow floods in winter.
Booking
Family-friendly tours and tickets can be searched on GetYourGuide .