These are our 10 of the best family days our near Glasgow: a list of the places that we love to go and spend the day. Our Top Ten. The places we’ve returned to again and again. Some of them are free; some of them are most definitely not. Some of them are suited to rainy days and some are better for the dry days we’ve had so many of recently. Hopefully if you visit any of them, you’ll love them as much as we do!
Category: Around 1 hr from Glasgow
Troon Beach
Troon Beach is a beautiful place, particularly when the sun is shining. But even when it’s not, there’s an ocean to splash in and all you need is a bucket and spade (and a watering can) and a picnic. Great fun.
Falkirk Wheel Splash Park
The Falkirk Wheel splash park is so much fun. There are a couple of different parts to the splash park, plus a playpark and lots of other (paid) activities. We spent the best part of 2 hours here and could easily have stayed longer. It’s such a great place for a cool down on a hot sunny day, and best of all, it’s free!
Loch Lomond Faerie Trail
The Loch Lomond Faerie Trail a brilliant way to have a fun day outside in the beautiful Scottish countryside. It’s full of things to see and do and there are puzzles to solve and things to find at each faerie door station. And Luss is such a beautiful place on the banks of Loch Lomond, you could easily make a whole day of it here.
The Kelpies
I really enjoy a trip to the Kelpies, and the kids do too. It’s outdoors, it’s free, and because the Kelpies themselves are just beautiful. The playpark is fantastic and it’s a totally wheel friendly place too.
Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow Palace is a really fun castle to explore. It is incredibly pretty with a really interesting history. The grounds are beautiful and the walk round the loch isn’t too long or strenuous for little legs. If you take a picnic, it’s a lovely place for a day trip.
Dollar Glen & Castle Campbell
We took a trip out to Dollar Glen & Castle Campbell in the summer. It’s a great day trip if you’re looking for something totally laid back and outdoors. There’s lots of natural things to examine on the walk up the Glen, and a beautiful castle to explore when you reach the the top!
Dumfries House
Dumfries House is set in beautiful grounds. There are lots of bits to entertain kids and their Engineering Playpark (a water play area) is absolutely fantastic. We all had a blast!
Woodland Light Experience
We had a lovely evening at the Woodland Light Experience. It’s a really nice way to spend a chilly autumn evening with family, and the kids had a great time exploring the woodland (and on the bouncy castle).
Woodland Fairy Experience – mini review
The Woodland Fairy Experience is one of my favourite things to do with the kids. It’s rustic and magical and full of good old loveliness and not overpriced. I love it.
Santa’s Woodland Experience
A friend went to visit the man in red at Santa’s Woodland Experience in Balfron last year. These are her thoughts. Spoiler alert: she loved it, and so did her entire family!
Brick City at New Lanark
The exhibition is underwhelming. Downstairs was fun but we could have stayed home and played with Lego at no cost. For what it is £16 family entry is steep.
Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre
Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre is rustic, and there’s plenty to keep the kids occupied. There’s space for the kids to run free and lots of animals to interact with; probably more of the latter than at other children’s farms we’ve been to. I’d definitely recommend it!
Gourock Outdoor Pool
We had some beautiful weather last month and tried to make the most of it. One of the little day trips we went on was to check out Gourock Outdoor Pool. Great for a lovely sunny day!
Day trip! The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
I have an admission: I have never before been through to the Edinburgh festival. I always meant to go, but just never got round to it. So even though we went to Edinburgh last weekend[…]
Culzean Castle & Country Park
We had a great time at Culzean Castle & Country Park. They have one of the best playparks we’ve ever been to. There’s so much to do at Culzean and it’s really beautiful too; pretty gardens, swans, forest and a big rocky shoreline. Excellent day out.