A few things to do in Derby (on a budget)
The Museum and Art Gallery, Museum of Making and Pickford’s House are great places for families to visit! Each venue takes care of unique and unusual collections based on the cultural heritage of Derby.
Derby Museums also offers fantastic learning programmes, workshops and events for families throughout the year! Many are FREE too including:
Crafty Tuesdays at Pickford’s House (10am 12pm). This activity is suitable for families, and you can learn a new crafting skill.
Steam Tots at the Museum of Making (Sat 10am – 11.30am) This activity offers an opportunity for children aged 2-5 years to explore a range of shapes, objects and materials with their grown-ups.
Tots Make and Do at the Museum and Art Gallery (10am-11.30am) is a monthly session where 2-5 year olds with their grown-ups enjoy crafts, games and stories inspired by their fabulous collections.
Lane’s Garden Centre and Open Farm (Meadow Farm, Breaston Lane Derby) This little gem is a lovely family place to visit. It is small, with a few animals to see and feed and there’s a lovely café. It’s a great place to spend a little time to break up your day. My girls loved visiting when then were younger! There’s free parking and you can buy a bucket of animal feed from the shop for £2.
Moorways Sports Village and Water Park (Allenton, Derby) is a great place for a family swim and some water fun! It’s easy to find and there’s plenty of parking. For a family swim with the waterslides (Peak) Sat 9am-6pm and Sun 9am-5pm - under 5s are free, ages 5 and over £8.25. Tickets are only bookable online. They also have an Atlantis Inflatable (for age 5+) that’s available Sat 1-6pm and Sunday 10am – 2pm.
When it starts to warm up a little, the obvious choice for an afternoon out is your local park. Derby is spoilt for choice with Markeaton Park and the Mundy Play Centre, Darley Park, Allestree Park, Derby Arboretum, Alvaston Park, Elvaston Castle and more!
Carsington Water is a great day out come rain or shine! You can hire a bike (or take your own). There are plenty of cycle routes suitable for all experiences, and you can follow routes from 3 miles up to the 8 mile route around the reservoir. Carsington Sports and Leisure offer a great range of watersports such as rowing, canoeing, windsurfing and kayaking. Their ‘Wonderful World of Water’ exhibition is free visit to and includes a fun hands-on experience. Outdoors there is an accessible play area including 2 basket swings, interactive panels and different games all around the play area. Car parking is chargeable. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust also host regular events including ‘nature tots’ and ‘family forest school’.
If you fancy watching a film, try Cine Kids at QUAD on Derby Market Place. Cine Kids is a family-focused film-screening every weekend and during the school holidays. All tickets are £5 per person for Cine Kids Club members which includes the whole family (with children under 16) and their guests. Membership is FREE, contact QUAD for details.
Derby Arena Sports Fest takes place on Thursday 23 Feb (9am-4pm). It’s a FREE event and is a fantastic opportunity for families to take part in a day of fun-filled activities including Football, Family Track Circuits, Open Track Tasters, First Pedal, Balance Bikes, Short Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Trailblazers basketball and Derbyshire Cricket.
(KIDS) RAVE On!!! is a dancey arty kinda party for all the family! The fun commences on Sat 4th Feb from 2pm - 4.30pm at The Chocolate Factory, Siddals Road, Derby. House / Drum & Bass / Old Skool Vinyl DJ / Lasers (no strobe lights) / Smoke / Bubbles / Face painting / Arts / Crafts / Baby Chill Out Area / Licenced Bar and more! FREE for pre-walkers, £5 Child, £7 adult.
For more days out ideas take a look here
* Event details may change since publication. Please always check before visiting.
