Explore an entire world of adventure on your family holidays in Cornwall

Cornwall is a county on the rugged southern tip of England and is situated on a peninsula surrounded by wild moors, sandy beaches, towering rocky cliffs, seaside resorts, theme parks and so much more. You’ll find a whole world of excitement, history and adventure on a Cornwall family holiday, from harbourside dining and shopping to stunning ocean views. You can find plenty of things to do with the kids in Cornwall that are also sure to entertain grown-ups. If you’re looking for fun in the outdoors or inside, check out some of the best family holidays in Cornwall for the adventure of a lifetime.

Discover options for cheap family holidays to Cornwall

Cornwall has a wealth of inexpensive and even free entertainment options, making cheap family holidays to Cornwall easy to plan. From boardwalks to festivals, historic lighthouses to astonishing rock formations, museums to scenic hiking trails and living farms to leisure parks, it’s all right here waiting to be discovered and explored on family days out in Cornwall.

Check out the Cornwall Heartlands

Heartlands in Redruth is an award-winning attraction that offers a wide range of heritage sites where you can explore the ancient Roman history of the region. You’ll also find farmers’ markets selling fresh local seafood and produce, festivals throughout the year and even a gigantic adventure playground where the kids can run, climb and ride to their hearts’ content. Best of all, aside from a nominal fee for some exhibits, Heartlands is free to visit and explore.

Visit the Royal Cornwall Museum

The Royal Cornwall Museum offers free admission for kids and houses a wealth of archaeological finds and medieval and ancient artefacts. The museum offers a window into Cornwall’s past stretching back to prehistoric days. If you’re looking for kid-friendly holidays in Cornwall, the Royal Cornwall Museum is a brilliant place to visit and explore. It’s both educational and fun, and during the summer months, it offers a wide range of hands-on workshops and activities to engage and entertain the kids.

Explore Roskilly’s Organic Farm

Roskilly’s Organic Farm in St Keverne is a traditional, thriving dairy farm nestled amongst the vast, green Cornish countryside. You can tour the operations, get up close and personal with the animals, learn how cows are milked, find out how the milk is produced for sale, and buy scrumptious local produce. You can even get ice cream and fudge onsite that are made with milk from the farm.

Check out the Cornwall Camel Trail

The Camel Trail in Wadebridge is the place to go if you’re looking for active, outdoor adventure for family days out in Cornwall. The hiking and cycling trails span between Wenfordbridge and Padstow and offer numerous side trails of varying difficulties. Many are paved, making for a relaxing and easy jaunt. You’re sure to enjoy the fresh air, blue skies and rolling green hills you’ll find here.

Visit the iconic Cornwall

St Michael’s Mount is arguably one of the area’s most iconic destinations and is a great spot for things to do with the kids in Cornwall. Atop a towering mount is a magnificent castle dating to the early medieval period and surrounded by elegant gardens.

It’s accessible from a stone causeway at low tide from Marazion’s beach, a stunning stretch of golden sand and sea. The experience includes a Barge House Visitor Centre attraction, the Island Cafe for a lite meal and, of course, a gift shop to find the ideal souvenir. Those who don’t want to walk or who seek to visit during high tide can catch a ferry.

Relax in the sun on a Cornwall beach family holiday

Cornwall is known for its gold-sand beaches, and there are few better ways to have cheap family holidays in Cornwall than a completely free day of sun, sand and surf. The Cornish Coast is completely spanned with beaches, including Fistral Beach, a major destination for surfing, the seemingly endless stretches of Praa Sands and the hidden, romantic, tranquil coves at Hemmick Beach. Whatever kind of beach family holiday in Cornwall you’re looking for, there’s sure to be something that will fit the bill.

Visit the seals at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary in West Cornwall offers you the chance to get up close and personal with these playful marine mammals and learn all about their life cycle and ecology. It’s not only about seals and sea lions here, however. You can also visit with otters, penguins and other local marine creatures. You’ll learn about rescue and conservation efforts and the risks these animals face due to environmental changes. The sanctuary also offers an onsite gift shop and cafe where you can find a souvenir and grab lunch during your visit.

Find thrills on your family days out Cornwall Theme Parks

Cornwall amusement parks offer excitement and pulse-pounding thrills to make even the most hardened adventurer gasp. These parks provide thrill rides, games, iconic takeaway food stands and so much more. They can be the heart and soul of your kid-friendly holidays in Cornwall, offering days filled with laughter and memories that are sure to last a lifetime for adults and kids of every age.

Take the plunge at Flambards Theme Park

If you’re looking for an iconic Cornwall amusement park, Flambards Theme Park in West Cornwall is the answer to your quest. It features the first white-knuckle rollercoaster in the country, the Sky Force. Other rides include the Sky Swinger, Sky Raker and Thunderbolt. The Hornet rollercoaster is a classic staple of the park as well. The Demon Drop is a must-ride if you’re excited by gorgeous views followed by a heart-stopping freefall.

For those who want something tamer, the Victorian Village, Aviation Experience and Britain in the Blitz attractions turn science and history into fun and adventure indoors. Of course, you can also enjoy plenty of takeaway theme-park eats, games and shopping right in the park.

Hit the adventure playground at the Eden Project

The Eden Project offers a bit of a different kind of theme park experience. It’s among the leading attractions in South West England and draws over a million visitors a year. The project is a combination horticulture centre and adventure park with zip lines, climbing and a vast adventure playground for the kids. You can also find great places to enjoy a family meal all around the site, making it a brilliant option for a full day of outdoor adventure with the kids in Cornwall.

Try a different kind of theme park at VR Cornwall

If you haven’t tried a virtual reality theme park, make time to visit VR Cornwall in Penzance on your family break in Cornwall. It’s not a traditional theme park, it can take you places that no other theme park can. When you put on the headset here, you can find yourself at the top of a mountain, running a thrilling military mission through alien-infested tunnels or attending a symphony orchestra. New experiences are offered constantly, so you never know what you’ll get, but it’s sure to be a thrilling option for family breaks in Cornwall.

Get wet at Retallack Aqua Park

Water parks are their own kind of theme park attraction, and Retallack Aqua Park in Saint Columb Major offers an exhilarating water adventure experience for your family breaks in Cornwall. Here, you can hit a massive trampoline, ride a water catapult or water wheel, navigate a stepping-stone climbing wall course, bounce on blast bags and try your agility on balance beams.

Naturally, the park also offers the expected range of waterslides. Overall, however, it’s just a giant obstacle course on the water, and you can challenge your family to see who can get the farthest with the best time before they wipe out or just leap into the water.

Explore the world of buccaneers at Newquay’s Pirate’s Quest

Pirate’s Quest in Newquay puts the theme into theme-park attractions for your family holiday in Cornwall. This attraction lets you walk the footsteps of 16th- and 17th-century pirates during the High Age of Sail and learn how the buccaneers shaped Cornwall today. It offers an immersive, 360-degree experience with special effects, theatrics and costumed characters. A walk-through experience that takes about an hour lets you see, touch, feel and even smell the legends and history of the Cornwall pirates.

Visit sightseeing and historic attractions for family breaks in Cornwall

If your idea of a wonderful Cornwall family holiday includes a fun, exciting and educational walk through the days of the distant past, you’ll find plenty of historic and sightseeing attractions in and around the region. From castle ruins associated with British legend to still-standing castles of historic monarchs, scenic steam railways, dramatic amphitheatres and military history, you’ll find plenty to do here.

Take a ride on an authentic steam railway

Lappa Valley Steam Railway, just outside of Newquay, takes you on a scenic ride through a serene national park with forested surroundings, endless verdant fields and rolling emerald hills. You capture wonderful photo opportunities and enjoy the scenery on this railway that takes you to a park that offers a crazy-golf course, children’s play areas, a lake where you can get out on a canoe and 2 other railways to take you even farther abroad.

See the dramatic cliffside productions at the Minack Theatre

The Minack Theatre is unique and really forms a throwback to the ancient Roman roots of Cornwall. This option for your kid-friendly holidays in Cornwall allows you to relax on bleachers carved right out of the stone cliffs and look out over the water, where you can sometimes catch dolphins and seals at play. Just as good, the site offers regular theatrical productions in the summer that are specifically designed to entertain kids of every age.

Visit the ruins of King Arthur’s Tintagel Castle

Tintagel Castle may be closely associated with the Arthurian legends, but the ruins of the castle itself are quite real and are considered a must-visit for many on family holidays in Cornwall. You can walk the ruins and embark on 1,500 years of discovery in this settlement that dates back to the Dark Ages and is as filled with mystery as it is history. Guided tours are offered to add even more education and entertainment to your visit.

Explore the still-standing fortress of Henry VIII at Pendennis Castle

England is a land of myth, legend and mystery, but it’s also a land of deep history and exciting events that are well documented. Pendennis Castle was one of the greatest coastal fortresses of the famed King Henry VIII. Here, you can explore the castle and learn all about its history, from its construction to the role it played during the World Wars. Learn all about the Tudor family and enjoy speakers, workshops and a hands-on Discovery Centre. It’s an exciting attraction for one of the best family holidays in Cornwall.

Discover military history at Cornwall’s Regimental Museum

Cornwall’s Regimental Museum in Bodmin offers more than 12,000 items, weapons, artefacts, photographs, uniforms, documents, ephemera and other exhibits, each of which has a unique story to tell. This place showcases the battles that have been fought, the sacrifices made and the noble history of those who laid down their lives on the battlefield. It’s housed in the former headquarters of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Division and offers a look into 300 years of military history.