Looking for family-friendly farms in Cumbria to visit with kids? If your children love feeding animals, indoor play or tractor rides, these farms make brilliant family days out.
A trip to Cumbria with children doesn’t have to only include mountains, lakes and long walks. Instead, you can also explore the area’s farming heritage and meet the animals that live here. Many farms offer hands-on feeding and play areas for younger visitors.
We’ve made some of our best family memories at farms in Cumbria. We’ve fed lambs and piglets, bounced on giant pillows and hopped on tractor rides. Infact farm visits have become one of our favourite days out.
Cumbria has several farms designed with families in mind. They combine real farm life with play areas, animal encounters and – importantly – good cafés with good coffee. So, if you want a day out that keeps everyone happy, these are some of our favourite picks.
4 of the best family-friendly farms in the Cumbria
Lakeland Maze Farm Park
Lakeland Maze is a brilliant, all-round family day out and somewhere you can easily spend a full day.
It’s a real working family farm but thoughtfully set up for visitors. Children can meet sheep, pigs, rabbits, rodents, alpacas and ponies, with petting areas always proving popular.
The giant maize maze runs from mid-July to October and is a highlight, but there are also two all-weather mazes so there’s fun year-round.
Add in play equipment, trampolines, indoor soft play and a genuinely good café, and it’s one of the best farm parks in the area. Make sure you check opening times as they change through the seasons.
Walby Farm Park
Up in the North Lakes near the border, Walby Farm Park is an award-winning farm park that’s fantastic in all weather.
Their school holiday activities are especially good – lambing events in February half term are a big draw.
The standout feature and something my kids go wild for, is Cumbria’s largest indoor adventure play area, with slides and a huge fort kids can disappear into for ages.
Outside you’ll find mini quads, pedal go-karts, sand pits and a barrel train, plus undercover play for drizzly days. There is also hands-on grooming, feeding and handling experiences with goats, ponies and donkeys alongside alpacas, pigs, rabbits, sheep and more.
A great choice if you want a full, activity-packed day.
Greenlands Farm Village
Greenlands Farm Village is one we visit often, as it’s in Carnforth, just south of The Pheasant Lodge. It works well for us in every season.
There’s a huge indoor soft play, a café and a great farm shop – meaning kids and adults are both entertained. Outside, they’ve recently renovated their undercover play, with a large new play area in the barn. In addition, there are also fun electric go-karts for bigger kids.
They run events throughout the year – from summer paddling pool parties to seasonal activities. For families, there are plenty of animals to see and feed too, including ponies, pigs, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs and even reptiles and snakes with some handling opportunities. We love the pigs that wander around the farm who will happily sniff and snort at you.
Ideal for a few fun hours with younger children.
Wraysholme Farm & Ice Cream
For something smaller but just as wholesome, Wraysholme is a personal favourite just south of Cartmel.
They’re best known for their ice cream, yoghurt and milk, all made on site. There’s a lovely outdoor seating area overlooking the fields where friendly donkeys wander by, and you can usually spot the cattle as you park up. We’ve even fed the lambs in spring.
They also host occasional events like live music, street food evenings and “farmer for the morning” experiences where children can get involved with real farm jobs.
It’s not a huge attraction – and that’s its charm and why we love it. So, you get to speak to the people who run it and see how it’s all done. A simple, relaxed farm stop (with excellent ice cream).
Family-Friendly Farms in Cumbria
If you’re visiting the Lake District with kids, mixing in a farm day is a great way to break up walks and sightseeing. Whether you want a full adventure park or a gentle ice-cream-and-animals stop, there’s something for every family.
Check out the blog for other half term ideas here and walks which work well for little legs.
Let us know if you try any of these farms for yourself. Would love to know what you think!
Hannah – Host at The Pheasant Lodge x