Sheffield claims to be the greenest city in the country, and with children that is the point: the parks and woods do most of the entertaining, and they are free.
The city's museums do not charge either, so a wet day has an answer too.
Free things to do in Sheffield with children
- Weston Park Museum — Snowy the polar bear, an Egyptian gallery, and a hands-on discovery area for younger children. Free, and set in a park with a playground.
- Millennium Gallery and the Winter Garden — The gallery is free and connects to a huge temperate glasshouse in the middle of the city. A good wet-weather stop straight off the train.
- Sheffield Botanical Gardens — Nineteen acres, Grade II listed glass pavilions and a bear pit. Free entry.
- Endcliffe Park and the Porter Valley — Stepping stones, a stream, ducks and a walk that climbs gently into woodland. Free, and the paddling stream in summer is the main event.
- Graves Gallery — Free art gallery above the central library, small enough not to exhaust anybody.
Worth paying for
Not free, but cheap enough to be worth it, and all reachable without a car:
- Kelham Island Museum — Industrial heritage with the enormous River Don Engine fired up daily. Modest charge, children cheaper still.
- The Supertram to the Peak District edge — Cheap fares out towards the moors if you fancy a proper walk.
Getting to Sheffield by train
Sheffield station sits below the city centre, with the Winter Garden and Millennium Gallery a short uphill walk away.
Going by train also means nobody has to find a parking space, and children can move about, look out of the window and eat crisps for the whole journey.
Click here to book train tickets to Sheffield
Opening hours, admission prices and booking requirements change, and some attractions close on certain days or for refurbishment. Always check the attraction’s own website before you set off. This page was written in August 2026.
Disclosure: the train ticket link on this page is an affiliate link. If you book through it I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
