Preston's centrepiece reopened on 28 September 2025 after a four-year, £19m redevelopment. The Harris is a museum, art gallery and library in one enormous neoclassical building in the middle of the city, and like other publicly funded museums it does not charge.
Add two riverside parks and a nature reserve on the edge of town and you have a full day.
Free things to do in Preston with children
- The Harris — Reopened in 2025 after a major redevelopment. Museum, gallery and library together, with family spaces built into the new layout. Free entry.
- Avenham and Miller Parks — Two linked Victorian parks running down to the River Ribble, with a Japanese rock garden, a play area and the old tram bridge. Free.
- Brockholes Nature Reserve — A floating visitor village on a lake, run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Entry is free, though there is a parking charge if you drive, which you will not be doing.
- Haslam Park — Lake, playground, canal alongside. Free and quieter than the central parks.
- Preston Markets — The restored Victorian covered market canopies. Free to wander, and a cheap lunch.
Worth paying for
Not free, but cheap enough to be worth it, and all reachable without a car:
- Ribble Steam Railway — A short line along the docks with a museum of industrial locomotives. Low fares, and it runs on selected days, so check first.
- The train to Blackpool — Twenty minutes or so from Preston to the beach, the tower and the trams.
Getting to Preston by train
Preston station is a few minutes' walk from the Flag Market and the Harris, and buses run out to Brockholes.
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 Preston
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.
