Darlington's claim is the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world's first steam-hauled public railway, which opened here in 1825. The bicentenary in 2025 left the town with a good deal of refreshed railway heritage.
It is a manageable size for a day with children, and the park is genuinely one of the better ones in the north east.
Free things to do in Darlington with children
- South Park — Darlington's largest park, Victorian, with a lake, a play area, a maze and space to spread out. Free.
- St Cuthbert's Church and the market square — The medieval church by the river and the covered market hall, free to look around.
- The River Skerne walks — Green corridors following the river through the town, free and flat.
- Darlington Hippodrome exterior and the town trail — A free self-guided walk taking in the railway heritage markers around the centre.
- Locomotion at Shildon — A short local train ride away, and free to enter. An enormous collection hall of locomotives, part of the Science Museum Group. Worth building the day around.
Worth paying for
Not free, but cheap enough to be worth it, and all reachable without a car:
- Head of Steam — The railway museum at North Road station, built around Locomotion No. 1. Modest admission, children cheaper.
- The train to Saltburn or Redcar — Cheap connections east to the coast if the weather holds.
Getting to Darlington by train
Darlington station is a short walk from the town centre, and Head of Steam is on the station site itself.
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 Darlington
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.
