Curated · updated weekly
What's on
The markets, craft events, exhibitions and small, lovely things worth your time — hand-picked, never the tourist-trap stuff. If it's here, we'd go ourselves.
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This weekend · Family
FamilyUntil 20 Sept · Newcastle
Treasure: Hidden, Lost, Found
A free family exhibition of hoards, relics and buried finds at Newcastle's much-loved natural history and archaeology museum.
Great North Museum: Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4PTFree entry
FamilyUntil 8 Nov · Dorking
Moominvalley Trail at Polesden Lacey
A gentle garden trail through the National Trust's Surrey estate, meeting the Moomin family among the borders and woodland.
Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6BDFree with garden admission (Adult £14 / Child £7 / Family £35; free for National Trust members)
Family👋 Meet peopleUntil 12 Oct · Sevenoaks
Babyccino Coffee Morning & Storytime at Knole
Weekly babyccinos, toys and storytime for under-5s in Knole's Brewhouse — a soft landing for meeting other parents.
Knole, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0RP (Brewhouse Café and Bookshop)Free with normal admission (Outdoor & Tower ticket around £6; free for National Trust members)
Family👋 Meet peopleUntil 8 Nov · Brighton
The Story Trail
Thirty giant, artist-painted BookBenches turn Brighton and Hove's streets and parks into a free citywide trail.
Streets, parks and open spaces across Brighton and Hove, Brighton, BN1Free
Family👋 Meet peopleSat 19 – Sun 20 Sept · Lincoln
Dog Friendly Days at Lincoln Castle
Leads off for the weekend — dogs get the run of Lincoln Castle's grounds, Wall Walk and Victorian Prison on these selected dates.
Lincoln Castle, Castle Hill, Lincoln, LN1 3AAFree castle grounds; standard admission for the Wall Walk & Prison
FamilySat 19 – Sun 20 Sept · Bangor
Open Doors Free Weekend at Penrhyn Castle
Free entry to a neo-Norman castle and its parkland for one weekend only, with slate-splitting by real Llanberis quarrymen.
Penrhyn Castle and Garden, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 4HNFree entry (part of Cadw's Open Doors festival)
Family👋 Meet peopleSun 20 Sept · London
Chiswick House Dog Show
London's biggest dog show returns to Chiswick House Gardens with 17 daft, lovable classes and a Traitors-themed fancy dress round.
Chiswick House and Gardens, Staveley Road entrance, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London W4 3ESFree to watch; £6 per dog per class to enter
FamilySun 20 Sept · Cobham
Family Fun Day at Painshill
A day of lawn games, sketching stations and self-guided trails through Painshill's 18th-century landscape garden and follies near Cobham.
Painshill, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 1JE£15 adult / £7.50 child (5–16) / under-5s free
Family👋 Meet peopleSun 20 Sept · York
York Dog Show
A new dog-lovers' day in York Museum Gardens — agility demos, dog classes, pet photography and a shopping village, in aid of local charities.
York Museum Gardens, YorkTickets on sale soon — see yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk
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