Rainy Day Things to Do in the Lake District With Kids
It will rain. You knew that when you booked. Here are ten places across Cumbria that work when the fells vanish, plus a couple that have shut, so you don't drive to them.
The short answer
The best rainy day activities in the Lake District for kids are the Lakes Aquarium at Lakeside, the Lakeland Motor Museum at Backbarrow, the World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness, the Pencil Museum in Keswick and Rheged near Penrith. In Carlisle, Tullie is free for under 18s. Book Rheged's indoor play and go early to everything else.
Rainy day activities in the Lake District for kids come down to one uncomfortable truth: everyone else has had the same idea. On a wet Saturday in August the indoor places tend to fill early, the car parks in Bowness go quickly, and there will be a queue of damp people at the door of anything with a roof. I live in Carlisle with a six and a seven year old, and after a fair few damp school holidays I have some rules. Go early, book what can be booked, and have a backup.
Everything below is checked against the venue's own site or an official listing. Where I couldn't confirm a price or opening time, I've said check before you go rather than guess. Two attractions that older guides still mention are currently closed, and I've listed those too, because turning up at a locked door in the rain is a specific kind of misery.
Which indoor places are actually good on a wet day?
In my view, the places that work best have three things: something for a child to do that isn't just looking, food on site, and enough room to move a buggy. On that basis I'd put the Lakes Aquarium, the Motor Museum, the Beatrix Potter attraction and Rheged at the top, with Tullie in Carlisle the best value. I've grouped them by area so you can pick something near where you're staying.
Windermere, Bowness and the south
Lakes Aquarium
At the southern tip of Windermere, this one is a proper half day. The aquarium says it opens at 10am daily, that under threes get in free, and that it does daily otter talks and feeding sessions at 11.45am and 2.30pm. Visit Lake District's listing adds one of the largest collections of UK freshwater fish, marine species from Morecambe Bay including rays and small sharks, and an underwater tunnel with diving ducks.
You can arrive by boat or by train, and there are combined tickets, which turns a wet day into an outing rather than a shuffle. There's a cafe and shop, baby changing and public toilets. Parking is paid.
My advice: get there for the 11.45 otter talk. Later slots are busier and the otters, understandably, do not care about your schedule.
- Good for
- Ages 2 to 10, otter-mad children, a half day
- Parking
- Paid parking at Lakeside, LA12 8AS
- Toilets/buggies
- Baby changing and public toilets; check the site for buggy access
- Check first
- Ticket prices and combined boat or train deals; otter talk times
Lakeland Motor Museum
A converted mill near the southern end of Windermere with about 30,000 exhibits from the 20th century: vintage cars, motorbikes, bicycles and shop recreations, plus a 1930s garage and a Campbell Bluebird exhibition about Sir Malcolm and Donald Campbell. Open every day from 9.30am, with last entry at 4.30pm, according to the museum.
It has a riverside cafe and shop, and you can book online or just turn up. There are combined tickets with Windermere Lake Cruises, usable within five days. It's closed on Christmas Day and from 11 to 15 January 2027.
I'd say it suits car-mad six to ten year olds and anyone who likes a proper rummage through the past. Very small children may wander off.
- Good for
- Car and vehicle fans, ages 5 and up, rainy afternoons
- Parking
- Check the museum site for current parking details
- Toilets/buggies
- Converted mill with a cafe and shop; check the site for access
- Check first
- Ticket prices; the January 2027 closure
The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
Crag Brow, LA23 3BX. The Visit Lake District listing says it has 3D scenes recreating all 23 Beatrix Potter tales with sights, sounds and smells, and there's a Peter Rabbit Garden, activity booklets for children, and under twos go free. The official opening hours are daily 10am to 4.30pm, and the Peter Rabbit Cafe runs 10.30am to 3.30pm.
The site encourages pre-booking, and in wet school holidays I'd do it. Access from Crag Brow is by a sloping ramp, and pushchairs are fine. The sat nav postcode for parking is LA23 3BZ, and Bowness parking is tight, so think about the train to Windermere and a bus.
It's closed for maintenance from 11 to 31 January 2027, so plan around that.
- Good for
- Under 8s, Peter Rabbit fans
- Parking
- Sat nav for parking LA23 3BZ; Bowness car parks fill early in holidays
- Toilets/buggies
- Ramp access from Crag Brow; baby changing and toilets on site
- Check first
- Pre-book online; January 2027 closure
Windermere Jetty Museum
A museum of Windermere's boating history, from steam launches to modern craft, with a cafe overlooking the lake. The cafe's page lists baby changing, a step-free entrance, accessible parking within 50 metres and a picnic area. Autumn and winter opening (1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027) is Tuesday to Sunday.
It's quieter than the attractions on the Bowness front, and it's a calm choice for a child who likes boats and doesn't like crowds. I couldn't load the museum's own admission page, so check ticket prices and what's on before you go.
- Good for
- Boat fans, calmer wet days, step-free access
- Parking
- Accessible parking within 50m per the venue
- Toilets/buggies
- Step-free entrance, baby changing
- Check first
- Admission price and winter opening days; kitchen closes at 3pm
Keswick and the north
Derwent Pencil Museum
The Pencil Museum says it has the world's longest coloured pencil and a Secret Pencil Exhibition about escape pencils used by RAF pilots in the Second World War. There's a Kids Art Studio and craft workshops, and a riverside cafe with views of Catbells. Opening is 9.30am to 4.30pm, and dogs are welcome.
At the time of writing, children under 16 are 3.50 pounds and under fives are free. That's good value for a wet morning in Keswick, and it's small enough that a bored child won't get lost. Expect a queue in the school holidays, and also expect to buy a pencil.
- Good for
- Ages 3 to 10, crafty children, cheap rainy mornings
- Parking
- Check the museum for directions; Keswick parking is tight
- Toilets/buggies
- Cafe on site; dogs welcome
- Check first
- Current prices and workshop times
Keswick Museum
Station Road, CA12 4NF, in Fitz Park. Open daily 10am to 4pm (last admission 3.30pm), with a cafe called Cafe West, a shop and a community gallery. The museum is a Kids in Museums partner and has family activities and events.
It's a smaller, quieter option than the pencil museum. If the rain eases, Fitz Park and the Keswick to Threlkeld railway path are right next door, so you can sprint outside between showers.
- Good for
- A quiet hour, local history, drying off
- Parking
- Not stated on the site; check before you go
- Toilets/buggies
- Accessibility services and cafe on site
- Check first
- Admission prices and family activity dates
Rheged
The most obviously kid-shaped rainy day option in the north. There's an indoor play area for children under 137cm (with a zone for under fives), a mini world of slides, tunnels, tents and a ball pool. You must book, sessions last an hour, and the official page is clear that the outdoor play area is permanently closed.
The cafe has a kids' menu from 9am to 5pm, the toyshop is open 9.30am to 5pm, and the centre says parking is free for up to five hours. The play area is open 9.30am to 4pm on weekdays (closed 12.30 to 1pm) and 9.30am to 4.30pm at weekends and in school holidays.
As it's on the edge of the northern Lakes near Penrith, it's a good stop on the way in or out.
- Good for
- Under 8s, wet school holidays
- Parking
- Free under 5 hours, register plate for longer
- Toilets/buggies
- Indoor centre; check the site for access
- Check first
- Book the indoor play slot in advance
Carlisle and the border
Tullie
My local, and easily the best value on this page: children and young people under 18 get in free, while adult day tickets are 8.50 pounds at the time of writing. It's open Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm.
The honest bit: the Border Galleries closed on 23 February 2026 for a major renovation, with reopening aimed for summer 2027, and the Costume Gallery and Wildlife Dome are also shut. The Roman Frontier Gallery, the Exhibition Gallery, the Carlisle Gallery and old Tullie House are open. There's a cafe with a four pound kids' box, and no museum car park, so use Castle car park on Devonshire Walk (CA3 8AN).
- Good for
- Under 18s go free, Roman fans, city days
- Parking
- No museum car park; Castle car park, Devonshire Walk, CA3 8AN
- Toilets/buggies
- Museum with cafe; check the access page
- Check first
- Which galleries are open; Border Galleries closed until summer 2027
Carlisle Castle
Half indoor, half not, so only a decent option in a light drizzle. English Heritage lists opening daily 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4.30pm. There's a World Builder Challenge Trail for children, a dressing-up basket in the Warden's Apartments, and Cumbria's Museum of Military Life in the grounds.
Pushchairs are allowed but the stairs are a challenge, and parking at the castle is for disabled visitors only, so use a city centre car park. The cafe in the museum is open April to October, and dogs on leads are welcome outside.
- Good for
- Castle-mad children, drizzly days
- Parking
- Castle parking for disabled visitors only
- Toilets/buggies
- Toilets on site; stairs difficult for pushchairs
- Check first
- Ticket prices (15 percent off when booked online); weather
Carlisle Market Hall
Not an attraction as such, but a covered Victorian market open Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm, with stalls from fresh meat and vegetables to florists, cards and several cafes. It's a warm dry place to wander for half an hour, and a good spot for a bacon roll before somewhere more structured.
It's in the city centre, so it pairs easily with Tullie and the castle on a wet day.
- Good for
- Warm cheap browse, food, tea
- Parking
- Not stated; use a city centre car park
- Toilets/buggies
- Check with the council
- Check first
- Market days and stall hours
Two things that have shut
The Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry in Kendal is currently closed for redevelopment, with no reopening date announced, according to Visit Kendal. And Keswick Town Council's page lists Keswick Leisure Pool as now permanently closed. Older guides, including some that still rank well on Google, will send you to both. I don't know the reasons and I'm not going to guess, so check before you drive.
The best rainy day plan I know is one indoor thing before lunch, a cafe, and then a proper walk in waterproofs, because a child in a puddle is a child who's stopped asking for a screen.
How to survive a wet day in the Lakes
- Go early. Doors at 10am means be in the car park at 9.45am, not 11.
- Pre-book where you can. Rheged's indoor play needs it, and Beatrix Potter encourages it.
- Combine a boat or train with a museum, because combined tickets exist at the Aquarium and the Motor Museum.
- Carry a dry bag for spares, since damp children turn quickly.
- Have a free option in reserve, like Tullie for under 18s or Carlisle Cathedral, where entry is free according to its own website.
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Questions people ask
What are the best rainy day activities in the Lake District for kids?
The Lakes Aquarium, the Lakeland Motor Museum, the World of Beatrix Potter, the Pencil Museum in Keswick and Rheged near Penrith are the main ones. Tullie in Carlisle is free for under 18s.
Do I need to book rainy day attractions in the Lake District?
For some, yes. Rheged's indoor play area must be booked in advance, and the World of Beatrix Potter encourages pre-booking. The Motor Museum lets you book online or turn up.
Is Keswick Leisure Pool still open?
Keswick Town Council's website lists it as permanently closed. Check with the council before planning a swim.
Is the Museum of Lakeland Life in Kendal open?
Visit Kendal says it is closed for redevelopment, with no reopening date announced at the time of writing.
Are there free rainy day activities near Carlisle?
Tullie is free for under 18s, Carlisle Cathedral has free entry, and Carlisle Market Hall is free to wander.
What is the cheapest rainy day option in Keswick?
The Pencil Museum, at 3.50 pounds for under 16s and free for under fives at the time of writing, is one of the cheaper choices. Confirm prices on their site.
Sources and further reading
Facts checked against these pages on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
- Lakes Aquarium
- Lakes Aquarium, Visit Lake District
- Lakeland Motor Museum
- World of Beatrix Potter Attraction opening times
- World of Beatrix Potter Attraction visiting us
- World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, Visit Lake District
- Cafe at Windermere Jetty Museum, Visit Lake District
- Derwent Pencil Museum
- Keswick Museum
- Rheged families
- Tullie visit information
- Tullie galleries
- Carlisle Castle, English Heritage
- Carlisle Castle facilities, English Heritage
- Carlisle Market Hall, Cumberland Council
- Carlisle Cathedral visit
- Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, Visit Kendal
- Keswick Leisure Pool, Keswick Town Council
