Family-Friendly Exeter: The Best Things to Do With Kids

Exeter Is a Brilliant City for Families — If You Know Where to Look

Here's something nobody warns you about when you become a parent: your social world contracts dramatically. The friends without kids drift away. The friends with kids are just as exhausted as you are. And the activities that used to define your weekends — the long brunches, the spontaneous pub trips, the lazy Saturday mornings — get replaced by soft play, snack negotiations, and the eternal question: "What are we going to do today?"

If you're raising children in Exeter, the good news is that you're in one of the best cities in the South West for family life. It's compact, safe, surrounded by countryside and coast, and packed with things to do — many of them free or very affordable. The less obvious news is that these activities aren't just about keeping the kids entertained. They're about keeping you connected. Parenting can be isolating, and the places you take your children become the places where you meet other parents, build friendships, and slowly reconstruct a social life that works around nap times and school runs.

This guide covers the best family-friendly activities in and around Exeter — from free museums and waterside adventures to forest trails and theme parks. But it's also a guide to getting out of the house, meeting people, and remembering that you're a person as well as a parent.

Free Days Out

RAMM (Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery)

The RAMM on Queen Street is one of Exeter's greatest treasures, and it's completely free to enter. For families, it's superb. The collections span natural history, world cultures, archaeology, and fine art, and the museum has put real thought into making the experience work for children of all ages.

For little ones, the Beastie Bags are a stroke of genius — free bags you can borrow from reception, each themed around a different animal (giraffe, owl, monkey, or ladybird), containing a costume to dress up in, a hand puppet, a magnifying glass, binoculars, and ideas for exploring the galleries. The World Cultures gallery has a dedicated family-friendly area with books and a creative postcard-making section.

Older children will enjoy the interactive elements dotted throughout: dressing up as a Romano-Briton, building a Roman mosaic, inspecting insects up close, or discovering the Devon Longhouse with its carved wooden animals. The museum also runs a busy programme of family events throughout the year, including creative workshops and holiday activities.

It's the kind of place you can visit for an hour or spend a whole morning. And the café is perfectly fine for a coffee and a sit-down while the children explore.

Exeter Cathedral and Green

Exeter Cathedral is stunning — one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in England — and the Cathedral Green in front of it is one of the best free spaces in the city for families. On a dry day, it's perfect for a picnic, a run-around, or simply sitting on the grass while the children burn off energy. The green is flat, enclosed enough to feel safe, and right in the heart of the city.

Inside the cathedral, there are occasional family-friendly events and workshops, and the building itself is impressive enough to hold the attention of older children — particularly the astronomical clock and the longest uninterrupted Gothic vaulted ceiling in the world.

Red Coat Guided Tours

Exeter's free Red Coat Guided Tours are led by trained volunteers and run throughout the year. They cover the city's Roman, medieval, and Georgian history, and while they're not specifically designed for children, older kids who enjoy history will find them fascinating. It's a great way to learn about the city you live in — and you'll discover corners of Exeter you never knew existed.

Exeter Underground Passages

The Underground Passages are one of Exeter's most unique family attractions — and Exeter is the only city in the UK with passages of this type. Built in the medieval period to bring clean drinking water from natural springs into the walled city through lead pipes, the narrow, atmospheric tunnels sit beneath the streets of the modern city centre.

Guided tours run Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm (last tour at 3pm), with extended summer holiday hours. Children aged five and up can join the tours — which are genuinely exciting for kids who enjoy a touch of adventure and mild spookiness. Under-fives are not permitted underground but can access the free exhibition with an accompanying adult. The passages are narrow and low in places, so this is not one for anyone who struggles with tight spaces, but for older children it is an unforgettable experience.

Where: Paris Street, Princesshay Quarter. Booking: Online booking available via the Exeter City Council website. Tip: Arrive at least 15 minutes before your tour, and wear sensible shoes.

Exeter Quay and the Canal

The Quayside is one of Exeter's most family-friendly areas, and a morning or afternoon here can fill itself without much planning. The flat, wide paths along the River Exe and Exeter Ship Canal are perfect for cycling, scooting, and strolling with buggies, and there are several waterside pubs and cafés for refuelling stops.

Water Activities

Saddles & Paddles on the Quay hires out canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and bicycles. For families with older children, paddling down the canal to the Double Locks pub — which has its own playground and a big garden — is a genuinely memorable Exeter experience. You can also cycle the flat canal path from the Quay down towards Turf Locks and the Exe Estuary.

Climbing

The Quay Climbing Centre is the South West's largest climbing wall, with over 200 routes. Children aged four and up can try the Clip 'n Climb experience, which is designed for beginners and supervised throughout. It's a fantastic activity for families, and the kind of thing children will want to come back to again and again.

Free Holiday Activities

During school holidays, the Transit Shed and Piazza on the Quay host free family activities every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday — from wool weaving and boat building to circus skills, puppetry, and music making. These are genuinely well-run, creative sessions that give children something to do and give parents a chance to chat.

Theme Parks and Big Days Out

Crealy Theme Park and Resort

Crealy is Devon's biggest family theme park, and it's just minutes from junction 30 of the M5. With over 60 rides and attractions spread across 100 acres, it caters for everyone from toddlers to grandparents. There are roller coasters for older children, gentler rides for little ones, over 200 farm and zoo animals, live shows, and 75,000 square feet of indoor play — including the Adventure Zone, one of Devon's largest indoor soft play areas.

It's a full-day commitment, and it's not cheap, but if you're looking for a proper day out that the children will talk about for weeks, Crealy delivers. They also offer holiday accommodation if you want to extend the experience.

Killerton (National Trust)

Killerton is one of the National Trust's finest Devon properties, and it's just seven miles north-east of Exeter. The estate covers an extraordinary 6,400 acres, with an 18th-century house, stunning gardens, and enough space for children to run until they drop.

Family-specific highlights include the interactive play trail (where children can build a gate, plant a tree, pollinate an orchard, and follow in the footsteps of Killerton's Rangers), a natural play area, den-building spots, and the Volcano Explorer Challenge. The gardens are buggy-friendly, and the Stables Coffee Shop is a good place to recharge.

If you have a National Trust membership, Killerton alone will justify the annual fee. Open every day, no booking required.

Haldon Forest and Go Ape

Haldon Forest Park is about 30 minutes from Exeter and offers 3,500 acres of woodland with walking trails, cycling routes, a children's play area, and a café.

The headline attraction for families is Go Ape, which offers two experiences: the Treetop Adventure (for ages 4-10, minimum height 1 metre) is a one-hour entry-level course perfect for younger children, while the Treetop Challenge (ages 10+, minimum height 1.4 metres) is a more demanding 2-3 hour self-guided experience through the forest canopy, finishing with a 230-metre zip line.

Even without Go Ape, Haldon Forest is worth a visit. The walking trails range from gentle strolls to proper hikes, and the mountain bike trails are excellent for older children and teenagers.

Indoor Options for Rainy Days

Devon weather is beautiful when it cooperates and thoroughly uncooperative when it doesn't. Here are the indoor options worth knowing about.

Soft Play

iPlay Exeter has multi-level soft play areas designed specifically for different age groups, including dedicated zones for babies and toddlers up to three years old. The rainforest café means parents can sit with a coffee and a panoramic view of the play area.

Wonderland Play on Ashton Road in Marsh Barton offers climbing frames, slides, ball pools, and football courts for children under 13, with bookable two-hour sessions.

Little Exeter is specifically for under-sevens and accompanying adults, with a more intimate feel — entrance is just four pounds per child and three pounds per adult.

For something slightly different, Planet Play in nearby Crediton is an award-winning indoor soft play centre with a café, created for families with children aged 0-11.

Swimming

St Sidwell's Point is Exeter's flagship leisure centre, opened in recent years, and it's a genuinely impressive facility. The confidence pool is perfect for very young children — it gradually slopes from 0 to 0.12 metres deep, with interactive lighting and bubble seating. There's also a 25-metre main pool with a moveable floor, a gym, group exercise studios, a café, and even a rooftop spa for the adults.

Riverside Leisure Centre offers a 25-metre pool, a learner pool, and a gym. It's a slightly more traditional option but well-maintained and family-friendly.

For an upgrade, Exeter Golf and Country Club has the only year-round outdoor heated swimming pool in Exeter, alongside an indoor pool and family fun sessions at weekends and during holidays.

Boat Trips on the Exe Estuary

Stuart Line Cruises has been running boat trips from the Exe Estuary since 1968, and their River Exe Cruise is one of the best family-friendly activities in the area. The 75-minute tour takes you past the historic Powderham Estate, the village of Starcross, and sandbanks that are home to thousands of birds and local seals.

The water is calm, the boats have heated lower decks with panoramic windows for wet days, and the trip is a perfect length for shorter attention spans. Dogs on leads are welcome free of charge, and children love watching the other boats and spotting wildlife.

They also run trips along the Jurassic Coast, to Topsham, and special event cruises throughout the year. Sailings depart from Exmouth and Exeter — check their website for dates and times.

Parent-Friendly Cafés and Social Groups

Cafés That Get It

Not all cafés welcome families, and finding the ones that do makes a real difference. The Cowick Barton has a garden with a small play area and a treehouse. The Twisted Oak is a family-friendly pub with an outdoor play area featuring slides, climbing frames, and tunnels, plus high chairs and booster seats inside.

For something more targeted, Little Exeter doubles as a play café for under-sevens, and the cafés at RAMM, Killerton, and Haldon Forest are all set up for families.

Toddler Groups

For a full overview of family events and seasonal activities, the Visit Exeter family events page is kept up to date throughout the year and is worth bookmarking.

Stay & Play at Riverside Church meets every Friday during term time from 10am to noon — just a two-pound donation per family, which covers coffee, cake, craft, and snacks.

Bounce and Rhythm at Exeter Library runs twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it's free to join. The library café is a great place to linger afterwards for a coffee and a chat with other parents.

The Baby Room in Exeter city centre offers groups, meetups, and resources every day including Saturdays — it's one of the most comprehensive parent-and-baby resources in the city.

Westpoint Exeter

Westpoint is Exeter's major events venue, and throughout the year it hosts family-friendly shows, fairs, and seasonal events. Their winter Icescape event transforms the main arena into an ice rink with space for up to 400 skaters per session, including dedicated Parent & Toddler sessions where under-fives skate free with a paying adult, and quiet sessions with reduced capacity and no music for families who prefer a calmer experience.

Keep an eye on their events calendar — markets, craft fairs, and family shows rotate throughout the year.

The Social Side of Family Life

Here's the thing that nobody tells you about parenting: the activities you do with your children are also the activities that connect you with other adults. The parents you meet at soft play, at swimming lessons, at toddler groups, at the school gate — they become your community. And in a city like Exeter, where the scale is manageable and you keep bumping into the same people, those connections can develop into genuine friendships.

But it takes effort, and it takes consistency. Going to one toddler group once won't change anything. Going every week for a month might. If making friends after 30 feels hard, adding small children into the mix doesn't make it easier — but it does give you a built-in reason to be in the same room as other people on a regular basis.

And when you do manage a night off — when the babysitter is booked and you've got a few hours to yourself — Exeter has plenty to offer. Our guide to the best social clubs in Exeter covers everything from dining groups to adventure clubs, for those evenings when you want to be an adult in adult company. If you are looking for a proper date night away from the kids, we have a dedicated guide for that too.

Family-Friendly Cafes and Restaurants Worth Knowing

Beyond the attractions, knowing where to eat with children without feeling unwelcome makes a huge difference to any family day out. The best brunch spots in Exeter include several that are genuinely set up for families, and the cafes at RAMM, Killerton, and Haldon Forest are all reliable options.

For something a bit special, the quayside has several family-friendly restaurants. On The Waterfront serves enormous wood-fired pizzas in a former warehouse with a heated outdoor terrace — children love watching the boats on the river. The Double Locks, accessible by a flat walk along the canal, has a playground in its enormous beer garden and serves home-cooked food all day.

If your children are old enough to enjoy something more adventurous, the Exeter Cookery School on the Quayside runs children's cooking classes that are genuinely well done — proper hands-on sessions in a purpose-built kitchen. It makes a brilliant birthday party alternative or a weekend activity for budding chefs.

For a treat with younger ones, exploring the bakeries of Exeter is a reliable crowd-pleaser. The Exploding Bakery near Exeter Central Station does legendary cakes, and Devon Coffee on Queen Street is cosy enough that a spilled juice is met with a smile rather than a sigh.