Families

Whether you’re popping in for a quick visit or a full day, a day out at The MERL can entertain, engage and educate the whole family, from toddlers to grandparents.

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See and do

Discover the galleries

Visit The MERL galleries and explore life in the countryside past and present. Enjoy fun hands-on activities and interactives, free trails suitable for children of all ages, and seasonal family activity packs available in our shop.

Explore the garden

The MERL garden is a safe, enclosed environment for children to play in and explore. Our garden trails are designed to help families explore the garden. Pick up a copy and head outside!

There’s also a shepherd’s hut full of knitted toys, a wooden play-on tractor and a chicken coop.

You are very welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy it on our lawn or on one of our picnic benches.

Treat yourself at The MERL café

Our café stocks a range of hot and cold drinks, delicious cakes, sandwiches, snacks and Jude’s ice-creams and soup. As well as indoor seating, there are plenty of tables on the patio or picnic benches on the lawn, which are now equipped with parasols.

Visit after-school

Did you know that The MERL galleries, garden, shop and café are open until 5pm, so there’s time for an after-school visit? Enjoy some quiet time in the galleries, or the kids can let off steam in the garden!

Maybe you can walk from a local school, but if not, you’ll find easy parking in our free car park at the front of the museum!

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Programme

We run events for families with children of all ages throughout the year, inspired by the themes of our collections.

School holidays at The MERL

For details of activities for all the family during the holidays, check out our What’s On page to discover events and activities on offer over the school holidays.

Friday Fledglings

Friday Fledglings is an outdoor learning session for preschoolers in our fantastic urban garden, which runs every Friday during term time. Run by Charlotte, a local teacher and Level 3 Forest Leader, Fledglings sessions focus on outdoor play and exploration of the natural environment involving story-telling, craft activities and singing.

Green Explorers

Green Explorers is a monthly outdoor learning session for children aged 5+ to experience nature and build their outdoor skills. Each session is themed around the museum collections and the changing seasons. Check the What’s On to see when the next Green Explorers session is taking place.

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