Although Scotland has been my home for all my life, it’s only when I had children that I began properly exploring our home country! I don’t think I realised how many amazing family days out in Scotland there were! I have written lists of the best family day out in Central Scotland and also the best days out for teens in Scotland. However, I thought it was time for me to collate all these great family days out with a Scotland wide article.
So whether you are travelling up the West coast and visiting the islands, or the East to Edinburgh and Fife, there is something for all the family to enjoy with days out, Scotland!
Looking for some more Scottish inspiration? Read this post with over 10 awesome Scottish itineraries!
Table of Contents
Southern Scotland: Family Days Out In Scotland
I always find it strange that people seem to bypass the South of Scotland and head straight to Edinburgh or the Highlands. Southern Scotland has lots of fantastic gems to explore and you will probably find it a lot quieter too, with most people going further North! So let’s celebrate East Lothian, the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway and visit some of their fantastic attractions in Scotland for families!
Are you still planning your trip to Scotland? Check out this post with the best road trip stops with kids!
National Museum of Flight – Days Out Scotland
Based on a Second World War airfield, it’s easy to imagine war planes flying overhead. The old hangars are all still in place, filled with all sort of flight related activities. The largest hangar holds a Concord airplane. You can even climb up the steps onboard to explore the plane! Other exciting parts the whole family will enjoy are the interactive activities in the other main hangar. It’s very educational, but also a lot of fun! Don’t miss all the planes outside too, a must visit for aircraft fans! The National Museum of Flight also has various events on throughout the school holidays.
Dino Park – Family Days Out In Scotland
If you have young dinosaur fans you are going to want to take them to Dino Park. Just 7 miles from Dumfries, this dinosaur themed adventure park has both an indoor soft play and outdoor play area. There are many different dinosaurs to spot outdoors, from Velociraptors to the T-Rex! Enjoy the treehouse play area, dig for fossils, take a walk through the Dino mine and listen stories in the Dino Den. Definitely a hit for visitors to Dumfries & Galloway.
Culzean Castle Country Park
Across on the West coast of Ayrshire you will find the opulent 18th century Culzean Castle Country Park. The castle itself is rather majestic, however younger visitors will particularly enjoy exploring the adventure parks of Adventure Cove and Wild Woodland. Don’t miss the 260ha estate, I have some happy memories of beach combing for agate along the beaches by Culzean.
Central Scotland: Family Days Out In Scotland
The densely populated central belt has the most attractions available for families in Scotland. Well visited by locals as well as tourists, you will find that they are very busy during school holidays. If you can visit outwith school holidays then it will be much more enjoyable as a visitor! With the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh included in this area, you will find plenty to do, plus it’s only an hour train journey between the two main cities. An easy trip for family days out in Scotland.
Edinburgh Castle – Days Out Scotland
The jewel of the Scottish attractions, Edinburgh Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Scotland. It’s the home to the Scottish Honours (Scottish Crown Jewels), which you can see displayed within the castle. If it’s your first time visiting aim to be on the gun platform for 1pm, when you can hear the 1 O’Clock gun firing. This has been fired at the same time every day (except Sundays and Christmas Day) since 1861. Historically it was for ships in the Forth to set their clocks to the correct time, now it’s more for fun!
Read more about how to travel Scotland by train!
National Museum of Scotland – Family Days Out In Scotland
A short walk from the Royal Mile is the National Museum of Scotland. It’s one of the best museums in Scotland, filled with an extensive collection of antiquities, it’s going to keep everyone occupied for hours! The newest area with interactive activities is a huge hit with kids of all ages. Although children may also enjoy visiting the space section, with a real meteorite you can touch and the musical area, with instruments you can try out yourself! I’d definitely give it a few hours to explore.
Camera Obscura
The city of Edinburgh is not short of attractions for families. However, the Camera Obscura, just below Edinburgh Castle, is perfect to amaze children (and parents!) for an hour or so. With 5 floors of over 100 interactive exhibits, you can guarantee everyone will find something to interest them. Perfect for a rainy day in Edinburgh!
Deep Sea World – Days Out Scotland
Deep Sea World has been beneath the Forth Rail bridge in North Queensferry for as long as I can remember. It’s a great place for families to explore the underwater worlds from all over the world. You will find sea creatures from tropical seas to swamps and don’t miss the frog zone or seal harbour! Of course everyone’s favourite part is the underwater tunnel and you can go round it as many times as you like!
Edinburgh Zoo
I know people can be a bit iffy when it comes to zoos. But they are an important conservation resource. Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, whose main aim is to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030. This is a great aim to have and by visiting you will help to get them to that goal. Favourite animals for children to see at Edinburgh zoo are the Red Pandas, sloths, chimpanzees and tigers. But there is plenty more to see! Take your time walking up the hill, it is steep, or take advantage of the road train in the summer months.
Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens
On a beautiful summers day at the Royal Botanic Gardens you will be entranced by the colourful flowers! Children will also love running about the open spaces and exploring the stunning shell studded house. There is also a cafe and gift shop with plenty of kid friendly gifts. We’ve had some lovely relaxing days out, Scotland, in the gardens.
Dalkeith Country Park
A day out exploring the wonderful Dalkeith Country Park is a must if you have your own transport. It’s a little way out from Edinburgh, but worth a visit for Fort George, it’s excellent adventure play park. Plus for older children there is a Go Ape in the woodland, with a variety of challenges and obstacles, including a zip wire or two! This will definitely be one of the best things you can do with kids near Edinburgh. Don’t miss the delicious food at the cafe and the variety of delightful walks around the parkland.
Blair Drummond Safari Park – Days Out Scotland
Ready to meet the animals?! Blair Drummond safari park is the place to go! Just outside Stirling you can drive your car through a variety of enclosures, including lions, monkeys and rhinos. Then explore the rest of the safari park on foot. This is one of Central Scotland’s best places for a fantastic day out with the kids. It’s best to visit the big slide and adventure playground with pirate ship first. That way you can stop the kids from asking when they can go to the play park! They will love spotting the tigers, meeting meerkats and giraffes, walking with the lemurs and seeing the leaf cutter ants. Plus they have a dinosaur area to explore, peddle boats and BBQ’s to cook your own lunch on! Little adventurers will love it!
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Scotland’s most accessible National Park is just a short drive from Glasgow. It’s a wide area, so you will have to narrow down your plans! You can hike up Ben Lomond or Conic Hill for a shorter climb. Take a boat trip out onto Loch Lomond and visit the islands or simply have a picnic on the shores. This Scottish National Park stretches quite far, including lots of other great walks around Loch Katrine and Loch Venachar, you are really spoilt for choice!
Stirling Castle – Days Out Scotland
One of Scotland’s most beautiful historic places, Stirling Castle is a must visit for adults and children of all ages. It’s a great way to learn about Scotland’s history and also for kids to try out various interactive activities and ask the actors in the palace questions. There is so much information that you will never get through it all in one go, but I certainly recommend you don’t miss the view from Queen Anne Garden, the interactive activities in the vaults below the palace, the actors in the palace itself, the Stirling Heads and the wall walks. It’s definitely one of the great days out in Scotland!
The Wallace Monument
You need to have a head for heights as you climb the spiral staircase of 246 steps to the crown of the Wallace Monument! Don’t worry, there are 3 rooms to stop at on the way up for a breather. Learn about Wallace and Moray, the Battle of Stirling bridge, plus the hall of Scottish heroes and make yourself a digital shield! Children will love all this, plus the view from the top of the tower! Don’t miss the sculpture trail in the woodlands walking up (or back down to the car park). You will also find an excellent cafe just beside the car park too!
Glasgow Science Centre – Family Days Out In Scotland
It will take an entire day to explore the whole of the Glasgow Science Centre. With hundreds of different exhibits it’s a perfect family day out. Explore the hands-on exhibits, find out fascinating facts in the body worlds section, learn all about space in the planetarium and how energy works on the top floor! Don’t miss the science shows, the Glasgow tower or the outdoor exhibits! There is also a great cafe, gift shop and even an IMAX theatre.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
Located beside the Kelvingrove park, which also has a great kids play park, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is excellent for families. It’s free to enter, which makes it perfect for a family attraction. With 22 different galleries the kids will have so much fun exploring. There are often different events or special exhibitions on, so do check out the website before visiting.
The Burrell Collection – Days Out Scotland
Another Glasgow museum, the Burrell Collection opened in 1983, but recently had a 68 million pound renovation, reopening in 2022. This renovation was completely worth it and the collection of over 9000 objects is displayed and easily accessible manner. There are plenty of interactive exhibits that the kids will love, and adults too. It’s definitely worth a trip out of the city centre to visit. It’s now one of the best museums in Scotland for families and did I mention it was also FREE?!
Riverside Museum and Tall Ship
Transport loving children will be excited to enter this free Scottish museum. It’s filled to the rafters (quite literally!) with cars, bikes, huge trains, tram and buses! Plus an excellent display of model ships. There are plenty of interesting exhibits, interactive displays and even a cobbled street with life size horse and cart. Don’t miss the tall ship, Glenlee, just outside the Riverside Museum.
M&D’s Scotland’s Theme Park
Kids definitely need some downtime whilst on holiday. As much as we love visiting museums, they also enjoy a great theme park! Scotland doesn’t have many theme parks, but M&D’s, just off the M74 will surely keep the kids happy for an afternoon. This busy leisure facility has everything from theme park rides, ten pin bowling, adventure golf and a tropical house of animals to visit. Plus plenty of eateries too. One of the best days out, Scotland, for thrill seekers.
Auchingarrich Wildlife and Adventure Park
Experience the best of both worlds with an awesome family day out in Southern Perthshire. Just 30 minutes from Stirling is Auchingarrich. A haven for wildlife, from emu’s and wallabies to the endangered Scottish wildcat. There is also a variety of play equipment from soft play to an outdoor play park.
Read more about Auchingarrich at this blog post here.
For more Central Scotland family attractions, check out this post!
West Coast and Islands: Family Days Out In Scotland
The West coast of Scotland and its islands are stunning, with turquoise seas and white sands. Yes, the weather might be chilly for part of the year, but in the summer you can still enjoy some amazing days out here. There is everything from puffins and basking sharks, to history and beaches. You can’t see the whole area in one visit, so it’s best to focus on 1 or 2 small areas instead.
Dinosaur Footprints – Days Out Scotland
The Isle of Skye is a popular tourist destination in the summer. If you can visit in the shoulder seasons, then it will be much quieter. May and September are the 2 driest and often warmest months in Scotland. Kids who are interested in dinosaurs will definitely want to hunt the dinosaur footprints at An Corran shoreline, near the village of Staffin. The 3-toed prints in the rock are from a dinosaur known as Ornithopods, two legged herbivores. There’s a great information panel at the car park above the shore.
Planning a few days on the Isle of Skye? Read this travel guide about Skye and it’s hidden gems!
Passenger Ferry To Small Isles
This may not be something that sounds like a fun family day out. But this was one of our favourite activities when camping near Arisaig in Scotland. Book tickets for the passenger ferry from Arisaig to Eigg or Muck. During the summer it’s one of the best ways to see Minke whales, dolphins and porpoises. You can have around 3-5 hours on an island (depending on which one you visit!) before heading back on the ferry. It’s an excellent way to see these small isles, and also lots of marine life in the surrounding seas.
East Coast: Family Days Out In Scotland
The East coast of Scotland is another area people seem to bypass on the way North to Inverness. Yet it’s filled with gorgeous coastlines, beautiful castles and lots of fun family friendly activities. I’m considering the East coast anything North of Edinburgh all the way up Aberdeenshire.
RRS Discovery – Days Out Scotland
The RRS Discovery is now an award winning visitor attraction. However, this now famous ship was built in Dundee and taken on Captain Scott’s Antarctica scientific expedition. Children will love all the interactive areas in the visitor centre, but especially the Discovery itself! It’s a fun ship to spend a day exploring.
Aberdeen Science Centre – Family Days Out In Scotland
Aberdeen may be known as the Granite city, but it actually has lot to offer families. One of our favourite places for kids is the Aberdeen Science Centre. This is much smaller than Glasgow, but is packed with lots of great activities. You get to choose a morning or afternoon 3-hour slot and you can easily spend that entire time exploring, plus there’s a great cafe to visit too. When you’re finished why not head down to the nearby beach or over to the Maritime Museum if it’s wet.
St Andrews Aquarium
A family owned business since 1999, St Andrew’s Aquarium is considered one of the best aquariums in the UK. With over 120 species on display every day, you will enjoy meeting each and every one! Don’t miss the shark and ray feeding or you can even book a penguin feeding experience! There was some storm damage to the seal enclosure in 2023, so it may be another year until this can be fixed and the seals return.
Scottish Highlands: Family Days Out In Scotland
Family days out, Scotland would not be complete without looking at a few of the amazing attractions in the Highlands. Although things can be more spread out here, you will find that Aviemore is a good place to base yourself for a family holiday. Or why not Lairg, then you can explore a lot of the NC500 from one place?
Highland Wildlife Park – Days Out Scotland
A short distance from Aviemore is the Highland Wildlife Park, in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a fantastic wildlife park that really does require a car, there’s a large drive around section of the park, which is one of the best ways to see the polar bears. As a wildlife conservation charity you will find information about how the park is helping animal conservation. From Japanese Macaques to the Grey Wolf, there are lots of animals for the family to see.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
Harry Potter fans will know the Glenfinnan Viaduct from the films, however it’s always been an exciting attraction. There is limited parking here, so if you would like to watch the Jacobite Steam Train travel over the viaduct, then you will need to arrive early! The National Trust for Scotland do also offer discounts for getting here by train instead. It’s amazing to see and both adults and kids love to watch. Don’t miss visiting the visitor centre and Glenfinnan monument too.
Landmark Forest Adventure Park – Family Days Out In Scotland
Another treat near Aviemore for families! The Landmark Forest Adventure Park easily has a full day of activities for children. In winter some sections (such as the wild water coasters) are closed, but you can still visit the rest of the park. The Networx bouncy nets will always be a huge hit, along with the Labyrinth (don’t get wet!) and the Bamboozeleum. Dinosaur loving younger children will also enjoy the Dinosaur Kingdom section and the fantastic warm butterfly house.
Read more about Aviemore with our 7 day Aviemore itinerary.
North West Highlands Geopark
The North West Highlands Geopark may not be considered a family attraction, however it’s actually a lot of fun to explore as a family. Two places I would highly recommend are the Knockan Crag interpretative trail and the walk up to the bone caves (take a torch!). There are lots of other stops along the way, most have sign posts with more information, many right beside the road!
Loch Ness
Everyone loves the idea of Nessie, is she real or is she a myth? If you need some more evidence, why not visit Loch Ness? A boat trip out on the loch to search for Nessie, or visit the Loch Ness Centre to get the facts about Nessie! You can also pop into Urqhuart Castle to find out more about the history of the area too. It’s a popular tourist destination, so do expect it to be busy in the summer season.
Northern Islands: Family Days Out In Scotland
The Northern Islands consist of the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. It’s possible to visit Lerwick and Orkney from Aberdeen by an overnight ferry, or Orkney from near Thurso on the North Coast. Both archipelagos are jam packed with outdoor activities, from standing stones and wildlife to beaches and visitor centres. If you can’t pick which to visit, why not fit both into one trip? Get the Aberdeen to Lerwick ferry and the take the Lerwick to Kirkwall ferry on the way back?
Looking to visit the Northern Isles? Read more about where to visit on Orkney with kids here or Shetland Isles with kids here!
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn – Days Out Scotland
In Orkney I highly recommend a visit to Maeshowe with older children. Younger kids may be less interested in the tour, so only take them if you have a good way to occupy them! The chambered cairn of Maeshowe is a great place to learn about how Neolithic people engineered the building, including two massive megalithic sized stones for the entrance tunnel. Its importance is at winter solstice when the entrance tunnel lines up with the setting sun. Don’t miss the Norse runes too, ancient graffiti!
Isle of Hoy
The island of Hoy is accessible from Stromness on Orkney mainland. Take the ferry across for a day to explore this wonderful island. Little kids will love visiting the Dwarfie Stane and Rackwick Bay beach. Older kids may enjoy a walk up to see Old Man of Hoy seastack or the Scapa Flow visitor centre.
Jarlshof
On Shetland you will want to visit Jarlshof. Only a 30 minute journey from the main town of Lerwick, it’s an excellent introduction to the history of the Shetland islands. There are ancient house from prehistoric times all the way through to the Iron Age and Norse. With the most recent building be a 16th century farmhouse. It’s amazing how much history there is here. Make sure the kids have audio headsets to understand everything and also visit the small but interesting visitor centre for dressing up and hands-on activities.
Sumburgh Head Lighthouse – Family Days Out In Scotland
Just along the headland from Jarlshof is Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse is now automatic, but you can learn about its history from when it was manned by keepers. Their families would stay in the lighthouse cottages on site and it would have been a great childhood up there! Sumburgh has created some interesting exhibitions about wildlife too and discuss the problems they’re facing as well as ecology. Don’t miss the puffins in the spring and early summer, they are just over the wall on the grass!
Other Great Family Days Out In Scotland
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