There are many fine Cotswold gardens, one of the National Trust’s most famous gardens – Hidcote Manor Garden is to be found here in the Cotswolds, but there are plenty of others to see whilst you’re here, ranging from the very well known to some that only open for just a few days a year.

Hidcote Manor Garden – One of England’s great gardens created as a series of rooms over a period of 41 years this was the first National Trust property acquired because of its garden.
Rococo Gardens – Famous for its display of snowdrops this garden lies just outside the beautiful town of Painswick.
Westbury Court Garden – A fine example of a Dutch water garden
Sezincote House and Garden – With pools and waterfalls and a grotto se to the backdrop of a house designed in the style of Rajastahn it’s easy to feel away from the rat race.
National Garden Scheme – Allows you to find which gardens are open near to you when you are visiting the area.  You’ll need the postcode of the property to use this facility.

There are many historic Cotswold houses, some well maintained or restored, and some still needing some tlc to bring them back to their former glory.  Of course the National Trust own many of them, but some are still in private hands.

Here is just a selection of places that you might like to visit whilst you’re here in The Cotswolds:

Chedworth Roman Villa Chedworth is the remains of one of the largest Romano-British villa in the country.
Sudeley Castle Famous for being the home of Katherine Parr, and now in private hands the public can visit the gardens grounds and exhibitions.
Blenheim Palace Lying to the NW of Oxford this world heritage site once home to Sir Winston Churchill offers visitors access to both the House and gardens with enough to keep everyone happy.
Snowshill Manor and Garden Well known as a collection of collections gathered by Charles Wade.  Be aware that tickets are limited at busy times.
Chastleton House One of England’s finest and most complete Jacobean Houses.  Admission is by timed ticket.

The area may be famous for its quaint Cotswold cottages made of honey coloured stone surrounded by rolling hills, but there’s plenty for children to do as well.  Of course they may have their own interests such as horse riding or sailing, but there are plenty of attractions as well.

Birdland A great day out to see penguins, flamingos and many other birds
Bourton Model Railway One of the finest operating indoor model railways in the country.  With visitor control you can watch the models move throughout the 500 sq feet display as it turns from day turn to night
Bourton Model Village The kids love strolling around this miniture replica of Bourton on the Water, built from the local Cotswold stone.
Cotswold Motor Museum A fun packed indoor museum where Brum, from the popular children’s TV show, now lives.  This is also where the show was filmed.
National Waterways Museum Explore life on the canals and discover the wildlife that lives on the waterways all in the centre of Gloucester docks (close to the new designer outlet centre)
Cattle Country Located in Berkeley between Bristol and Gloucester there’s a wide selection of things for younger children to enjoy at Cattle Country.  From watching the farm animals to enjoying the many activities such as mini-golf, bouncing on a giant pillow or running playing around in the soft play area, this place will keep the little ones happy for hours.
Cotswold Farm Park This attraction based about 5 miles to the East of Stow on the Wold prides itself on having a family fun atmosphere, good value for money and an underlying conservation feel.
Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway Based in Toddington, and with a line that runs as far as Cheltenham Racecourse, this is one of the longer steam railways in the country.  With visits from Thomas the tank engine, Hogwarts Express and Santa specials the children should have a great time.
Soft Play Areas.  So you may not come to the Cotswolds for the indoor play areas, but sometimes it’s just what the children want.  There are several around including Cheltenham and Cirencester.
Pottery painting is a great family fun come rain or shine.  Choose from Pick a Pot in Cirencester and The Paint it Yourself Pottery Co in Cheltenham.

We all enjoy a trip to the zoo, and things have moved on since as many animals as possible were cooped up in crowded cages.  With larger cages, and sometimes no cages at all (!) there is an opportunity to enjoy wildlife, here in the Cotswolds, in all its beautiful, natural glory.

Here are a number of animal and bird parks to be found in the Cotswolds.
Cotswold Wildlife Park Located 2 miles outside of Burford there’s a wide choice of animals large and small, as well as a number of other activities to interest young and old alike.
Cotswold Farm Park This attraction based about 5 miles to the East of Stow on the Wold prides itself on having a family run atmosphere, good value for money and an underlying conservation feel.
Slimbridge Home to the world’s largest collection of ducks, swans, flamingoes and geese this is the vision of naturalist Sir Peter Scott.
Birdland Birdland is a natural setting inhabited by over 500 birds from around the world, including the only King Penguins in England.
West Midlands Safari Park Not really in the Cotswolds but not far away if you’d like to see some exotic animals, including white lions, as well as have a few fun fair rides.