Looking for family days out in Oxfordshire this summer? Banbury sits right in the middle of castle country, with wildlife parks, grand estates and even dinosaurs within easy reach. And this August, a very special science show blasts into town. Here’s our pick of the best things to do with the kids over the summer holidays.
🚀 Top of the list: Fun Kids Science Quest – Live! at The Mill Arts Centre
Prepare for BLAST OFF. This August, Fun Kids Science Quest – Live! comes to The Mill for an out-of-this-world space adventure, with Fun Kids presenter Dan Simpson bringing the science of space to the stage — hilarious experiments, exciting guests and the best space facts in the galaxy.
It’s a one-hour journey into how space works, and you’re invited. The podcast is a Bronze winner for Best Family Podcast and a finalist for Best Educational Podcast at the British Podcast Awards.
- 📍 Where: Main Auditorium, The Mill Arts Centre, Spiceball Park Road, Banbury, OX16 5QE
- 📅 When: Thursday 27 August 2026, 2:30pm
- 🎟️ Tickets: £16.50 standard • £13.50 under-16s
- 👧 Age guide: 5+ (audience participation, flashing lights)
👉 Book your tickets for The Mill Arts Centre here
Touring the rest of the UK too? See all the Fun Kids Science Quest Live dates and venues.
10 more brilliant family days out around Banbury this summer
Here are ten more ideas for keeping the kids entertained, from the park next door to the venue to dinosaurs, castles and big wild adventures.
1. Spiceball Country Park
Right on the doorstep of The Mill, this riverside and canalside park is the perfect free spot to run around before or after the show — open green space, play areas and gentle towpath walks.
📍 Spiceball Park Road, Banbury (next to the venue)
2. Banbury Museum & Tooley’s Historic Boatyard
A free, family-friendly museum on the Castle Quay Waterfront telling Banbury’s story, with one of the oldest working dry docks in the country right alongside. Watch the canal boats and grab a bite at the waterside.
📍 Castle Quay Waterfront, Banbury
3. Broughton Castle
A romantic, moated medieval manor house just outside town, with battlements, gardens and centuries of history to spark young imaginations. Open on selected days over the summer — check ahead.
📍 Broughton, near Banbury (about 10 minutes by car)
4. Blenheim Palace
A magnificent palace with vast parkland, a maze, a butterfly house, an adventure playground and a little train — easily a full day, with masses for children to explore beyond the grand house itself.
📍 Woodstock (about 25 minutes by car)
5. Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens
Lions, giraffes, rhinos, penguins and a brilliant walled-garden of meerkats and reptiles, set in lovely Cotswold grounds with a narrow-gauge railway and an adventure playground.
📍 Burford (about 35 minutes by car)
6. Crocodiles of the World
The UK’s only crocodile zoo — come face-to-snout with crocs, alligators and caimans, plus tortoises, snakes and meerkats, with regular feeding talks throughout the day.
📍 Brize Norton (about 30 minutes by car)
7. Hatton Adventure World
A bumper farm-park day out: meet the animals, ride the tractors, tackle the indoor and outdoor play zones and try the seasonal activities. Lots of energy-burning fun for younger children.
📍 Hatton, near Warwick (about 30 minutes by car)
8. Warwick Castle
One of the country’s great castles, with jousting and birds-of-prey displays, a towering trebuchet, dungeons and ramparts to climb. Pure medieval theatre for all ages.
📍 Warwick (about 30 minutes by car)
9. Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Home to dinosaur skeletons, a towering T-rex and Oxford’s famous dodo, this free museum is a magnet for curious kids — and the Pitt Rivers Museum of treasures sits right behind it.
📍 Parks Road, Oxford (about 40 minutes by car)
10. All Things Wild
A dino-and-animals day out with life-sized dinosaurs, meerkats, reptiles, indoor and outdoor play and a splash zone for hot days. A reliable hit with younger explorers.
📍 Honeybourne (about 30 minutes by car)
Also worth a look
For more hands-on science, the Science Oxford Centre has interactive exhibits and an outdoor woodland play area, while Bure Park in Bicester is a free local nature reserve and play space.
Make it a science-filled summer
Whatever you get up to, end the holidays with a bang at Fun Kids Science Quest – Live! — Thursday 27 August at The Mill Arts Centre. Grab your tickets before they sell out!
Fun Kids is the UK’s children’s radio station — listen on DAB Digital Radio, online, on your smart speaker and via the free Fun Kids app.
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