This picturesque county has a great deal to offer – full of quiet thrills, a day out has the potential to quite literally take your breath away.
 
Whether you’re after a peaceful weekend or an action-filled week, Shropshire is bound to please. With a fantastic mix of indoor and outdoor attractions, there’s always something to do, whatever the weather. To highlight the region’s many family-friendly attractions, here are our top 10 things to do in Shropshire.
 
But sshh . . . don’t tell everyone . . .

1 Acton Scott Historic Working Farm

© Acton Scott Historic Working Farm

Where: Near Church Stretton SY6 6QN
Details: This time-travelling attraction makes for the perfect outing in the Shropshire Hills, where a day on a Victorian farm comes to life. Explore this real working farm with traditional breeds of pigs, sheep, heavy horses and poultry and meet the people who look after them. Skilled craftsmen and women demonstrate traditional rural skills and encourage visitors to have a go too. Take advantage of 23 acres of farmland – it can get a little muddy, so make sure you pack your wellies! There are special events throughout the open season and a play area, great for the little ones to let off steam. Take advantage of the gift shop and charming café in the restored Old School. Or bring your own lunch and use the covered picnic area.

2 Attingham Park (National Trust)

© National Trust Images/Solent News & Photography Agency

Where: Atcham SY4 4TP
Details: Built in the 1700’s, Attingham Park is a historic jewel. With fantastic views and a wide range of wildlife, Attingham is the perfect excuse to get back to nature and go exploring. Don’t miss the Deer Park, the Walled Garden and miles of beautiful walks. Keep an eye out for family events during the school holidays too: unleash your family on the Attingham Adventures and Sporty Wednesday; or try out the family-friendly trails. Play in the Shoulder of Mutton playfield, a hive of sporting activity with games equipment as well as a traditional playground. In fact, at Attingham, you can try your hand at many different sports and discover new talents, with everything from volleyball to climbing and canoeing. After such a packed day, you may want to visit the relaxing café for a well-earned breather!

3 Blists Hill Victorian Town

© Blists Hill

Where: Madeley, Telford TF7 5DU
Details: Ironbridge is a real treat for history buffs with its famous ten Gorge Museums spread along the River Severn. Take a trip back in time by stopping off at Blists Hill Victorian Town, an essential part of the Ironbridge experience. Here families can be whisked back to yesteryear with a bank to change modern money into farthings, a chippy serving meals wrapped in newspaper, and the old fashioned New Inn Public House where you can enjoy a pulled pint and sing-along. There are also remedies in the pharmacy, plenty of products on sale at the grocers and drapers, a blacksmith, a woodturner, a bakery and a 19th-century schoolroom where you can be shouted at by a primly dressed actor! Throughout the school holidays, Blists Hill hosts loads of special drop-in activities.

4 Bridgnorth Cliff Railway

Bridgnorth Cliff Railway by Roland Turner

Where: Bridgnorth WV16 4AH
Details: You’ve got to love a place with a funicular and Bridgnorth Cliff Railway, Britain’s only remaining inland cliff railway, is just that! At an incline of 33 degrees, it’s the steepest in the country too. Bridgnorth is built on quite a hill and the railway has been ferrying its people up and down the 111 foot sheer red sandstone cliffs between the High Town and Low Town since the year 1892. It’s an enjoyable and quirky little trip for those who like a bit of chuff stuff! The railway offers unrivalled views over the higgledy-piggledy market town and river Severn. The town itself also has all the right ingredients for a pleasant potter, including a ruined castle, two pretty churches, a 30’s cinema and a half-timbered Town Hall.

5 Carding Mill Valley (National Trust)

© National Trust Images/John Millar

Where: Near Church Stretton SY6 6JG
Details: With thousands of acres to explore, Carding Mill Valley is the perfect place to soak up the great outdoors. There are lots of ways to enjoy yourself, whether you fancy walking, mountain biking, horse riding or even swimming. Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed some fabulous scenery, with miles of footpaths, bridleways and permissive paths to explore across the wildly scenic Long Mynd. Why not try your hand at pond dipping and see what creatures you can find? All you need are wellies, a net and a bucket. Relax by the stream that runs through the valley with a picnic and even have a paddle if you need to cool off. Or you may want to try some delicious food in the tearoom and visit the on site shop.

6 Hawkstone Park Follies

Hawkstone Park Follies by Nick Harewood

Where: Weston-under-Redcastle SY4 5UY
Details: Head for Hawkstone Park and spend the day exploring historic woodland, rocky cliffs, crags, caves and towers built over 200 years ago. Discover 100 acres of landscaped parkland teeming with authentic 18th-century follies, including a Gingerbread Hall, Indian rock passage, caves said to be inhabited by King Arthur, a White Tower, plus a 112ft column providing great viewpoints over this stunning enchanting scenery. Be sure to bring a torch for the darker caverns and keep your eyes peeled for clues to find treasure along the way! Walk in the footsteps of the heroes of Narnia – the BBC adaptation of C.S Lewis’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ was filmed here. There are plenty of eating options – from Caspian’s Tea Rooms to picnic spots throughout the park.

7 Land of Lost Content

Land of Lost Content by Jaggery

Where: Craven Arms SY7 9NW
Details: The world’s largest collection of 20th-century memorabilia, this wildly eclectic museum takes its name from the poem ‘A Shropshire Lad’ by A.E Housman, which refers to a disappeared past. Everywhere you turn in this Old Market Hall, in every nook and cranny, there’s a nod to yesteryear and golden times gone by. Arranged thematically over three floors, it is divided up into many sections covering schooldays, health, holidays, TV and much, much more. With products from confectionery to cleaning, footwear to cosmetics and everything in between, however old or young you are, you can pick out things from the collection that relate to you. And kids are curious too to discover what households were really like! Aladdin’s cave has nothing on the Land of Lost Content – it’s like no other place you will ever visit!

8 Royal Air Force Museum Cosford

© Royal Air Force Museum Cosford

Where: Shifnal TF11 8UP
Details: There’s plenty of FREE fun for kids (and big kids) at this vast site which covers the history of the RAF and all aspects of aviation. Get up close and personal to some of the finest aircraft ever built. There are more than 70 aircraft of international importance housed in three wartime hangars, from early prop-powered planes to modern jump jets and experimental aircraft. See the world’s oldest Spitfire and a Lincoln Bomber, plus the Comet 1A and the Gnat T1, planes previously used by the Red Arrows. The National Cold War Exhibition, housed in a landmark building with 18 aircraft, military transport, missiles, memorabilia and interactive kiosks, is the only place in the UK where you can see Britain’s famous V Bombers: the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant.

9 Stokesay Castle (English Heritage)

© English Heritage

Where: Near Craven Arms SY7 9AH
Details: Step into the best-preserved fortified medieval manor house in England and experience a day of truly historic adventures. Set in peaceful countryside, Stokesay Castle, together with its timber-framed gatehouse and parish church, form an unforgettably picturesque group. Pick up an audio guide and imagine what it would have been like to live back in the day as you tour the various rooms and magnificent Great Hall. Kids will love climbing the wonderfully wonky staircases and spotting characters carved in the gatehouse timbers. Outside, the cottage garden and moat walk are the perfect place to let off steam and play king of the castle. There’s a tearoom too and a shop for unique gifts. Check out the events over the school holidays, the perfect way to entertain your little history hunters.

10 Wonderland

Wonderland by David P Howard

Where: Telford TF4 3NZ
Details: Discover the magic of Wonderland, an award-winning big park for little people, uniquely designed for children under ten. Wonderland is what it says on the tin. Set in beautiful woodland within the 450-acre Telford Town Park, enchanting walks lead you through a world of fairytales, where kids delight in discovering their favourite storybook characters and their houses, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Three Little Pigs. Throughout the day, enjoy unlimited rides, the maze and time within the indoor soft play area, all for one admission fee. There’s also a covered picnic area and Teddy Bear Tea Room. You’ll all live happily ever after . . .

What else?

Our top 10 things to do in Shropshire are just a handful of experiences waiting for you in Shropshire on a cottage break. Take a look at our luxury holiday cottages in Shropshire and, for more attractions and experiences, browse our ‘Things to Do & Events’ section for each property listing.