Buckinghamshire Days Out Guide

The ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire is a great place to visit for a day out with the family, thanks to the enormous variety of locations, sightseeing spots, and activities to do.

It’s located in an ideal area, too, bordering on Greater London in the south east of England. 

With that being said, there’s so many different things to see and do that it can often be difficult narrowing the list down to the attractions that are going to be best for you and your family…

Which is why we’ve done the work for you! In our fun, jam-packed guide below, we’ve got a great Buckinghamshire days out guide.

Whatever types of activity you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it in our list, and each event has a handy description of what it offers. Read on!

1. The Central Milton Keynes Shopping Complex

Where Is It? Milton Keynes

What Does It Offer? Shopping

We’re starting our list off with something everybody loves to do: shopping. Thankfully Milton Keynes, the largest settlement of Buckinghamshire, has a large and varied shopping complex for you to explore with your family. 

The complex comprises two different shopping centres, which are adjacent from each other. One of them is the Midsummer Palace, while the other is “thecentre:mk”.

Together the shopping complex is the 14th largest in all of the UK, and it has plenty of different kinds of shops for you to pick from. 

For example, they’ve got everything from Clarks and Hotel Chocolat, to a Build-A-Bear Workshop for the kids. On top of that, they’ve got loads of cafes, fast food places, and restaurants to eat at. 

2. Odds Farm Park

Where Is It? High Wycombe

What Does It Offer? Animals 

Next on our guide is Odds Farm Park, which is a child-friendly farm that has great activities such as petting and feeding animals, crazy golf, and karting. 

This is a great chance for families to give their kids a taste of nature, letting them interact with cute farm animals like sheep, pigs, rabbits, goats, and so many more. Hands-on fun is all done within a covered barn, so events don’t stop if it’s raining!

Besides that, there’s a mini golf course for kids and parents to enjoy, as well as a massive Indoor Adventure Play Barn with slides, swinging ropes, tunnels, and more.

3. Chenies Manor House

Where Is It? Chenies

What Does It Offer? Historical Tourist Location

If you want to visit a fascinating historical location in Buckinghamshire, you’ll be spoiled for choice, and Chenies Manor House is a great example.

This is a Tudor Grade 1 listed building, and is thought to be almost 500 years old. 

With that being said, it inhabits history even older than that, because the manor has an undercroft left over from a previous mediaeval manor house that was at the same spot. 

There are plenty of events hosted at the manor on key dates in the year, such as an Easter Monday celebration, a plant fair, and a dog show.

Unfortunately, Chenies Manor House is typically closed between November through to sometime in April, so you need to make sure your visit coincides with this season. 

4. Treetop Extreme Milton Keynes

Where Is It? Milton Keynes

What Does It Offer? Sport Activities

If you and your family want something a little more active and sporty, then the Treetop Extreme course is a great pick for a day out in Buckinghamshire.

You can find it at Willen Lake in Milton Keynes, which is a great area with plenty of tall trees for this exhilarating course.

Better yet, this is the only urban high ropes course in the whole county (learn more about current UK counties here).

It’s open all year around, so whatever time you decide to visit you can be sure that your kids and you are going to be able to have a great time climbing around on the rope course high up in the trees.

There are three different levels to choose from, too, in order to make the experience as welcoming and open as possible.

The levels differ in both difficulty and height, allowing for everyone to enjoy this thrilling Buckinghamshire activity venue.

5. Bletchley Park

Where Is It? Bletchley, Milton Keynes

What Does It Offer? Historical Tourist Location

You’ve probably heard the name “Bletchley Park” before, because it’s the famous location where the codebreakers did their crucial work during World War 2.

This is a fascinating piece of British history, because their code-solving efforts were crucial to decoding encrypted messages and commands from the Axis powers. 

Bletchley Park offers plenty of historical sights to see based around this specific part of Britain’s past, and it has loads of information for visitors to learn about too.

When the codebreakers were working here, they lived in huts on site, and some of these huts have even been rebuilt for you to see the conditions of the time. 

This Buckinghamshire location is a fascinating day out for the whole family, and it’s sure to teach you all about a crucial part of our past. Try to solve some codes yourself for extra fun!

6. Chiltern Open Air Museum 

Where Is It? Chalfont St Giles

What Does It Offer? Museum And Historical Tourist Location (if you want more historical day trips, check out our guide to Great Fire of London locations for you and your kids to explore)

Next on our list of great Buckinghamshire days out, a visit to the Chiltern Open Air Museum is a must. This is found near Chalfont St Giles, and it’s a fantastic and unique museum in the sense that it’s almost entirely open air. 

That’s right, this is a museum that you mostly walk around outside, rather than being limited to viewing things inside a building.

That isn’t to say you won’t be looking in buildings, though, because this 45 acre location is filled with old historic buildings, such as a croft cottage, a forge, a post-war prefab home, a Chilterns farm, and so much more. 

However, the venue also offers special living history events in order to bring the history to life even more. For example, you’ll sometimes find people in historical costumes reenacting things.

Additionally, there are fun activities and games for kids to enjoy, connecting them even better with the past.

Be sure to time your visit correctly, though, because the site does close for the season each year. See their website for details.

7. Bojangles Creative Cafe

Where Is It? Amersham

What Does It Offer? Art Activities

It might sound like this next Buckinghamshire day out is simply a great spot for eating at, but it’s actually a place where you and your family can also enjoy various arts and crafts activities. 

They have 10 tables in their pottery studio, and visitors can paint pottery and make mosaics.

Experts are on hand to help you make a creation that you’ll just love, and you can then take your creations home and treasure them forever – reminding you of your Buckinghamshire trip. 

Of course, the cafe does also offer delicious food! You can enjoy cookies, cakes, teacakes, crumpets and more, alongside great hot and cold drinks.

8. Go Ape Wendover Woods

Where Is It? Wendover Woodland Park

What Does It Offer? Sports Activities

We’re finishing our list with a thrilling, fun activity place for the whole family to enjoy! Like the Treetop Extreme activity we looked at earlier in the list, this revolves around treetop challenges and exhilarating, high up courses. 

Better yet, there’s something for all ages. For younger kids, the Treetop Adventure will give them a safe, manageable course that’s got wobbly bridges and a fun zip wire ride.

On the other hand, the longer Treetop Challenge is for older, more experienced adventurers. Either way, you’ll get to enjoy thrilling sights and exciting zip lines.

Final Thoughts

There is loads to see and do in Buckinghamshire for a great day out – use our guide for the best activities!