Last weekend we made the most of the burst of sunshine we’ve been blessed with in the UK and finally visited The Children’s Country House at Sudbury – a National Trust treasure we now realise we’re fortunate to have just 40 mins from home.
There’s so much to do there for all the family and even if it were to be a rainy day, there’s still bits to enjoy indoors. But I would advise zipping the kids up in their rainsuits and bringing the wellies as some areas can be muddy even in the sun.
The first place we visited, as always with us, was the cafe. Got to make sure you’re fuelled up for the day! Although these places aren’t the cheapest for both entry and food, this was probably one of the most reasonably priced cafes at these attractions and was delicious! For drinks my husband got an Americano and myself a Chai Latte.
For food we got our daughter the pizza, wedges and beans, myself the bean chilli on jacket potato, and my husband the steak pie with mash, peas and gravy. All of this cost £33 – I know it would’ve been much cheaper to bring our own packed lunch but we didn’t want to sit outside as it was still quite chilly despite the sun – it’s that time of year where the weather looks warmer than it actually is.
Outside the cafe you have the Stableyard where garden games like a giant Connect 4, hula hoops and stilts are placed for all the family to enjoy. My daughter loved watching other children master the stilts and wanted to go herself, which was not easy for our backs! But it was still great fun. There were even baskets filled with musical instruments and badminton sets.
From the Stableyard you can access the baby sensory room filled with mirrors, fibre optic string lights and bubble lamp – perfect for the extra little ones. Or you can visit The Book Jungle which is a second-hand bookstore and other items. I had a little nosy and although small, it still had some good finds in there. Then you have the museum. This is several floors of interactive activities for the family and cabinets filled with toys from the early 1900’s through to now.
Some of the activities you’ll find throughout the museum are a drawing table where the kids can then hang their drawings up on a wall. Reading nooks in several rooms with sofas or beanbags and books galore – a favourite for my daughter. An engineering room which had a train track suspended from the ceiling which my daughter was fascinated watching it go round and round as she played. This room also had tables set up with building blocks, screw toys and a train set to play with.
From the museum you can then visit the gardens which has a beautiful boathouse to enjoy the view of the lake from, or a nature playground area with climbing frames, swing and slide – the latter being our daughters favourite as always. All we had for 15 minutes straight was “again” and “again”.
Lastly, you have Sudbury Hall, the historic country home of the Vernon family which has the most beautiful grand staircase, plasterwork and wall panels. There was a dance hall with disco balls and a closet filled with pretty dresses for the kids to wear and pretend they were at a 16th century ball – so sweet! Then in each room there were toy boxes filled with wooden toys for them to keep entertained whilst the adults get to enjoy learning about the history of the house and enjoying the beautiful interiors.
Overall, it was a great day out and perfect for the whole family thanks to all the different activities they have set out for everyone to enjoy.
