Did you know that there are over 20 city farms and zoos in London?
When you tire of the concrete jungle and want to reconnect with nature, there’s probably a children’s farm near you.
Children will love that they don’t have to travel too far and none of the city farms in London are eye-wateringly expensive.
Most importantly, they have all been tried, tested and rated child-friendly.
Looking for a farm experience in London?
Explore the diverse agricultural offerings at various farms in London.
From urban farms and petting zoos to pick-your-own fruit and vegetable farms, there are plenty of opportunities to get closer to animals and enjoy farm activities.
Freightliners City Farm brings a little bit of the countryside to inner city Islington.
With picturesque gardens and a great cafe, their focus is on education, therapeutic activity, community participation and outdoor recreation.
Entry is free but as a charity, donations are always welcome.
They run regular activities in the school holidays, most of which are free.
The farm is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 am to 4.45 pm in the summer and until 4 pm in the winter.
Freightliners City Farm | Sheringham Road | London N7 8PF
Mudchute has a reputation as one of the best farms in London and is one of Europe’s largest city farms.
They have over 32 acres and more than 100 animals including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas.
There’s also a petting zoo and duck pond.
You can book your child’s next party at Mudchute or enrol yourself on courses in topics ranging from keeping chickens, laying hedges, dog training and spinning wool.
The farm is free to enter (although a donation is always welcome) and has a lovely on-site café.
They’re open from 1000 to 1600, Tuesday to Friday, closed on Monday and open until 1700 on Saturday and Sunday.
Mudchute Park + Farm | Pier Street | Isle of Dogs | London E14 3HP
Newham City Farm (at risk of permanent closure so visit while you can)
Newham City Farm is run by the local authority and is home to a large collection of farmyard favourites like cows, horses and sheep.
You can also see some less familiar animals such as alpacas, birds of prey and turkeys.
Children can also enjoy getting up close and personal to smaller animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets.
There’s an orchard, a children’s play area, a play barn and picnic benches.
You can support the farm by buying some of its produce – freshly laid eggs, honey from their bees and even manure!
The farm is open all year round, every day except Monday.
Entry is free but they do encourage a minimum donation of £1 per child and £2 per adult.
We particularly like the Bugs + Boots Club – a family gardening and nature club suitable for all ages and abilities where you can get stuck into gardening, bug hunting, crafts and cooking.
Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult and the club is open every Sunday from 1.30 pm until 3 pm (excluding Bank Holiday weekends).
Newham City Farm | King George Avenue | London | E16 3HR
Hobbledown Heath is home to 70 unique and fascinating farm and zoo animals, from playful Pygmy goats to mischievous meerkats.
They have a specialist Bird of Prey centre where kids can meet the furry residents of Hounslow through interactive experience sessions.
The land of Hobbledown Heath has four themed outdoor play villages so you could easily spend a whole day here as there is so much to do.
We took kids ranging from 9 to 16 and they all had a wonderful day.
The play areas are surrounded by animal enclosures and walkways, and children can get face to face with a variety of farm and zoo animals including Capybara, rabbits and parrots.
Hobbledown Heath | Staines Road | Hounslow | TW14 0HH
Kentish Town City Farm is situated on a four-acre site, you might have seen some of the animals if your morning commute passes the farm as it sits alongside railway lines.
With pasture areas, a riding arena, a wildlife pond and community gardens, the farm has free weekly healthy living activities for adults and children.
There are over 50 animals on site including goats, sheep, horses, ducks, chickens, geese, a pig and a cow.
If you want to bring a bit of the farm home with you, find out about the cost to lease a horse.
During the school holidays, kids can get involved in pottery, horse riding, gardening and messy play from £4 a session.
The farm is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm and entry is free.
Pre-booking essential.
Kentish Town City Farm | 1 Cressfield Close, off Grafton Road | London |NW5 4BN
Hackney City Farm has a range of farmyard animals including goats, sheep, chickens and donkeys.
You’ll also see small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
The livestock moves between a farm in Kent, the city and a working farm in the country so if there’s an animal your little one really wants to see, call ahead to make sure it’s there on the day of your visit.
They also have drop in yoga classes on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month.
Entry to the farm is free but you can show your support by purchasing from the farm shop which includes fresh chicken and duck eggs and honey from their on-site bees.
The farm is closed on Mondays.
Hackney City Farm | 1a Goldsmiths Row | London | E2 8QA
Deen City Farm is spread over five acres and home to animals of all shapes and sizes including cows, sheep, pigs, goats and a resident barn owl, Edna.
The farm is special in that it enables local people to take part in countryside activities, irrespective of their background or abilities.
Activities for children include riding lessons (children with disabilities especially welcome) rooms for private hire and holiday programmes including Farmer for the Day and Own a Pony for children aged 8 and over.
The farm is open from 10 am – 4.30 pm every day except Monday.
Deen City Farm | 39 Windsor Avenue | Merton Abbey | London SW19 2RR
Hounslow Urban Farm is near (ish) to London and extremely child friendly.
Any visit will encompass at least one ‘Animal Encounter’ where families can meet and learn about some of the animals living on the farm.
That might mean your typical farmyard friend or one of the slightly more exotic residents now calling the Urban Farm home.
If you ever wanted to get close to a cuddly chick or meet a loveable lamb this is the place to be.
Play facilities are also available with an outdoor play area and indoor bouncy castle.
The Hounslow Urban Farm | Faggs Road | Feltham | Middlesex TW14 0LZ
Vauxhall City Farm prides itself on offering educational, recreational and therapeutic activities for all ages but with a stronger focus on engaging children.
School holidays programmes include Young Farmers Activity Week as well as horse riding lessons and private room hire for parties.
The website lists the animals and their names so kids can know exactly who they’re meeting before they arrive.
The farm is open from 10.30 am – 3.30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
Vauxhall City Farm | 165 Tyers St | London SE11 5HS
Woodlands Farm, Shooters Hill (known to locals as Shooters Hill Farm) is an 89-acre working farm, run entirely by volunteers.
They hold regular family-friendly events including tea parties, lambing, pond dipping, bat walks, storytelling and arts and crafts.
Woodlands Farm is open from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm Tuesday to Sunday, as well as Bank Holiday Mondays.
The farm is closed on all other Mondays and Christmas Day.
Entry to the farm is free but as a registered charity, donations are most welcome.
The Woodlands Farm Trust | 331 Shooters Hill | Welling DA16 3RP
Spitalfields City Farm is home to your standard farmyard animals but their Wildclub is what we really enjoy.
Families can enjoy nature-themed activities and children will get to play outside, be inspired by nature and learn environmental crafts.
Wildclub happens in three sessions:
- Wildclub for ages 4 – 7 from 10:30 am – 12 pm (Parents to stay on the farm)
- Really Wild Club for ages 8 – 12 from 1:30 pm – 3 pm
- Families Go Wild for all ages from 1:30 pm – 3 pm (Parents to participate in activity alongside children)
Wildclub is free but donations are always welcome.
Spitalfields City Farm | Buxton Street | London E1 5AR
Surrey Docks City Farm is a working farm and home to cows, donkeys, goats, bees and more.
The farm offers a variety of workshops and classes for babies and school-aged children.
You can support the farm by shopping at their on-site farmers market.
The farm is currently open on select afternoons only.
Entry to the public is free and visitors are encouraged to give a donation of £3 per person to help contribute to running costs.
Surrey Docks Farm, Rotherhithe Street, London, SE16 5ET
Stepney City Farm is a working farm, rural arts centre and community meeting place.
Family-friendly events include baby music classes, animal workshops, Young Volunteers programmes and a weekly Farmers Market.
Entry to the farm is free but you can support their running costs by purchasing one of their veg boxes.
Opening times:
- Farm: 10am-4pm Tuesday – Sunday, and bank holiday Mondays.
- Cafe: 10am – 2.30pm Wednesday-Sunday, for hot food. Teas coffee and cakes till 3.45pm
Stepney City Farm | Stepney Way | London E1 3DG
Belmont Farm is home to over thirty different types of animals for visitors to see, meet and feed.
Kids can join petting sessions which run throughout the day or jump on the tractor and trailer for a ride through the beautiful Belmont Estate.
Children can join the Young Farmers Club where they’ll get involved with rounding up and feeding animals, learning about the environment, understanding animals’ basic needs and tending to the farm’s vegetable patch.
If you want to take a piece of the farm home with you, there are chickens (and chicken-keeping advice) for sale.
The farm is open 7 days a week (including bank holidays) from 10 am to 5 pm.
Tickets from £4.50.
Belmont Children’s Farm | The Ridgeway | London NW7 1QT
Lee Valley Park Farm is more of a destination event – you could easily spend a day here.
Activities include:
- Meet and feed the animals (farmyard, exotic and birds of prey) in the petting farm
- Adventure play at the indoor Bundle Barn
- Outdoor activities at Hilltop Adventure
- Alpine adventure toboggan run
- Farmyard adventure playground with climbing frames, animal springers, balance beams, bridges, slides and more
- Dino Dig + Splash play area
The park is open from 10 am until 5 pm.
Tickets:
- Children (age 6 months and upwards) and adults: £7.99
- Babies under 6 months are free
Lee Valley Park Farms | Stubbins Hall Lane | Waltham Abbey | Essex EN9 2EF
ZSL London Zoo in Regent’s Park houses a collection of 755 species of animals on beautifully landscaped grounds.
Toddlers will love the Children’s Zoo where they can visit the Touch Zone and pat goats, sheep and chickens.
They’ll also be able to let off some steam in the educational play areas.
Older children can get involved in Gorilla Kingdom where they’ll see the gorillas and what they’re up to.
Nxt they can learn a bit more about them through interactive activities and exhibits.
In Tiger Territory – home to critically endangered Sumatran tigers – you’ll come face to face with the tigers through the floor to ceiling glass windows.
There’s also the opportunity to visit the animatronic Zoorassic Park or sleepover at the Zoo in a well-equipped lodge.
Zoo tickets from £26.
ZSL London Zoo is open every day of the year (except Christmas Day) from 10 am until 6 pm.
ZSL London Zoo Regent’s Park | London NW1 4RY
A small farm where you can see goats, rabbits, a handful of birds, chickens and some resident field mice.
During the spring and summer months, you’ll see goats roaming freely around the grassed area on the perimeter of the park.
There are no petting sessions for children, but you are able to get up close and personal to the animals.
The chicken coop is open to the public at all times unless the chickens are out for their daily exercise.
You can also sponsor one of the animals – you get a certificate for it!
Battersea Park Zoo is home to mammals, birds, reptiles and more and with eight daily feeding times, you never have to wait too long to get in on the action.
When they’re not visiting the animals, kids can test their skills as they climb, balance, swing, build, hop on toy tractors and motorbikes and mechanical rides.
They can also role-play being a farmer or fireman in a life-sized tractor and fire engine.
Budding artists can get creative drawing their own animals on the walls of the chalkboard barns.
There are diggers, sandpits, water features and a fort to explore.
The zoo is open every day except Christmas Day from 10 am – 5.30 pm in the summer and 10 am until 4.30 in the winter.
Tickets:
- Adults £10.95
- Children £8.95
- Family £35.50
Battersea Park | Chelsea Bridge Gate | London SW11 4NJ
Looking for an aquarium to visit in London?
Try the aquarium at London Zoo or SEA LIFE London Aquarium where you can see penguins, sea turtles, sharks, jellyfish and other marine life.
London city farms offer a unique urban experience for visitors of all ages.
These educational and recreational spaces provide the opportunity to learn about farm animals, sustainable farming practices, and nature conservation.
Experience hands-on activities, interact with farm animals, and enjoy the tranquillity of these green oases in the heart of London.
Where are your favourite farms and zoos for children in London?