Photo: Mertbiol, CC0Woking has the Lightbox gallery in the town centre, the Basingstoke Canal towpath running through it, and the heathland of Horsell Common on its northern edge.
Woking is a large town with the Basingstoke Canal running through its centre. The Lightbox on Chobham Road is a gallery and museum with a free ground floor, café and shop. The upper galleries and the Woking's Story museum need a day pass (£14.50, under 18s free), and on Wednesday mornings from 10.30am to 12.30pm entry to every gallery is by donation. It opens Wednesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. On the north side of the town, Horsell Common is heathland, woodland and meadow owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society, home to nightjars and Dartford warblers, with walks and a map you can download. The canal towpath is shared by walkers and cyclists, with pedestrians given priority.
Woking station is managed by South Western Railway and has step free access to all platforms, lifts and 590 parking spaces. Woking Borough Council's town centre car parks are open 24 hours and include the four Victoria Place multi storeys (red, yellow, blue and green), Brewery Road and Heathside Crescent, and you can pay with the JustPark app. Woking Park car park, next to the leisure centre, has 545 more spaces. Further west along the canal, Surrey County Council runs the Basingstoke Canal Visitor Centre at Mytchett, with a free car park, a play area and a campsite, though boat trips and boat hire are paused while the water level is low.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0A 14-lane bowling alley with a multi-level Laser Quest arena inside Victoria Place in central Woking, about five minutes' walk from the station. There is also an arcade, pool tables and food.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0A soft play centre in the Peacocks part of Victoria Place in Woking town centre. As well as the main soft play there is a sensory play room with gentle lighting and soft textures, which can be booked for quieter sessions.
Photo: User:Hassocks5489, CC0A 1,301-seat touring theatre in Woking town centre, opened in 1992 as the New Victoria Theatre and now run by ATG as Woking Theatre. It hosts large musicals, dance, opera, comedy and an annual pantomime.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0An award-winning gallery and museum in the centre of Woking, with changing art exhibitions over three floors and Woking's Story, a gallery on the town's history. Under 18s go free, which makes it an easy indoor visit with children.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Woking's main public pool, run by Everyone Active in Woking Park. Families come for the leisure lagoon with a wave machine and flumes, and there is also a 25-metre main pool and a teaching pool.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0Heathland, woodland and meadows on the north side of Woking, owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society. Families come for the Sandpit, where H G Wells landed his Martians in The War of the Worlds, and for the Heather Farm wetlands and cafe.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0A soft play centre in Sheerwater for children up to 8, with a two-floor climbing frame, slides and a sensory tent for babies and toddlers. The Honey Pot Cafe serves drinks, snacks and hot food while children play.
Photo: Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0A council recreation ground beside the lake at Goldsworth Park, on the north-west side of Woking. It has three play areas for different ages, a BMX track and an outdoor gym, so it works for toddlers and teenagers alike.
A miniature railway run by volunteers of the Woking Miniature Railway Society on a site off Barrs Lane in Knaphill. Trains run on summer Sundays, with themed events such as Winter Lights and Santa Specials later in the year.
Photo: Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0A council green space of meadows, woodland and ponds beside the Basingstoke Canal at Knaphill. A surfaced 1.4km loop makes it an easy walk, and the towpath leads on for longer outings.
An indoor and outdoor play farm near Chobham with soft play, outdoor adventure equipment and an animal barn. It opened in 2016 and keeps 14 kinds of animal, from harvest mice to bulls, with daily meet and greets.
Photo: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0A National Trust stretch of the River Wey Navigation, opened in 1653, where it passes Pyrford Lock and the Anchor pub. The Walsham length runs from here towards Send with RHS Wisley as a backdrop, and a 7-mile circular walk links the Wey with the Basingstoke Canal.
The largest cemetery in the UK, opened in 1852 by the London Necropolis Company, and now a Grade I listed park and garden open daily to visitors. Next to it is the Brookwood American Cemetery, cared for by the American Battle Monuments Commission, with a staffed visitor building.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0More than 800 acres of heathland and woodland beside RHS Garden Wisley, now joined by the Cockrow Heathland Bridge, the first heathland bridge in the UK. Trails lead to the restored 1822 Semaphore Tower on Chatley Heath and the hidden Samuelson Mausoleum.
The Royal Horticultural Society's flagship garden, just off the A3 north of Guildford, with formal gardens, a large Glasshouse, the historic Old Laboratory and RHS Hilltop, its home of gardening science. There are several places to eat and a large garden centre on site.
Photo of Weybridge: David Howard, CC BY-SA 2.0An Elmbridge Council park on Sopwith Drive in Weybridge, with traditional and natural play areas, a skate park, BMX tracks and a multi-use court. It is in the same Brooklands area as Brooklands Museum and Mercedes-Benz World.
Photo: MartynDavies, CC BY-SA 3.0A museum of motoring and aviation on the site of the world's first purpose-built race track, spread over 32 acres in Weybridge. You can look round racing cars, motorcycles and an aircraft park, go inside Concorde on a guided tour, and visit the London Bus Museum on the same ticket.
Photo: Supermac1961 from CHAFFORD HUNDRED, England, CC BY 2.0A Mercedes-Benz visitor centre on part of the old Brooklands circuit, with three floors of cars, classic models, simulators and driving displays, and free entry. It sits beside Brooklands Museum, so the two make an easy day together.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0Woking's 2026 panto turns Goldilocks into the story of a circus fighting off a rival ringmaster, with Brian Conley leading the cast as Billy Barnum. His daughter Lucy Conley plays Goldilocks.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0Woking's gallery and museum hosts a pre-Christmas family day with last-minute craft making in the education studio. An art cart in the café and a dressing-up and reading area on the second floor keep younger children busy.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0Woking's canalside gallery and museum runs two weeks of family activities, with a Halloween-themed art cart and a drop-in Halloween Family Day. It is a useful indoor option for wet half-term days.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0Woking District Rotary Club's display in Woking Park marks its 50th anniversary in 2026 with a party theme, fired in time to a soundtrack. A funfair and food stalls open beforehand, and all proceeds go to the club's chosen charities.
Ripley Parish Council's Christmas fair spreads along the High Street and onto The Green, with funds going towards the village's festoon lights.
Running since 1955, the Ripley Bonfire Association's night on the village green draws up to 12,000 people. The bonfire is built in a dip that was once the village pond, which gives the crowd a natural amphitheatre for the fire and the display.
Wisley's half-term looks at the spooky side of plants, from poisonous species to plants with old healing legends. Families can follow a trail, plant herbs to take home and meet snakes and spiders with Zoolab.
The RHS lights up its flagship garden after dark, with a 'field of fire', giant crocuses, a fairy village in the Rock Garden and an illuminated enchanted garden in the Glasshouse. Two light shows set to music run along the route.
Photo of Weybridge: David Howard, CC BY-SA 2.0Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands adds Halloween activities to its usual displays over half-term. Children can hunt for hidden pumpkins round the building, paint a spooky ceramic tea light holder and try face painting.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0A 14-lane bowling alley with a multi-level Laser Quest arena inside Victoria Place in central Woking, about five minutes' walk from the station. There is also an arcade, pool tables and food.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0A soft play centre in the Peacocks part of Victoria Place in Woking town centre. As well as the main soft play there is a sensory play room with gentle lighting and soft textures, which can be booked for quieter sessions.
Photo: User:Hassocks5489, CC0A 1,301-seat touring theatre in Woking town centre, opened in 1992 as the New Victoria Theatre and now run by ATG as Woking Theatre. It hosts large musicals, dance, opera, comedy and an annual pantomime.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0An award-winning gallery and museum in the centre of Woking, with changing art exhibitions over three floors and Woking's Story, a gallery on the town's history. Under 18s go free, which makes it an easy indoor visit with children.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Woking's main public pool, run by Everyone Active in Woking Park. Families come for the leisure lagoon with a wave machine and flumes, and there is also a 25-metre main pool and a teaching pool.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0A soft play centre in Sheerwater for children up to 8, with a two-floor climbing frame, slides and a sensory tent for babies and toddlers. The Honey Pot Cafe serves drinks, snacks and hot food while children play.
Photo of Woking: Mertbiol, CC0Heathland, woodland and meadows on the north side of Woking, owned and managed by the Horsell Common Preservation Society. Families come for the Sandpit, where H G Wells landed his Martians in The War of the Worlds, and for the Heather Farm wetlands and cafe.
Photo: Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0A council recreation ground beside the lake at Goldsworth Park, on the north-west side of Woking. It has three play areas for different ages, a BMX track and an outdoor gym, so it works for toddlers and teenagers alike.
Photo: Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0A council green space of meadows, woodland and ponds beside the Basingstoke Canal at Knaphill. A surfaced 1.4km loop makes it an easy walk, and the towpath leads on for longer outings.
Photo: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0A National Trust stretch of the River Wey Navigation, opened in 1653, where it passes Pyrford Lock and the Anchor pub. The Walsham length runs from here towards Send with RHS Wisley as a backdrop, and a 7-mile circular walk links the Wey with the Basingstoke Canal.
The largest cemetery in the UK, opened in 1852 by the London Necropolis Company, and now a Grade I listed park and garden open daily to visitors. Next to it is the Brookwood American Cemetery, cared for by the American Battle Monuments Commission, with a staffed visitor building.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0More than 800 acres of heathland and woodland beside RHS Garden Wisley, now joined by the Cockrow Heathland Bridge, the first heathland bridge in the UK. Trails lead to the restored 1822 Semaphore Tower on Chatley Heath and the hidden Samuelson Mausoleum.
The rest of the 23 places we list within 8 km, closest first.
