Southampton is full of fun and interesting things to, from touring iconic aircraft museums to cracking codes and escaping rooms. We’ve hand-selected some of the coolest things to do in Southampton; appropriate for both adults and kids.
If you’re looking for things to do in Southampton this week, take a look below at our list!
1. Seacity Museum
Seacity Museum is a stunning venue appropriate for all occasions. The museum includes a fantastic Titanic experience with a fun simulator and facts and information surrounding the crew. There’s also a wealth of knowledge on the history of Southampton and some other fun and interesting marine information to explore. However, don’t be surprised if you spend most of your time exploring the Titanic exhibition!
Website: Seacity
Best experience: Titanic exhibition
Family friendly: Yes, the Titanic trail and tour is fun for all the family.
2. Red Funnel Ferries (Trip to Isle of Wight)
Known for its proud history of ferrying people to and from the Isle of Wight, the service has won awards for its safety, innovation and service. This service is known for getting to and from the Isle of Wight in comfort. Carrying over 3.4 million passengers a year and providing an exceptional service to explore the Isle of Wight.
Website: Red Funnel Ferries
Best experience: Comfortable and easy journey to the Isle of Wight
Family friendly: Yes, a trip to the Isle of Wight is certainly one of the top 10 things to do in Southampton.
3. St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton FC
Whether or not you’re a football fan, St Mary’s stadium is definitely worth the venture. The stadium caters to a variety of events and with a capacity of 32,505 you’re in for a fantastic experience. The stadium has recently hosted Rod Stewart, Take That and Robbie Williams. You can also opt for the Southampton FC stadium tour via the team’s website.
Website: St Mary’s Stadium
Best experience: Live Premier League football is always a fantastic experience!
Family friendly: Yes, definitely one of the best fun things to do in Southampton.
4. Solent Sky Museum
Southampton is known for its history of aviation (notably the city’s name, ‘Spitfire City’) and the Solent Sky Museum is a great testament to the city’s fascinating aviation history. Perfect for both avid history buffs and families, you will marvel at a total of 18 complete airplanes, including the notorious Submarine Spitfire and Supermarine S6a (N248) and four cockpit sections.
Guided tours are available, and in them, you can board the aircraft to get a taster of how these stunning machines operated and what is was like to sit in one. You can also experience the great ‘flying boats’, great for kids (and big kids!).
While the Solent Sky Museum isn’t the biggest museum, it’s full of fascinating and interactive plane-based features that cater to both aviation fanatics and children alike.
Website: Solent Sky Museum
Best experience: Tours and interacting with some of the most iconic airplanes ever built.
Family friendly: Yes, if you’re looking things to do in Southampton with kids, this is high on the list.
5. The Steamship Shieldhall
One of the largest working steam ships still operating in Britain, the Steamship Shieldhall serves as a tribute to Britain’s maritime heritage. The Shieldhall remains a member of the National Historic Fleet and offers fascinating tour of Southampton’s maritime history.
The tours are run by some exceptionally knowledgeable guides, delving into both the ship’s history and the surrounding areas. You will learn all about the age of steamships and the significance of this era. While the guide is appropriate for children, it does lean towards those with an interest in history and steamships. Food and drink are served on-board.
Website: The Steamship Shieldhall
Best experience: Fascinating history of Britain’s steamship era.
Family friendly: Yes (although, the tour is slightly more appropriate for adults and steam ship enthusiasts).
6. Southampton Art Gallery
Thought to be one of the most exceptional art galleries in the South of England, Southampton Art Gallery is known for its stunning collection and temporary exhibitions programme.
You can marvel at works that are both historic and contemporary, and with a focus on its education programme, visitors are able to see ever-changing exhibitions and displays. There’s also a focus on local art, which is great for the Southampton art community. You can keep up to date with the temporary exhibitions by visiting their website.
Website: Southampton City Art Gallery
Best experience: Local art and ever-changing exhibitions make this gallery fun to return to.
Family friendly: Yes, however, children may not be as entertained by historic and contemporary art as art enthusiasts!
7. Exciting Escapes (escape room experiences)
Our escape rooms are designed to cater for all ages and provide one of the most authentic and memorable experiences in Southampton. Fantastic for team-building and testing your wits as the ultimate detective.
There a number of reasons why you may be considering an escape room. Here are just a few we thought of:
No escape room experience is ever the same – there are several ways you and your team can attempt to escape the room, there are no instructions, no guidelines, just your intuition and detective instincts.
Escape rooms are challenging and stimulating for children – children will enjoy exploring the rooms and uncovering secret clues and items that will help complete the mission. We all know how puzzles, jigsaws and games like Sudoku promote positive ‘brain training, well, our escape rooms follow similar principles. Children are encouraged to explore our rooms to find clues and solve puzzles. This also encourages thinking outside the box, which keeps children of all ages engaged and keen to uncover the mysteries of our escape rooms.
Fantastic for team-building – if you’re looking for a team-building exercise to introduce new employees or simply looking for a fun day out, escape rooms are definitely one of the best things to do in Southampton.
Big rooms, big fun! – our escape rooms are big enough to cater for large groups and families. Rooms are also filled with interactive props and engaging puzzles to keep you on your toes.
Website: Exciting Escapes
Best experience: Four unique escape rooms in Southampton and fun for all the family.
Family friendly: Yes, our rooms are ideal if you’re looking for family things to do in Southampton, or even things to do in Southampton at night!
That makes up our list of the top things to do in Southampton! However, Southampton is filled with fun and interesting things to do, so we have included a few more honourable mentions into our list:
8. Ocean Village
Ocean Village is a fantastic for a day out in Southampton.
Explore the docks enjoy observing the yachts while dining in some great cafes and restaurants. There’s also a cinema complex, ideal if you’re looking to unwind for the evening or looking for a place to take the kids to.
Website: Ocean Village
Best experience: Ocean Village caters to all parties with its restaurants, observation points and entertainment centres.
Family friendly: Yes.
9. Mayflower Park
Another of Southampton’s parks, the Mayflower Park is quietly positioned next to the river.
Many locals and tourists enjoy bringing a picnic to the park and watching the boats cruise by. Kids can also enjoy exploring the park and playing games.
Website: Mayflower Park
Best experience: Great for viewing the boats and summertime picnics.
Family friendly: Yes.
10. Riverside Park
One of Southampton’s most beautiful parks. Couples and families can enjoy long strolls across the path by the river, ideal for Sunday morning walks and perfect for dog walkers. The White Swan is also positioned along the river, so if you’re feeling peckish, you can stop off and grab a bit to eat.
Website: Riverside Park
Best experience: Great for Sunday walkers and the White Swan serves fantastic food.
Family friendly: Yes, especially if your kids enjoy exploring the outdoors.
11. Alpine Snowsports Southampton
Alpine Snowsports is definitely one of the more abstract and fun things to do in Southampton.
You can choose from skiing, snowboarding, donuts, sledging and toboggans and their supportive staff provide beginner training courses for skiing and snowboarding. Alpine Snowsports is great for both beginner and adept snow sport enthusiasts. Test your skills on this all-season skiing and snowboarding experience.
Website: Alpine Snowsports Southampton
Best experience: Staff are very helpful and provide great training and advice.
Family friendly: Yes, beginner courses are perfectly catered to children.
12. The Ageas Bowl
One of Southampton’s most iconic destinations.
This 25,000 capacity stadium comes with a four star Hilton Hotel, championship standard golf course, and three exceptional restaurants. This is one of the best places to stay if you’re visiting Southampton.
Website: The Ageas Bowl
Best experience: Any sport event here is made extra special thanks to the stunning stadium.
Family friendly: Yes.
13. Robin’s Nest Emporium
A quirky and wonderful place filled with extravagant items.
Robin’s Nest Emporium sells everything from homewares to collectable antiques, you’re bound to find something weird and wonderful in their collection. Their cafe is also ideal for Sunday brunches and relaxing with friends and family.
Website: Robin’s Nest Emporium
Best experience: There’s nothing else like it in Southampton, a truly unique and wonderful experience.
Family friendly: Yes.
14. Southampton Town Walls
Ideal for the history buffs and children keen on exploring ruins. Southampton’s Town Walls are great fun to explore and the history behind the ruins may surprise you. There are plaques that go into detail about the history of the walls and the area surrounding. Although the castle was demolished in the 19th century, much of the remains are still intact.
Great for both adults and children, because who doesn’t like castles?
Website: Southampton Town Walls
Best experience: Fantastic experience exploring Southampton’s ruins and helpful guides and plaques.
Family friendly: Yes, especially if your kids like castles!
15. Nuffield Southampton Theatres
Known for promoting local and up-and-coming theatre talents, NST has fast-become one of the UK’s leading theatre companies.
The staff are very friendly and the menu is fantastic, definitely worth visiting post-show! Keep checking back to see what shows are on.
Website: Nuffield Southampton Theatres
Best experience: Great for seeing shows and the venue itself is well maintained.
Family friendly: Yes, the theatre also puts on some great shows for kids.
16. Westquay
Westquay is pretty hard to miss if you’re visiting Southampton.
Renowned for being Southampton’s biggest shopping centre, Westquay comes with a fantastic selection of retail shops, cafes and market stools, you may up spending the whole day at Westquay. The architecture is also very impressive.
Website: Westquay
Best experience: The ultimate shopping experience in Southampton.
Family friendly: Yes, plenty for kids to explore.
17. Mayflower Theatre
Another of Southampton’s exceptional theatres.
The Mayflower has enjoyed several West End shows recently, such as Matilda, and even hosted The Beatles, Roy Orbison and other top acts over the years. The Mayflower Theatre has also been awarded the certificate of excellence on Tripadvisor.
Website: Mayflower Theatre
Best experience: Witnessing West End shows and other fantastic acts.
Family friendly: Yes, especially when children’s shows are on.
18. The Common
Enjoy a stunning walk along The Common with your friends and family.
With detailed descriptions of the birds and animals that inhabit the area, The Common is a fun and informational experience for both children and adults.
Website: The Common
Best experience: Enjoy breathing in the nature of the park and learning more about the animals inhabiting it.
Family friendly: Yes.
19. Hythe Ferry
Operating every half an hour, the Hythe Ferry transports locals and tourists to and from Southampton’s Town Quay and Hythe Pier.
This is another ideal choice for ship and boat enthusiasts and children will also enjoy the ferry.
Website: Hythe Ferry
Best experience: Viewing Southampton by boat.
Family friendly: Yes.
20. Oasis Down to Earth Farm
One of the best experiences for children, the Oasis Down to Earth Farm is a real hidden gem.
A community centre focused on farmyard fun. It’s a non-profit charity that provides great experiences for children and adults. If you enjoy observing and interacting with farm animals, Oasis should be high on your to do list!
Website: Oasis Down to Earth Farm
Best experience: Viewing and petting the animals is great fun for adults and kids alike.
Family friendly: Yes, the perfect day out for kids.
21. Titanic Engineer Officers Memorial
Southampton is known for its involvement in the Titanic, and this tribute is a must see for locals and tourists alike.
A stunning testament to the engineers that lost their lives on the Titanic, and situated at the end of East Park.
Website: Titanic Engineer Officers Memorial
Best experience: Learning more about the jobs of the engineers on-board the Titanic.
Family friendly: Yes.
Tempted by Our Escape Room Experiences? Book Your Room Today!
If you’re looking for fun things to do in Southampton this weekend, why not visit our shop on Shirley Street? Don’t be fooled by the shop’s appearance, we’re more than just a simple tailors…
If you’re stuck for things to do in Southampton today, why not give our team a call and see if you’re up to the challenge!