We recently visited Bowness-on-Windermere, a tourist town on the shore of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, England during the summer holidays to recharge and refresh. We wanted to spend a few days discovering Lake Windermere which is the largest natural lake (in both the Lake District and England).
We had such a fabulous time relaxing by the lake, enjoying ice-creams, taking the ferry around the lake and visiting the boat museum. Both our children love reading and Peter Rabbit was one of their favourite books growing up hence it was only right that we visited The World of Beatrix Potter™.
The venue is a family-friendly place and great to head to on a family day out as it brings to life all 23 magical tales written by Beatrix Potter herself. Scenes and characters such as Squirrel Nutkin, Mrs Tiggy-winkle and Peter Rabbit from the books have been recreated to create a magical experience for the little ones. Keep on reading to find out what we thought of The World of Beatrix Potter™.
What did we think of it?
We stayed in a local hotel which was just a 10-minute walk from Crag Brow so we did not need to drive to the venue and finding the place was easy. We decided to go first thing in the morning as anticipated that it would be busy as it was seeing that it was the summer holidays. There was a slight queue before we could be admitted and a one-way system otherwise things moved on very smoothly. Tickets are purchased on arrival with masks being optional but most people wore them inside.
There are lots of exhibitions with interactive features for the children to get involved. They tried to guess which book the characters were from and then scrolled through the touch screens (which was available in each exhibition) to learn more about it. There was also beautiful light fixtures and smells to create moods around the different rooms and sounds to make the walk more interesting for kids.
The award-winning outdoor Peter Rabbit Garden was beautiful and very interesting with the varied plants, large greenhouse and little creatures hidden between the plants. They also have a lovely character-themed family-friendly café and a gift shop so you can purchase souvenirs to bring back home.
I found the visit and experience truly wonderful and magical at times. My husband and I were intrigued by Beatrix’s life and her upbringing while my children, the realistic-looking characters. If you are wondering who Beatrix Potter is…she was an English writer and illustrator, born in 1866 and lived to the age of 77. She was intrigued by nature, her love for conservation and animals and often drew what she observed in her notebook.
She later became well known for her children’s books featuring the animals which she sketched whilst on holiday in Scotland and the Lake District. She self-published many books including the very famous The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Although she wrote thirty books in total, she is best known for the twenty-three children’s books. The World of Beatrix Potter™ celebrates her life, her books and gathers people from all walks of life who have grown up reading her books. If your children are avid readers like ours and enjoy reading her books or watching The Peter Rabbit movies then it is definitely worth heading to The World of Beatrix Potter™.
How much are the tickets?
Prices range between £4.20 to £8.20 for individual tickets while kids under 3 go for free. A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children cost £23 or you can also opt to purchase a Freedom Pass for £40 which will give a family of four unlimited visits for one year with 10% off in the Cafe every time you visit.
What are their Opening Hours?
They are open every day from 10am to 5.30pm. You can’t pre-book your tickets and need to purchase it on the day. Do arrive earlier as we had to queue when we arrived during the term holidays. We would recommend to allocate at least an hour and a half to visit the attraction.
- They have a one-way system in place; the entrance is only via Crag Brow (pictured) and exit is via Rayrigg Road (except for buggies and wheelchair users). Visitors will queue in a marked area of our foyer before purchasing tickets at the Box Office.
- Their staff continue to wear face coverings and they encourage visitors to do the same if they wish as they are entering an enclosed space (although they have good ventilation and doors will remain open for fresh air).
Where is The World of Beatrix Potter?
They are smack in the middle of town and you can easily locate them on Crag Brow. The Attraction shares a building with the Old Laundry Theatre. We stayed in town and it took us 10 minutes to walk to the location. If you are driving here, use Sat Nav LA23 3BZ for parking and LA23 3BX for the attraction.
The nearest parking to the Attraction is a public pay and display car park on Rayrigg Road. From here simply cross the road, take the second entrance to the building – a passageway to the left straight after the steps up to the Attraction and enter the Attraction via our their new one-way system.
World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
Crag Brow
Bowness-on-Windermere
LA23 3BX
About The World of Beatrix Potter
The World of Beatrix Potter™ Attraction, operated by Lakes Story Ltd, opened on 28 July 1991 by the late Victoria Wood, a great friend and supporter of Directors Roger Glossop and Charlotte Scott.
The Attraction is the brainchild of husband and wife team, theatre set designer Roger Glossop and theatre producer Charlotte Scott, who over the last 30 years have lovingly grown and expanded the Attraction to include the Old Laundry Theatre, a Gift Shop, Nursery Shop, the Laundrama Studio, (used for theatre bistro, films, comedy, and Peter Rabbit tea parties), the New Laundry Cafe and e-commerce unit. The now-famous Chelsea Flower Show gold medal-winning Peter Rabbit Garden also adds to the mix, growing unusual and traditional heritage vegetables, flowers and fruits from Beatrix Potter’s era – with many sourced by simply looking at the illustrations in her little books. All parts of the business complement the Attraction, staying true to the genius that is Beatrix Potter.
You may also want to read this:
Fun Things To Do in Stratford-Upon-Avon with Kids
Alton Towers Resort’s new Stargazing Pod Launch
Mediaeval Luxury Family Glamping Getaway at Warwick Castle
*We were gifted a family ticket in return for the feature. All opinions are our own.
20 comments
What a cool place. My kids would love to go there and see it in person!
How lovely to hear that Heather
My boys haven’t read much of the Peter Rabbit books, but this is such a great place for fans of her work. And being right on a lake and all the things to do there doesn’t hurt, either.
It is a great place to see the characters come to life and what a lovely place as well
This must have been so lovely to go visit. I read all the books years ago. It’s perfect for a day out with kids.
A lovely day out for the whole family indeed
This looks so lovely. I would have loved to take my step daughters, I know they would have enjoyed it.
Yes they sure would love visiting such a lovely venue
I loved Beatrice Potter as a kid so I’d love to head here and find out more x
Both my husband and I enjoyed the visit as well as we did read her books as a child
That looks like a fun place to visit. I would love to see it in person someday.
Hope you do get the chance to visit it
What a fun tour to take the kids on! It looks so beautiful and charming there too.
Especially if you are a Beatrix Potter fan
What a fun place for the family. This looks like a great place to visit and spend the day…glad you had a wonderful time!
Yes we did thank you, so much to see there
This place looks amazing, I’m sure my kids would love it!
A great day out for the whole family
What a magical place! I love the look of the Peter Rabbit garden, and it sounds like your family had a lovely time.
Yes we did thank you, a magical place indeed for those who love Beatrix Potter