Places to go with kids in Essex
Looking for places to go with kids in Essex? Visit Old MacDonald’s Farm in Brentwood!
Finding places to go with kids for a fun day out isn’t always easy, but with unlimited access to all of our rides & adventure areas, access to our soft play and a chance to meet all of our amazing animals, you can’t go wrong. So come and visit Old MacDonald’s farm and enjoy all of the family-friendly fun that’s available in our Essex location!
Find out why we’ve been voted the #1 thing to do in Brentwood and we’re a Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice attraction for 2026. Open seven days a week from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and with special events running throughout the year, your family will have the time of their lives at our animal farm.
Book your tickets online
You can book your tickets online before visiting our farm.
What’s on offer at our farm
You can meet our amazing animals
The stars of the show at Old MacDonald’s Farm are our wonderful animals. From the classic farm animals that you would expect to see including chickens, goats and cows, through to the animals that you definitely don’t see at every farm (highland cows, shetland ponies and meerkats!) there’s something for everyone in the family to enjoy while they’re visiting with us. Here are just some of the animals we have at our farm:
Goats
Cows
Chickens
Donkeys
Highland cows
Shetland ponies
Llamas
Meerkats
Alpacas
And that’s not all!
See the full list of animals at our farm here.
Unlimited access to our rides
That’s right! You can ride as many of our rides as you want for no extra cost! Everything is included within the cost of your day ticket with no nasty surprises on the day. So come and experience the farm themed train ride or the happy horses adventure ride today. You can also enjoy our adventure play areas. Rides at our Essex farm include:
Gigantic snake slide
Doggy dog roller coaster
The thrilling crazy barn ride
Happy horses adventure ride
Farm themed train ride
Merry-go-round
And more!
A full list of rides available at Old MacDonald's Farm can be found here.
Run, laugh and play in our soft play area
Our farm is home to one of the funnest indoor soft play areas in Essex. All kids (and adults) can access our soft play area for free, giving you as much fun as you can handle.
Enjoy our special events
To make your time at our farm even more special we run events throughout the year, including Easter, summer holidays, Halloween and Christmas. In fact, some of your kids’ favourite characters might even turn up!
Upcoming events at Old MacDonald's farm in Essex:
Gabby & Cakey visit Old MacDonald's Farm on the 5th September 2026.
Celebrate nan & grandad at our Essex farm on the 5th October 2026. Grandparents get a free cup of tea included in the entry ticket!
Come and see Bluey & Bingo during storytime sessions in our events area at intervals throughout the day on the 10th October 2026.
Enjoy the spooky season at our farm between 24th October and 1st November 2026. Pumpkin picking, magic shows and plenty of spooky fun to be had at our Essex Halloween festival!
A Christmas Journey at Old MacDonald's Farm
Celebrate the most magical time of the year at our very own Christmas event in Essex! We have a roaming Santa at our farm every day, massive polar bears, singing princesses and as much fun as the family can handle.
Celebrate a birthday at our animal farm
Our Essex birthday party venue is the ultimate fun day out for your child and their friends. For only £26.99 per child, you can have unlimited access to all of our rides, enjoy our animals, play in our soft play area and have a party meal and ice cream during your time with us. One adult can enter for free for every child guest.
Bookings for kid’s parties at our Essex birthday party venue can be made here.
Grab a bite at our farm cafe
Need to take 30 minutes to recharge? Then grab a bite at our farm cafe. With the family favourites including burgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets available (and more!) you’ll find the perfect lunch spot right here with us. Everything is prepared fresh on-site and we have vegetarian and halal options available.
How to find us
By Road
From the A12 AND M25 JUNCTION 28. Take the A1023 to Brentwood. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights into Wigley Bush Lane. Travel for half a mile until you reach the T-junction. Turn left into Weald Road and continue for 2 miles. Old MacDonald's Farm is situated on the left before you reach the junction with Chequers Road.
By Rail
The train service runs from Liverpool Street to Brentwood and Harold Wood.
By Bus
Please take the 294 to Bear Pub in Noak Hill. Please be aware that it is a 20 minute walk, partly without a pavement, to reach the farm. We do not recommend walking to the Farm, as some of the surrounding roads do not have pedestrian footpaths, making the route unsafe.
Parking
We have a large FREE car parking area which has ample parking even during the busiest of times.
Taxi
Licensed taxis are available from Brentwood and Harold Wood Stations.
For cheaper rates on taxi service please call MiniCab 4U on 01708 348 008 or 01708 377 975