A day out in Bath with a 1-3 year old

American Museum & Gardens

Start on the hillside estate above the Avon valley. For a one to three year old the draw is mostly outdoors: wildlife-friendly gardens, a reproduction of a George Washington garden, woodland walks and open lawns to run on. Indoors, the Grade I listed manor house holds period rooms, quilts, folk art and maps, plus changing special exhibitions — good for a slow circuit in a carrier or buggy before the legs want the lawn again. Seasonal indoor and outdoor family trails run through the year, which gives an older toddler something to hunt for. The deli has a terrace over the valley if you want a drink before moving on, and the gallery shop stocks children's toys and books. Noise-reducing headphones are lent free from the ticket office, worth knowing if your child finds echoing rooms hard. Under-fives go free. The guide puts a typical visit at around two and a half hours, which is generous for this age — leave when interest goes, not when the clock says.

Prior Park Landscape Garden

The second stop sits on the slopes south of Bath, so you are crossing the city from the valley side. This is the lunch stop: there is a picnic area and a small refreshment cabin by the lower entrance. Then walk the lakes and winding paths, cross the rare Palladian bridge, and look at the cascade and dams in the lower garden. Be realistic about the terrain — there are steep sections between the upper and lower parts, and this is a walking-and-looking garden rather than a play-focused one. With a toddler, carry the option of a carrier and treat the bridge as the destination rather than attempting a full loop. Dogs on leads are welcome. The Bath Skyline walk starts from here, which is a note for another decade.

Bath Racecourse

Now north, up to Lansdown Hill, one of the highest flat racecourses in the country with views over Bath. This only works as a stop on the right day: the course lays on family fun days where children get free entry to most fixtures with a paying adult, and the extra free entertainment on those days has in the past included inflatables, face painting, go-karts and fairground rides. Much of that suits a three year old better than a one year old, but the open ground and the noise and colour of a crowd are their own entertainment at any age. Picnics are allowed on family days and food and drink are sold on site. Check the events calendar before you travel — the programme changes year to year and not every fixture is a family day.

The Little Gym Bath

Hold this one back. The Little Gym runs play-based gymnastics in small groups with specially-trained instructors, and the parent and child classes for babies and toddlers are built around foundational motor skills and bonding — exactly the right shape for this age, and entirely indoors in a bright, spacious gym. Because it runs on classes rather than drop-in play, it needs arranging ahead rather than diverting to on a whim.

If the day sours, cut the racecourse: it is the stop that depends most on the calendar and the weather, and going home after Prior Park still counts as a full day. If rain sets in early, swap to the indoor rooms at the American Museum and move the gym class into the plan properly. If your toddler is tired rather than fractious, the garden paths at Prior Park are a reasonable place to let a buggy do the work while the adults get the view.