Family day trips can be expensive, especially if there is a charge to visit an attraction.
To make venues easier to access for low-income families, there are venues that offer cheaper or free tickets for Universal Credit recipients.
Places such as museums, the zoo and the Royal Horticultural Society Gardens offer this benefit, which also applies to some other services such as pension credit.
We’ve looked at some places that offer discounted or cheap tickets. They’re not all local, but you might be planning a day trip somewhere else this summer, so we’ve listed some places across the UK.
Read more: The playground at Manchester Airport is ideal for a picnic where the children can watch the planes take off.
Royal Horticultural Society Gardens
RHS Gardens across the UK are offering £1 tickets to people with Universal Credit, including the RHS Garden Bridgewater site in Worsley, Salford.
You can book £1 tickets for yourself and up to five accompanying people. This can be a mix of children and adults. Only one member of the group needs to be on benefits. You will need to show proof of your benefits on arrival at the garden.
This also applies to other benefits, including Pension Supplement, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Allowance, Earnings Tax Credit, Income Support, Income-related Unemployment Allowance and Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
Tickets must be booked in advance online. Offer applies to general garden entry only and not to separately ticketed events such as RHS Glow.
Jewish Museum Manchester
Whether you’re interested in museums, history, comedy, art, food, Jewish culture or family activities, the Manchester Jewish Museum promises “something for everyone”.
The museum opened in 1984 and is housed in a Grade II listed (former) Spanish and Portuguese synagogue dating from 1874 in Cheetham Hill, one of Manchester’s most diverse neighbourhoods. Following a £6 million refurbishment and extension, the new museum includes a new gallery, vegetarian cafe, shop, learning studio and kitchen, as well as a complete restoration of the synagogue.
The collection includes more than 31,000 objects documenting the history of Jewish migration and settlement in Manchester. Historians consider the collection to be of national and international importance and the synagogue has been described by Historic England as “one of the country’s high points of Victorian Gothic architecture”.
People in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Job Seekers Allowance can enter the museum free of charge. Visit the website for more information.
York Castle Museum
York is a great day trip destination for families from Manchester and York Castle Museum offers free tickets to families on Universal Credit or other income-based benefits.
The museum brings over 400 years of the city’s history to life. Visitors can meet “prisoners” in the cells of the castle prison, walk the Victorian streets and explore thousands of fascinating exhibits that show how life in the city has changed.
A new exhibition celebrating the rich history of York’s Gypsy and Traveller communities opens on 27 May.
And there are events that take place during school holidays, including ‘Tales From The Trail’ featuring stories, Victorian characters and more.
Tickets for the attraction must be booked online. All children from households receiving income-related benefits are also entitled to free entry.
York Art Gallery
Another place in York where you can get in for free is the art gallery. Entry is available to visitors who receive income-tested benefits such as Universal Credit.
The venue is open from Wednesday to Sunday and offers exhibitions and events.
School holiday activities include Story Craft Theatre, with sessions of games, singing and an interactive story, and Creative Family Thursdays – artist-led creative workshops inspired by the collections and exhibitions.
Further details and the possibility to book can be found here on the website.
London Zoo
If you’re traveling to London this summer, Regents Park Zoo is a popular day trip destination for families.
The place is home to numerous animals – more than 10,000, to be exact – from tiny leaf-cutter ants to a massive 193 kg silverback gorilla.
To help people who are unable to visit London Zoo due to cost or other reasons, Universal Credit tickets offer reduced entry starting from £3 per ticket.
This also applies to other benefits, including Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance.
These tickets must be booked online prior to your visit as only full price tickets are available at the box office.
There are also other locations in London that offer free or discounted tickets, including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the London Transport Museum, Kensington Palace and Kew Gardens, Richmond and its sister location Wakehurst in Sussex.
You can also get £1 tickets to the King’s Galleries in London and Edinburgh.
Dove Cottage and Wordsworth Museum, Grasmere
William Wordsworth and his family lived in this modest cottage in the Lake District from 1799 to 1808.
Now you can visit the house, which has been brought back to life with sights, sounds and smells that evoke memories of over 200 years ago.
Small moments from the Wordsworths’ poems, diaries and letters have been recreated, telling the story of their life here. The orchard behind Dove Cottage has been restored to resemble the ‘native hillside’ that William and Dorothy lovingly created.
The museum tells the story of Wordsworth’s radical and creative life through a collection of handwritten manuscripts, diaries, letters, published poems and personal items.
There are hands-on activities for all ages, including a working printing press and writing with quill and ink.
Visitors in receipt of Universal Credit can enter the attraction free of charge. Book on the website.
Eden Project, Cornwall
If you are a little further away, you can also take advantage of the cheaper ticket offer at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
The indoor biomes feature 30 hectares of botanical gardens to explore, including an indoor rainforest and a Mediterranean garden.
Recipients of Universal Credit, Pension Credit or UK Heritage benefits can get adult tickets for £5 each and child tickets for £1.
Since only a limited number of tickets are available at the box office, early booking is recommended.
The Tank Museum, Dorset
It is Dorset’s largest indoor attraction and houses “the world’s finest collection of military vehicles”.
Children can dress up, get involved and have fun in the tank-themed outdoor play area and the indoor play area.
Low-income families receiving Universal Credit or other benefits can use the cheaper tickets, which cost £10.75 for adults and £6 for children.
These tickets are limited to six people per household (max. two adults and up to four children) and can only be purchased on site at the Panzermuseum. For more information, see the website.
