Heritage Open Days: How to Find 6,000+ Free Days Out
What Are Heritage Open Days and Is Everything Really Free?
If you’re looking for free days out this September, Heritage Open Days is well worth putting in the diary. England’s largest community-led festival of history and culture returns from the 11th to the 20th of September, giving you the chance to visit thousands of historic buildings, museums, National Trust and English Heritage sites, unusual spaces and special events without paying an admission fee.
Heritage Open Days is brought together by the National Trust, with support from People’s Postcode Lottery players. At the same time, thousands of community groups, venues and volunteers organise individual events locally. English Heritage also has participating properties and events within this year’s programme.
I update this guide each year because the programme changes completely, and it usually includes places that would normally cost money to visit or aren’t open to the public at other times.
The Heritage Open Days event finder lists more than 6,000 in-person events, plus online activities and more than 1,100 events with family activities, so there's likely something for everyone.
What Are Heritage Open Days and Is Everything Really Free?
Heritage Open Days is a 10-day festival held across England each September, with events organised by thousands of local volunteers, heritage organisations and community groups. To be registered as an official Heritage Open Days event, the main attraction must be free from entrance to exit, even where the venue would normally charge visitors.
That free-entry rule is one of the things that makes the festival particularly useful if you’re watching the cost of family days out. The programme isn’t limited to museums either; it includes historic houses, churches, industrial sites, gardens, tours, workshops, archives and buildings that may be inaccessible during the rest of the year.
If National Trust properties are of particular interest, I also keep an eye on separate free National Trust pass offers that become available at different points during the year.
The National Trust brings the national festival together, with thousands of organisations and volunteers delivering events locally. English Heritage also has participating properties and events within this year’s programme.
When Are Heritage Open Days?
Heritage Open Days runs from Friday the 11th of September until Sunday the 20th of September. Individual venues don’t necessarily participate for the full 10 days, so check the listing for the specific place you want to visit rather than assuming it will be free throughout the festival.
Some attractions only offer one free day, while others have several dates available. For example, National Trust properties currently listed include Avebury Manor and Garden with free entry on the 11th and 12th of September, while Ormesby Hall is offering free admission over 6 festival days.
How Many Free Heritage Open Days Events Are There?
There are currently more than 6,000 in-person Heritage Open Days events taking place, and the Heritage Open Days event finder is an easy way to find events near where you live. The finder lets you filter participating venues by location, dates, whether booking is required, family activities, organisations including the National Trust or English Heritage, and whether the site is only open to visitors during Heritage Open Days.
The finder found that 645 listings were marked as places that are open to visitors only during Heritage Open Days, making the event even more of a treat because it offers visitors the chance to visit somewhere they ordinarily couldn't.
What Is the Everyday Histories Theme?
This year’s theme, Everyday Histories, looks at the working lives, routines and traditions that have shaped communities. Organisers are exploring stories connected with places such as factories, workhouses, high streets, kitchens, schools and community centres, putting more focus on ordinary lives that can easily be overlooked in traditional heritage stories.
Heritage Open Days highlights include stories about nurses and patients at the Florence Nightingale Museum, the working lives of brickmakers in Preston and British postal history at the Colne Valley Postal Museum in Essex.
Findmypast has also worked with several participating sites to research previously overlooked local stories, with those venues offering free access to its family-history records during their events.
What Sort of Free Days Out Can You Find?
There’s a much wider range than the name Heritage Open Days might suggest. You can find conventional free entry to historic attractions alongside guided walks, backstage tours, workshops, demonstrations, sporting heritage and access to buildings normally closed to visitors.
Heritage Open Days describes the festival as a chance for “doorstep discovery”, and the range of places involved goes well beyond traditional historic houses. Depending on where you live, you could find anything from a Cold War bunker, lighthouse or signal box to a canal boat, colliery, lido or place of worship opening its doors for free.
One particularly unusual example this year is Wigan Athletic’s Heritage Museum, where a limited number of visitors can explore the club museum and receive free tickets for the match against Wycombe Wanderers on the 19th of September. That event requires booking, and tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
In Bristol, M Shed is running behind-the-scenes tours of collections including historic vehicles, machinery, printing equipment and dockside objects. Somerset’s Muchelney Abbey is also opening for free, with activities including traditional stone-carving demonstrations.
There are plenty of more conventional free-entry opportunities too. Current listings include free admission to Shibden Hall in Calderdale, Arlington Court in Devon, Cromer Museum in Norfolk and several National Trust properties around England.
Are Heritage Open Days Good for Families?
Yes, there’s a substantial family programme. When I checked the official search, 1,133 events were specifically tagged as having children’s or family activities, so there are options well beyond traditional guided tours aimed at adults.
Kids in Museums has also selected a group of family-friendly highlights from this year’s programme, covering activities ranging from crafts and printing to carnivals and visits to unusual heritage spaces such as police boxes.
It’s worth using the family filter when searching rather than simply choosing the nearest historic building. That way, you can see whether a venue offers trails, activities, or demonstrations alongside the building itself, which may make it a better day out with children.
If you’re looking for more low-cost ideas, my cheap days out section has more free and affordable family activities around the UK.
Do You Need to Book Heritage Open Days?
Some Heritage Open Days events need booking, but thousands don’t. When I wrote this post and checked, the official event finder showed about 3,932 listings marked as not requiring pre-booking and 1,724 that required advance booking.
Booking requirements depend on the venue and the activity. A large property offering general free admission may let you turn up. At the same time, a behind-the-scenes tour, small historic building, or specialist guided walk may have only a handful of places available.
For example, some National Trust free-entry events such as Avebury Manor and Seaton Delaval Hall currently say no booking is needed. At the same time, tours at other attractions have limited numbers and require advance tickets.
If there’s somewhere you particularly want to visit, I wouldn’t wait to check it until the festival weekend. Find the individual listing now, check the booking information, and note any ticket-release date.
How Do You Find Heritage Open Days Near You?
The easiest option is the official Heritage Open Days event search, where you can enter a place or postcode and narrow the results using filters. You can also print Heritage Open Days listings by region and county if you want to browse everything happening across a wider area.
I’d start locally rather than searching for the biggest attraction you recognise. One of the strengths of Heritage Open Days is that the programme includes smaller community buildings, local history projects and spaces that you may have passed many times without realising there was anything to visit inside.
Before travelling, check the individual event page again. Heritage Open Days specifically advises visitors to check listings for last-minute changes, and individual opening dates, accessibility arrangements and booking requirements can differ considerably.
Is Heritage Open Days Only in England?
Heritage Open Days covers England, not the whole of the UK. Events must either take place in England or be registered as an online event to qualify for the festival.
If you live elsewhere in the UK, separate heritage programmes exist. Scotland has Doors Open Days, Wales runs Open Doors, while Northern Ireland has European Heritage Open Days.
How Much Could a Free Heritage Day Out Save?
There isn’t one sensible average saving because Heritage Open Days covers everything from sites that are normally free to attractions that usually charge admission, as well as experiences you can’t normally buy at all.
The better way to look at it is to find a venue you genuinely want to visit and compare its normal admission price with the Heritage Open Days event. A family visiting a normally paid attraction can potentially save. At the same time, a free specialist tour or access to a normally closed building has value even when there’s no normal ticket price to compare against.
You can also combine a Heritage Open Days visit with other low-cost activities nearby, which works particularly well if you’re planning a full family day out rather than travelling a long distance for a single 1-hour event.
Is Heritage Open Days Worth Putting in the Diary?
For me, the appeal is the combination of free admission and access to places you may otherwise never see. You can use it to reduce the cost of visiting an attraction you already know. Still, some of the more interesting opportunities are the smaller tours, archives, workshops, and buildings that only open during the festival.
The programme runs for 10 days, so you have time to explore locally rather than trying to cram everything into one weekend. Check the listings now, book anything with limited capacity, then have another look nearer September because individual event details can still be amended before the festival begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are Heritage Open Days?
Heritage Open Days run from the 11th to the 20th of September. Individual venues choose which dates within the festival they take part in, so check the listing before travelling.
Are Heritage Open Days completely free?
Yes. Official Heritage Open Days events must provide free admission to their main attraction from entrance to exit. A free tour inside an attraction that still requires you to buy an admission ticket wouldn’t meet the festival entry rules.
Do you need to book Heritage Open Days?
It depends on the event. Thousands of listings don’t require booking, while tours and venues with limited capacity may need booking.
How do I find Heritage Open Days near me?
Use the official Heritage Open Days event search, enter your location, then filter results by date, booking requirements, or the type of event you want. You can also browse printable lists by region and county.
Are National Trust properties free during Heritage Open Days?
Some National Trust properties take part and offer free admission on specific festival dates, but that doesn’t mean every National Trust property is free throughout the 10 days. Check the individual Heritage Open Days listing before you travel.
Can children go to Heritage Open Days?
Yes. More than 1,100 current event listings are tagged as offering children’s or family activities, although suitability varies by event. Use the family filter when searching for events.
Are Heritage Open Days across the whole UK?
No. Heritage Open Days is the programme for England, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate heritage-opening programmes.
