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It is no secret that Stratford-Upon-Avon is one of my favourite places. We love visiting as a family, there is so much to do. Yes, there may be no theme parks; it has a different kind of fun, a beautiful organic kind of fun. It is a great place to travel with kids, so vibrant and full of culture.

I wanted to share some of our favourite places to visit in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Some of the places we have created beautiful family memories.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace, now this is somewhere the boys pulled a face at the first time they visited. But they absolutely loved it. The staff at the Shakespeare Trust have a real talent, they are able to draw the whole family in. Take you back to Shakespeare life and times; they really help you get the feel for life back in the day. I particulate loved sitting in the stunning garden, the sun shining, watching a live reenactment of Romeo & Juliette.

Visit the banks of the River Avon. On a beautiful day there is no better place to be, take a picnic and spend the day watching the boats sailing up and down the River, honestly I could spend hours here, I just love it.

Hire a boat and sail down the River Avon. Avon boating offers rowing boats and motorboats for independent tips or boat trips on larger boats. Last time we visited the rain was horrific so we never got to hire a boat. However we have previously hired a motorboat.

Chris and the boys wanted a rowing boat, but I put my foot down, I had no intention or rowing. But sailing down the river in a motor boat feels so quintessentially British, of course Shakespeare would have rowed, but he wasn’t in a boat with Jack and Joe, who I know would have found it hard work, got bored and left it to Chris and I.

The Butterfly Farm is a fantastic place to visit, I was a little worried about the spiders but actually they didn’t bother me. The Butterfly farm is a tropical paradise; it is such a beautiful environment. I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did, and Joe thought it was wonderful. As you walk through the butterfly area the just land on you. I think Joe loved it even more because it freaked Jack out a little ha ha. He was worried about them landing in his hair.

Continuing on the Shakespeare journey we visited Anne Hathaway’s Cottages and Gardens. The childhood home of the wife of William Shakespeare is just so pretty. I love the story if the house and how the family capitalised on the fame of the Shakespeare’s, it is so interesting. The countryside around the house and gardens is just stunning, it even has a woodland area, the perfect family walk.

Then we trotted on to Shakespeare’s mother Mary Arden’s Farm, now here they took interactive to the next level. What an incredible example of a working museum, it literally takes you back to a working farm in the 1500s it was so much fun, yet we learn so much. The staff act out what life was like back then rather than tell you. There are live demonstrations from a blacksmith who told us all about the life of a blacksmith and how he could earn extra money removing teeth oooh!

We witnessed a Tudor meal, this was so great, as the family rang for dinner, prepared and ate their meal they told us about etiquette of the time. This was so fascinating, did you know that depending on your status your cutlery was made of different material, and children had to stand and eat at the table, they were not allowed to sit.

Have a game of Archery at the Stratford Archery Centre, now the Christie boys see themselves as experts so loved this. It was so great to get the time to have a little tuition; it was a session that Chris and boys thoroughly enjoyed. I was busy in the spa having a full body massage but they came back buzzing, full of stories of who was the better archer. 

Next time you visit Stratford check out a couple of these activities, trust me you will love them. And if you haven’t visited Stratford-Upon-Avon and are wondering if you should, all I can say is we love it. Every time we visit we find a new adventure, I don’t think I will ever get bored with it.

A fantastic round up of Things to do in Stratford Upon Avon by Sarah who blogs at Extraordinary Chaos, click here to read her fantastic blog. Sarah can also be found tweeting @sarahjchristie and on facebook here.