It is not too bustling as London or charming like Edinburgh but Inverness still has its own unique imprint. Meanwhile, somebody said that Inverness is “The Capital of the Highland” or the nearest place to hunt Loch Ness monster. Alongside, if you want to explore the Scottish Highlands, you should make a trip to Inverness. Inverness may not have the amusement theme park or entertainment shows, but it has the magnificent nature and the mysterious castles during your journey. If your family is fans of discovery travel or prefer to enjoy the beauty of nature, Inverness is a great place for you. There are a lot of things to do in Inverness with kids for those who love adventure and nature.
1. Loch Ness
Are you ready to hunt a Loch Ness monster? It will be an omission when you travel to Inverness but don’t visit Loch Ness at least one time. This is one of the best things to do in Inverness with kids for a family trip.
Loch Ness has the picturesque landscapes surrounding it. Sometimes, people said that you simply just take any photos, it will become beautiful paints. Besides that, the atmosphere surrounding the loch is quite peaceful and tranquil. You should take this chance to enjoy a cruise downstream along the lake with your kids. During the trip, you can introduce to them the Fort Augustus and strolling to the forest community of Foyers.
2. Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle is a unique castle located beside Loch Ness. Therefore, if your family would like to make a trip to explore Loch Ness, you shouldn’t miss out on Urquhart Castle. These two destinations always appear in the list of things to do with kids in Inverness voted by parents.
Most of the tour to visit Loch Ness also will give you at least 30 minutes to visit Urquhart Castle. However, a tour on a cruise downstream along Loch Ness and visit Urquhart Castle will bring a new wave to your kids. Your family will change the bus to the cruise and the land will change to the water on your journey. Meanwhile, the cruise will stop at Urquhart Castle and give you one hour to explore the castle before returning. This trip is quite suitable for the family has both infants and seniors. Whatever your ages, you can enjoy this tour with your loved ones.
3. The Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle
It is can say that the best part of Scottish Highland is the Isle of Skye. It would be an omission when you traveling to Inverness but haven’t passed by this place yet for a short visit. Most of the parent suppose that this place is one of the wonderful things to do with kids in Inverness.
While the Isle of Skye has the featured stunning view of incredible geological formations and coastlines. The Eilean Donan Castles is one of the most iconic images of Scotland all over the world. The special point of Eilean Donan Castles is the position where the three great sea lochs meet, include: Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Also. It means that when you are here, besides the beauty of Eilean Donan Castles, you also can marvel the gorgeous of these three lochs.
Most of the tour going to the Isle of Skye will combine with a short visit to Eilean Donan Castles. Therefore, you can consider which tour is quite suitable for your family on the journey.
4. Cairngorms National Park
If your family loves to explore the stunning view of nature but your kids are still small and you prefer a convenient trip? Therefore, you can design a trip to the Cairngorms National Park where you still can see the wonders of the Scottish Highlands in a safe way. The Cairngorms National Park with the vast lush grasslands around, your kids can walk up and down its undulating hills, and discover its fauna and flora. This is the great thing to do in Inverness with kids that you can add-in your list.
Besides that, when you are in Cairngorms National Park, don’t miss out on Glenmore Forest Park is located inside. Your family can stroll down around the forest park and relaxing in the middle of the green lush vegetation.
5. John O’Groats
John o’ Groats is quite attractive to tourists who have been Inverness. This is a coast small village located in the Far North of Scotland. Most people prefer to visit this place in a few days or in a day tour since it only distances over 2 hours from Inverness.
Besides that, on the way going to the village, you may see the breathtaking view of the sandy long beaches and don’t miss this chance for some beautiful photos. Meanwhile, most of the kids love to explore the castles and gardens in John o’ Groats. Therefore, you should visit the castles such as Golspie and Dunrobin Castle for a short trip with the fairy tales characteristic scene. If you book a day tour, definitely, this will include all these featured destinations at John o’ Groats.
6. Culloden Battlefield Visitor Center
Besides the stunning view of Scottish Highland, Inverness also has some historic places that you can bring your kids to explore more. Culloden Battlefield Visitor Center is one of the things to do in Inverness with kids for learning history. This is one of the most historically significant sites in Scotland. The battle is the last one in occurred on British land. After this battle, a lot of things changed, some of the traditional were prohibited.
Therefore, to save the history for the next generation, the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Center was established and has been restored to resemble the fateful day in April 1746. Besides the story about the battle and reason lead everything coming to this battle, the creative interactive exhibition will make you have a lively experience about this historical event. The sound and simulated facilities will make your kids understand and get the knowledge easily.
7. Jacobite Steam Train
If your family is fans of the Harry Potter series, you are quite familiar with the steam train from the platform 9 3/4 to Hogwarts. Well then, why don’t you take this chance to experience the Jacobite Steam Train in your Inverness trip? This steam train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, voted one of the world’s most scenic railways.
Besides that, in the Harry Potter series film, this steam train with the scene of the Glenfinnan Viaduct has appeared in the movie a few times. This is one of the best things to do in Inverness with kids for a suburb trip outside Inverness. Not only that but the sights outside the train’s window is really amazing that your family couldn’t imagine. Therefore, to enjoy the stunning view in realistic, you should book a tour on this steam train.
8. Brodie Castle
In the suburb of Inverness has a historical charm, a magnificent castle named Brodie Castle. The castle is quite famous with over 400 varieties of daffodil. This place is really suitable for a family trip with limited time in Inverness.
Your kids will have an amazing trip when they visiting this site. Besides the wonderful architecture, the castle is proud of by the rich history with the ancestral home of the Brodie Clan for over 400 years. Meanwhile, the castle was built since the 12th century, it was reconstructed, maintenance and preserve until today. Most of the furniture and decoration still maintain at the same time in the past and your kids may feel like a prince and princess either when entering this place.
9. Black Isle peninsula
In one of the beyond destinations from Inverness is the Black Isle – a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. This is a typical place in the rural countryside in the highland. With a tour to the Black Isle, your family can both wander along with the quaint village and marvel the lush grasslands, cut through seas of trees. Not only that but sometimes, your kids can see the dolphins in their wildlife habitat if your family is lucky. From Inverness, you can take either a bus, rent a car or book a tour to this place. However, most of the families with little kids prefer to book a tour to visit without hassle.
10. Applecross and Loch Carron
Inverness is the center of the Scottish Highlands with a lot of magnificent nature sights surrounding. Further from the North of Inverness is the famous Applecross Pass, the third highest road in Britain at over 2,000 feet. This destination is quite suitable for an adventure of the whole family with the various wildlife during your trip.
Meanwhile, the most typical places on this journey include the remote villages of Lochcarron, Applecross, and the Wild Highlands. According to most of the tourists who have ever visited, these places have amazing sights. Sometimes, you only need to bring the camera and capture any scenes that will become a beautiful landscape picture.
Although Inverness is not a big city with an exciting amusement theme park or much-crowded shopping malls, the small city still has its own attractive. There are many things to do in Inverness with kids from the family who loves nature and conquer the wonderful wildlife. If Inverness is listed in your plan, you can refer to some tips above for an unforgettable trip with your kids.