Talk

Kayaking on the lakes is fun
Also, it won't sound it, but the pencil museum in Keswick is actually very good.
We camped so didn't really eat out so cant help you there

Grizedale forest on the south east side of the lake is good for a day out, it has a sculpture trail. Blackwell is a wonderful Arts and Crafts house south of Windermere, it has a minstrel gallery. Allen Bank, National Trust place near Grasmere, is a lovely relaxed house, minimal furniture, places to sit and read books, and art stuff around for children, also shortish walks outside.

Orest head is a walk from Windermere which is short and gives you lovely views. There’s a Facebook group of family walks in the lakes which may help. You can get ferry from brockhole visitor centre which has things to do (go ape type activities). Plenty of food- it tends to be better in village pubs like brown horse at winster rather than touristy cafes but that may be just me.

Walk up Gummer’s How - shortish, easyish walk, fantastic views, big mountain feel. It is south of Windermere, starts close to Fellfoot Park Gummer’s How

Usually so something going on a Fellfoot Park

Wray Castle, Lowther Castle

YY to pencil Museum

Brockholes visitor centre

Crazy golf in Ambleside

Grizedale Forest, Whinlatter Forest - walks, bike rides (bike hire), playgrounds

Pleasure boat rides from Windermere

Climbing wall - Ambleside

For eating - Lucy’s on a Plate, Zeffreli’s and Pippins are all long standing favourites. All in Ambleside. Also Wilf’s In Staveley.

Wray Castle is excellent.

When do you come?

Which side of just outside Windermere?

BikeRunSki has pretty much covered it for places to go during the day but it depends on where you are staying for recommendations where to eat.

Depends when you are going as well, there's often lots more things on in School Holidays and after Easter when things start to warm up a bit.

Don't forget to go to Booths/ Lakeland Limited whilst in Windermere

Lakes Aquarium at Newby Bridge and the boats on Windermere.

There’s lots of Beatrix Potter stuff in Hawkshead, ranging from authentic (her house, Hilltop, now owned by the NT), to fairly naff souvenir shops jumping on the bandwagon. All usually very busy.

Nice, easy walk round Tarn Hows if you are out Hawkshead way.

What the others have said -

Brockhole on Windermere - the nets or the high ropes there or just the outdoor playground

Wray castle

Boats

Acquarium and steam train at the end of Windermere

Steam trains - ravenglass or there’s the other ones can’t remember name sorry

South lakes zoo

Crazy golf

Do you have access to a car?

Ambleside climbing wall.
The Lakes Aquarium.
South Lakes Zoo in Dalton.
Ice creams at Waterhead near Ambleside.
Coffee/hot chocolate and cake at either Rattle Ghyll or Copper Pot cafes in Ambleside.

You could drive to Grasmere, Keswick or Hawkeshead for a day out, and there's a fab little working farm at Bouth with working animals (horses you can stroke and help groom/dress, pigs, lambs, dairy cows etc) and homemade ice cream!

The Puzzling Place in Keswick good fun too. And also there's an escape rooms place which I can't remember the name of but that was fun

If you're a fan of fine dining, go to L'Enclume. Second best restaurant in the country.

On the whole, I think of you are looking for ‘places to go’ and ‘things to do’ in the Lakes you are missing something.
The Lakes are best seen from an OS map. What to do -

Walk (low level around the Lakes and valleys if you have limited mobility) but best of all, up high looking down. Awesome:literally. Even quite young children can climb some of the majestic fells. Many have well trodden paths and minimal scrambling. The sense of achievement for a five year old climbing a mountain is incredible. No sleep problems either!
Wild swimming. The tarns and lakes are perfect as an introduction to wild swimming. Refreshing, exhilarating, skin tingling fun that has the whole family giggling and squealing together. Take a flask of hot chocolate.
Take to the water. Sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding are all readily available.
Mountain bikes are available to hire from numerous outlets. Fabulous fun for older children and adults.
Then pub suppers, Bryson’s Plum bread with afternoon tea, umberland sausages in rolls for breakfast.

There’s a lovely gentle and interesting walk from Ambleside up to Rydal caves.
The rock shop in Ambleside is great - my kids loved sitting in the gem pit and choosing which stones to put in the tiny pouch you get for £5.
Second the Puzzling Place in Keswick.
Muncaster Castle is worth a visit - they have mazes and owls.

Oh I can’t be the only one who thinks South Lakes Zoo is rubbish?

Pretty much agree with other recommendations though although never done anything Beatrix Potter related - must do that next time

Oh yes Muncaster Castle was great!

Please not South Lakes zoo - stIll so many unanswered questions.

I love love love the Lakes and have been and seen and done a lot of things ready recommended.

I do love afternoon tea at the Barn shop in Sizergh - time it right so you can the cows being milked. My dc love that. One wet day last year We went to Wray castle for the first time which was great.

Pub wise I like Hole tnt wall in Bowness - great beer. And the Black Bull in Coniston where they brew their own beer. Cartmel has great food places as well as sticky toffee pudding.

On the way home we always stop at Ayres butchers who's Cumberland sausages and steaks are tremendous (according to my meat eaters!)

I wouldn’t bother with the boat trip to the aquarium!

We did Lake District Safari Park last time (after all the stuff with South lakes zoo after we went before), that was nice too

We thought the aquarium was rubbish but spent hours in the Laurel & Hardy museum in Ulverston!

Also enjoyed the Lakeland Motor Museum and a boat trip on Ullswater, we did the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and had a trip to Cartmel to buy sticky toffee pudding!

Loads on this website www.daysoutinfo.co.uk/cumbria-the-lake-district.html

We like. The Safari zoo, Lakeland maze farm park. Old hall farm at Bouth - excellent ice cream. Fell foot park at the bottom of Windermere if you’re nt members it’s free

Treetop trek/nets at Brockhole. Also done stand up paddle boarding.

Plenty of walks and great pubs - hare and hounds at Bowland Bridge, the Plough at Lupton and the Pheasant at Allithwaite all favourites.

Cartmel has some love walking, races are ace if there on. And the Segway around the park is great, fantastic food - home of the sticky toffee pudding and if you’re loaded lenclume

I’d avoid Bowness and Windemere and head more towards Hawkshead and Coniston

If you go further west Muncaster and the Ratty are cracking.

All of that and not really scratched the surface.

Amazing recommendations, thank you, really appreciate it.

I agree with others that youre going to miss out if you're looking for attractions. Plan a walk. As someone else said round a lake if mobility problems or otherwise up a fell. I wouldn't take the kids to the most beautiful place in the UK and stand indoors inside an aquarium. You can join a guided walk if not confident with maps.