Things to Do in Milton Keynes: The Complete Guide

Nov 14 2022

Looking for things to do in Milton Keynes? Well, look no further.

Just like living at The Almere, Milton Keynes is all about the experience. This “new city”, which was all a-buzz earlier this year for having officially been granted city status at the Platinum Jubilee, is fast becoming one of the most popular places to live for young professionals and families.

Just moved into The Almere? With its central location, you’re never too far from some of Milton Keynes’ most fun and interesting attractions.

If you’re planning on inviting friends and family to visit you in this fine city, this guide to the best things to do in Milton Keynes will spoil you with the top choices.

So, let’s begin…

Snozone Snow Resort

If you’re looking for things to do in Milton Keynes and want to experience the thrill of snow sports in sub-zero temperatures, Snozone has you covered.

Touted as Europe’s largest indoor real snow resort, Snozone is the perfect place to take friends and family to enjoy a wide range of activities on steep snowy slopes including skiing, snowboarding, and sledging.

Perfect for Thrillseekers of All Kinds

People of all experience levels can enjoy the chilly excitement of Snozone. Newcomers won?t miss out. Get learning straight away by booking a coaching session. Choices include:

– Beginners Day Course
– Combined Snowboarding Lessons (Levels 1-6)
– Development Coaching Sessions
– Private Ski Lessons

Freestyle pros can enjoy the slope straightaway, but if you’re in need of a slight refresher, there are also courses available to get you back on the snow with confidence.

Refresher courses include the Adult Snowboarding Improver Course and Development Coaching Session.

Perfect for family days out, with disability snowsports sessions available so absolutely no one misses out, Snozone combines speed and adrenaline on its snowy slopes. For one of the most unique things to do in Milton Keynes, it’s definitely worth checking out.

High-Altitude Dining

For a bite to eat, Snozone also features ‘Alpine Kitchen’, which offers a range of Alps-themed cuisine. Their menu includes favourites like the Chicken Schnitzel and Curried Bratwurst to keep everyone well-fed in between skiing sessions.

For more familiar tastes, the Alpine Kitchen at Snozone also offers stone-baked pizzas and gourmet burgers.

Best yet, residents of The Almere in Central Milton Keynes are just a 5-minute drive from where you’ll find Snozone at the Xscape Centre.

Little,Cute,Girl,Snowboarding,Making,A,Tricks,At,Ski,Resort

National Museum of Computing

If you’re looking for things to do in Milton Keynes that involve learning about this city’s rich history, look no further than The National Museum of Computing.

Recognised as one of England’s most ‘irreplaceable places’, The National Museum of Computing is home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers.

So, what can you expect from your trip?

Computing History

The National Museum of Computing chronicles the development of computing – surprise, surprise! – which began in the mid-20th century.

In the museum, computers used by national hero Alan Turing sit next to the room-sized mainframes of the 60s and 70s. Here, visitors will track and learn about how we rapidly got to this modern digital age.

The National Museum of Computing is open throughout the week and hosts a range of educational and celebratory events. Previous events have included:

– National Video Game Day
– Ambassadors Kids Programme
– Atari 50th Anniversary
– STEM Bytes Festival
– Neurodiverse Open Days

When you’re finished at the museum, be sure to walk around the surrounding Bletchley Park.

This is an area of particular historical significance as it housed the heroic codebreakers of WWII that decoded the mysterious Enigma Code and helped win the war.

And for those living at the luxury 1, 2, 3 bedroom apartments at The Almere, the museum is a short fifteen-minute drive or half-hour train from your doorstep.

Old,Office,And,Computer,With,Obsolete,Technology

Gulliver's Land Theme Park Resort

When looking for things to do in Milton Keynes that will amaze the kids, you can’t do much better than Gulliver’s Land Theme Park.

As the UK’s premier child-friendly theme park, Gulliver’s Land is especially perfect for families with kids aged between 2 and 13.

Float high above with the little ones on magical hot air balloons on The Whirlwind, or watch them become fearsome swashbucklers aboard the mighty Buccaneer pirate ship.

Outside of the rides and rollercoasters, Gulliver’s Land also offers a host of attractions and experiences for you and your family, including:

– Monkey Climb
– Adventure Land Maze
– The Enchanted Forest
– Junior Cowboy Town

Spend the Night (or Two…)

To make sure your little ones don’t miss out on anything, you can even book a short break in one of the resort’s many themed accommodations, including the Deluxe Dino Den, JCB Construction Cabin, Princess Suite, and more!

If that wasn’t enough, they even have seasonal events throughout the year, including the Fright Fiesta in October and the ‘Land of Light’ immersive light installation throughout winter.

If you’re just having the one-day experience at Gulliver’s Land, The Almere is a mere 10-minute drive away so you can be home just in time for tea!

The National Bowl

The National Bowl was originally developed in the 1970s and, as reflected in its name, is inspired by the Los Angeles amphitheatre the Hollywood Bowl. Milton Keynes’ answer to the Hollywood Bowl welcomed its first music performances – by Desmond Dekker and Geno Washington – in September 1979.

In 1998, Gaming International Limited took over the operation of the National Bowl, ushering in the subsequent arrival of various big-name music acts – including:

– Bon Jovi
– Eminem
– Oasis
– Take That
– Foo Fighters
– Robbie Williams

With its maximum capacity of 65,000, the venue tends to be reserved for only the most popular musicians who stop by Milton Keynes. To learn more about the intriguing history of the site’s development, please visit the official National Bowl website.

The National Bowl is easy for Milton Keynes visitors to reach, being only just over a mile’s walk away from Milton Keynes Central railway station as well as connected to it by shuttle bus.

However, the National Bowl is especially accessible from the luxury apartments we offer for rental at The Almere. Our complex and the venue are only about a 40-minute walking distance apart.

The Stables

If your idea of a great music gig is one where you can enjoy a more intimate experience and check out some up-and-coming talent before they potentially start playing arenas and stadiums, you could soon feel drawn to The Stables.

This compact venue is situated in the southeast Milton Keynes area of Wavendon and was founded by the jazz supremos Cleo Lane and John Dankworth.

However, jazz is far from the only genre on The Stables’ musical menu – with pop, rock, blues, folk and classical music all also having been featured in the past.

A valuable contributor to Milton Keynes’ musical life

Each year, The Stables holds not only about 400 concerts but also more than 200 educational events. Another crucial event on the venue’s annual calendar is the National Youth Music Camps summer camp, which acts as a training ground for young musicians.

Check out The Stables website to see what is coming up – and get in touch with our team for details of why this little theatre could soon be on your own doorstep.

Stadium MK

Stadium MK drew attention from across Europe when this football ground in the Denbigh district hosted matches during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 tournament – where, of course, the England women’s national football team ultimately triumphed.

Nonetheless, Stadium MK is usually better known as the home ground of the England Football League One side Milton Keynes Dons as well as the affiliated FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division team Milton Keynes Dons Women.

Stadium MK isn’t just for football fans

One major reason why is that the stadium is also a location for music concerts. Here are just a few examples of popular acts with a history of performing at Stadium MK:

– Rod Stewart
– Olly Murs
– Take That
– Rammstein
– My Chemical Romance
– Imagine Dragons

On occasion, the ground has also hosted rugby union games – such as when the North London-based Saracens Rugby Club took on Bristol Bears here in May 2008. The stadium was also selected for three matches of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The schedule of events to be held at Stadium MK is often packed, as can be discerned from a quick visit to the Stadium MK website. While on the subject of a visit, you can pay one to the ground itself at especially short notice when The Almere is your home.

Milton Keynes Museum

Milton Keynes was only technically established as a settlement in 1967 and was not granted city status until 2022. You could therefore understandably be curious to know what day-to-day life was like for people in this geographic area decades before it was given the Milton Keynes name.

Fortunately, you can get a good insight by checking out Milton Keynes Museum, which is located in the city’s parish of Wolverton and Greenleys and includes exhibits originating from post-1800 parts of northern Buckinghamshire and southern Northamptonshire.

Learn more about the area’s rural history

The museum building is a piece of history in itself, having once served as a Victorian farmstead. This, in turn, houses the Stacey Hill Collection, where various domestic, agricultural, industrial and social objects associated with the local area pre-1967 are on display.

Milton Keynes Museum is easy to reach on account of its location on Wolverton’s southern outskirts. Spending time at the museum can also give you an even greater appreciation for the modern amenities available to residents of the apartments here at The Almere.

Brothers,Playing,With,Touch,Screen,In,A,Museum

Milton Keynes Theatre

The ceiling of the auditorium at Milton Keynes Theatre can be raised or lowered to accommodate a wide range of productions. The room’s seating can also be shifted around to make for a 1,400-seater auditorium suited to especially large-scale shows.

Buying a ticket to see a performance at Milton Keynes Theatre can make for a great family day out. The wide range of shows held at this Marlborough Gate-located venue in the past includes West End productions, a Christmas pantomime and touring drama, opera and ballet – so there’s something for all sensibilities!

A theatre suiting modern sensibilities

Milton Keynes Theatre was built and opened in the 1990s and has been run by the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) since then. You might already be very familiar with the ATG name, as the same company operates a network of vintage theatres across the UK.

However, Milton Keynes Theatre differs from these in having been built with modernity at its heart. As the building originally took shape, some of the most sophisticated building equipment then available was utilised.

Today, the theatre exudes luxury in much the same way as the high-end apartments we maintain in Milton Keynes. Take a look at our image gallery to feast your eyes on the kind of luxury you can expect at The Almere.

Campbell Park

One of the most relaxing things to do in Milton Keynes might be walking through lush green space while occasionally stopping to admire some truly enchanting public art! This dream can become a reality in many of the city’s public parks, and especially Campbell Park.

Campbell Park is owned and managed by The Parks Trust, a charitable organisation which also has the responsibility of looking after the following open-air sites:

– Elfield Nature Park
– Furzton Lake
– Howe Park Wood
– Caldecotte Lake
– Lodge Lake
– Glebe Farm

However, a visit to Campbell Park is definitely worth moving to the top of your to-do list! The park is one of the largest to have been laid out in England since the 20th century, and includes water features, an open-air auditorium, the Grand Union Canal and even a first-class cricket pitch.

Campbell Park also sits between Milton Keynes city centre and the wider landscape. Consequently, once you have made a home for yourself at The Almere, you can look forward to making many impromptu trips to the park – such as with a partner or the rest of your family.

Xscape Milton Keynes

This sports and entertainment complex offers the young and the young-at-heart alike alike plenty of exciting things to do in Milton Keynes. The range of activities that can be pursued under Xscape’s roof include:

– Bowling
– Trampolining
– Urban climbing
– Gaming
– Indoor skydiving

Of course, after all of that, you’re bound to be a bit peckish. It’s fortunate, then, that Xscape is also home to various restaurants where you can simply grab a quick bite to eat or tuck into a full dinner!

The Xscape building also houses a significant amount of retail space. The well-regarded brands with brick-and-mortar outlets here include:

– Evans Cycles
– Extreme
– Geek Retreat
– Surfanic
– Trespass
– WHSmith

Xscape Milton Keynes is an especially powerful draw for families due to the wealth of exciting attractions and facilities they are able to take advantage of here. The Xscape Milton Keynes website goes into further detail about exactly what can be enjoyed at this activity centre.

Xscape also has the advantage of being only about a ten-minute walk away from The Almere. After leaving one of our well-maintained apartments in Milton Keynes, you can just wander along Avebury Boulevard for an afternoon of adventure!

Bonding,With,Friends,And,Family,Over,A,Game,Of,Bowling

Midsummer Place

If you fancy some retail therapy, the premier shopping centre of Midsummer Place – sited in a conveniently central part of Milton Keynes – can prove a particularly good place to while away a day. The building is home to retail outlets representing various respected brands – including:

– Apple
– Hugo Boss
– Lego
– Victoria’s Secret
– Tommy Hilfiger
– Zara

However, it’s not just the big names that you can expect to see at Midsummer Place, as numerous independent retailers have also established a presence here.

As a result of visiting the website of Midsummer Place Shopping Centre, you are able to not only learn more about what brands offer goods there but also look up events set to take place in the building.

Still, you can take comfort that shopping opportunities also abound elsewhere in Milton Keynes. The apartments we have made available to rent at The Almere are also centrally located, enabling residents to easily make short-notice trips to a range of shops nearby.

Peace Pagoda

The Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda sits near Willen Lake and is the first pagoda of its kind to have been built in the Western hemisphere. The structure was assembled in 1980 by monks and nuns of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji spiritual movement, which has Buddhist origins.

Sacred relics of Lord Buddha are enshrined in the Peace Pagoda, the frieze of which tells Buddha’s life story, including his teachings. Within proximity to the pagoda is the Buddhist Temple, where services and spiritual events are regularly held.

There is a lot to enjoy in this part of Milton Keynes — from the fascinating design of the pagoda itself to the Japanese and Zen gardens at the Buddhist Temple.

While on the subject of greenery, you could also catch sight of cherry trees originally planted in memory of war victims. One of the most moving things to do in Milton Keynes is to look closely at the One World Tree, which displays written prayers and messages of hope.

Today, the Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda is maintained by The Parks Trust — and, once you have booked a viewing of our Milton Keynes apartments , it will be a good time for you to start researching the best things to do in Milton Keynes.

Stony Stratford

Milton Keynes’ ‘new town’ background remains strongly evidenced by the city’s grid pattern and modern buildings. Nonetheless, as the settlement grew, it swallowed up sites that had existed long before — one good case in point being the ancient town of Stony Stratford.

Stony Stratford officially became a town in 1215 but has a history going back to Roman times if not earlier. The Roman road of Watling Street forded the Great Ouse River here.

Also in Stony Stratford is the former inn where the boy king Edward V is said to have been captured by his uncle — the then Richard, Duke of Gloucester — before the former mysteriously disappeared and the latter became King Richard III.

However, Stony Stratford has links to various historical eras. For example, it was in 1645 — during the English Civil War — that Parliamentarian forces were billeted in the town, while the High Street remains home to coaching inns that rose to prominence in the Georgian period.

With local historian Frank Markham having hailed Stony Stratford as ‘the Jewel of Milton Keynes’, you can see for yourself how this plaudit was earned. Just pay a visit to the area and have a good look at The Almere while you are in Milton Keynes.

National Radio Centre

Of course, Bletchley Park — the English country house and estate where Allied code breaking activities took place during World War II — is well worth visiting in itself. However, it can be too easy to overlook a side attraction situated in a building near Bletchley Park’s main entrance.

This extra building is known as the National Radio Centre (NRC), which is managed by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). The main exhibition here provides an in-depth insight into the history of radio communications technology.

However, don’t expect your time at NRC to feel like a dry, boring history lesson. Here are just some of the things you can enjoy there:

– Informative films
– Hands-on experiments
– Interactive displays
– The chance to go ‘on the air’ at an amateur radio station

You can also learn about the RSGB’s own history as well as how Voluntary Interceptors assisted in the British war effort. These volunteers were recruited as part of an MI5 drive aimed at detecting and monitoring enemy radio transmissions.

There’s already a lot to like about life at The Almere — and, if you were to be a resident at this Milton Keynes apartment complex, you would be able to regularly journey to Bletchley Park and the National Radio Centre in little time. It’s a tantalising prospect for history buffs.

Emberton Country Park

One key advantage of living at The Almere is that you would never be too far away from a sumptuous green space in Milton Keynes. Consider, for example, the fact that Emberton Country Park would be only about 20 minutes away by car.

The park itself is located only just within the City of Milton Keynes borough as well as near Buckinghamshire’s borders with Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. The site’s distance from the major urban developments of Central Milton Keynes certainly shows, too.

Emberton Country Park sits on the Great Ouse River and spans 200 acres of parkland including:

– Walking and cycling trails
– Meadows
– Woodland
– Lakes
– An information centre

There are five lakes overall, all of which are suitable for fishing activities. Other outdoor activities you can enjoy at Emberton Country Park in the summer include barbecuing and picnicking. This beautiful spot can therefore make an ideal destination for a family trip.

In preparation for spending time in this green space, feel free to peruse the Emberton Country Park section of the Milton Keynes City Council website. Emberton is open right throughout the year and includes more than 200 pitches suitable for tents, caravans and motorhomes.

If you will be visiting the park alone or with just a partner, you could even have a good run across much of the greenery. When living at The Almere, you could continue with your exercise efforts at the Milton Keynes apartment block, where fitness classes regularly are held.

MK Gallery

Naturally, a home should be more than just a physical space or building, which is why we have worked hard to make the apartments we offer in Milton Keynes aesthetically pleasing. Fortunately, though, there’s no shortage of beauty further afield within the town’s boundaries.

In fact, just a 15-minute walk away from The Almere is MK Gallery, which specialises in displaying contemporary visual art. For the creative spirits, workshops and craft events also happen regularly at the gallery – which is also often chosen as a stop for touring exhibitions.

Artworks from local, national and international artists have appeared at MK Gallery, it even houses a café for when you might feel the need to replenish yourself during your time here.

While the exhibition space is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day except Monday, the café is open until 7:30 pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The MK Gallery building alone is visually stunning and enables you to take in wonderful views of glorious green space. If you do rent an apartment based at The Almere, you can benefit from memorising MK Gallery’s address of 900 Midsummer Boulevard, MK9 3QA.

Milton,Keynes,,England,On,16th,May,2020:mk,Gallery,In,Milton

The Concrete Cows

We mentioned Milton Keynes Museum earlier, but you might have yet to realise that the former Victorian farmstead it occupies is also where the Concrete Cows, an iconic set of sculptures strongly associated with Milton Keynes, were originally created.

No, not in the Victorian era; rather, they were created by the American artist Liz Leyh at Stacey Hill Farm in 1978. Today, you can see the Cows — and the fibreglass-reinforced concrete with which they have been skinned — at the Wolverton-situated museum.

Though the Cows — consisting of three cows and three calves — were once placed at a parkland site in the residential Bancroft district of Milton Keynes, replicas made by Bill Billings are now to be found there instead and might have achieved greater fame than the original sculptures.

Ultimately, you shouldn’t be afraid to milk the opportunity to see both the original and replica Concrete Cows. Simply searching for the cows can be a fun experience in itself!

You can also find your way around the apartments, living spaces and amenities at The Almere once you have hit the link and sent us a filled-in enquiry form to book a viewing.

Broughton Gate Skate Park

Perhaps you are researching The Almere as a potential place to live because you have a young family and anticipate being a Milton Keynes resident for the foreseeable future.

In this scenario, you could also naturally be interested in knowing what family-friendly attractions abound in the Buckinghamshire city. Wherever in Milton Keynes you go for a family day out, will inevitably depend on what you know your children like to do in their spare time.

If your kids happen to love skating or cycling, you can expect them to have a brilliant experience at Broughton Gate Skate Park — which, though on the brink of closure back in 2012, is now owned by The Parks Trust and open on a daily basis from 10 am to 7 pm.

The park is strewn with ramps and obstacles for your offspring to have fun navigating — and, of course, you can also enjoy watching all of the action from a safe distance. You can learn more about Broughton Gate Skate Park by visiting the website of The Parks Trust.

It would also be worthwhile for you to keep in mind that there are plenty of other family-friendly things to do in Milton Keynes. Why not make a few suggestions to your kids and see what they reckon would be an extra-special experience for them?

On the accommodation side of things, you could also be intrigued by the idea of renting a 3-bedroom apartment in Milton Keynes. We have made it easy for people visiting our website to discern what living in a space like this at The Almere would genuinely be like.

Cool,Skateboarder,Outdoors,-,Afroamerican,Guy,Jumping,With,His,Skate

Great Linford Manor Park

In many respects, the history of Great Linford Manor Park is also the history of the Great Linford area where it is located. According to local archaeological finds, Great Linford was initially settled by the Saxons in the 7th century.

Adjacent to the mediaeval village of Great Linford was a manor house later bought and rebuilt by wealthy merchant Sir William Pritchard and his wife Lady Sarah in the late 17th century. Over the subsequent centuries, this residential property was altered and is now largely Georgian in design.

It was in the 17th and 18th centuries that the water garden and the wilderness garden situated just outside the house took shape as private settings intended for it. Today, the gardens are open to the public, allowing you and the rest of your family to embrace plentiful green space there.

Just a word of warning: the house itself remains privately owned, meaning that you should expect the privacy of any residents there when visiting the gardens. Fortunately, though, you don’t have to look far for a cosy living space of your own in Milton Keynes.

That’s because a 2-bedroom apartment at The Almere can be very much the definition of ‘cosy’. You can enquire with us about potentially renting this kind of Milton Keynes apartment — one that would provide luxurious space for you and, say, a partner.

Milton,Keynes,,England,-,August,26,,2016:,Summer,View,At

No Shortage of Things to Do in Milton Keynes

As you can see, Milton Keynes is a city with lots to offer, enough to tire out the whole family! But when you’re done, you’re never too far from the luxury apartments of The Almere.

Located in Milton Keynes’ city centre, The Almere hosts 1, 2 and 3-bedroom pet-friendly apartments for a community of young professionals who want the best of city and family life.

A host of amenities enhance our residents’ comfort and convenience, including:

Co-working spaces that allow you to get in the zone whilst away from the office
Rooftop dining spaces for a luxe alternative to dining at home
Community spaces for winding down and a change of scenery

If you’re interested in renting out any of our 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartments at The Almere, make sure to book a viewing so you don’t miss out!