Organising a day out with children can easily turn into a small challenge: finding a place that is interesting for adults, fun and engaging for younger visitors and, above all, capable of leaving them with something more than a few holiday photos. Parma and its surroundings offer a surprisingly rich combination of nature, castles, animals and curious places, often set in green landscapes and easily reached from the city.
From small mud volcanoes that seem to have come straight out of an adventure book to woodland trails, from the deer of Monte Fuso to fossils from an ancient sea, here are 10 experiences to enjoy in Parma with kids, combining nature, discovery and wonder.
What to do in Parma with kids?
If you are looking for ideas for a family day out or weekend, you can choose from walks in nature, castles to explore, animals to observe and truly unusual places. Many of these experiences allow children to learn something about the local area simply by playing and observing the world around them.
1. The Barboj of Rivalta: small mud volcanoes
Have you ever seen a small volcano… made of mud? In the hills of Lesignano de’ Bagni, south of Parma, the Barboj of Rivalta offer one of the most curious natural spectacles in the province. Mud and gas emerge from the ground with a characteristic bubbling sound, forming small volcanoes that seem to slowly boil beneath visitors’ eyes.
It is a perfect place to spark children’s curiosity and turn a walk into a little geological adventure. The landscape alternates between badlands, fields, meadows and woodland, while the trail passes through different natural environments.
The itinerary starts from Lesignano de’ Bagni and reaches Barboj Park along an approximately 8-kilometre loop. The route is classified as easy and can also be explored by mountain bike or e-bike. Before setting off, however, it is advisable to check the current trail conditions.
2. Torrechiara Castle: knights, princesses and a love story
Torrechiara Castle, on the first hills of the Val Parma, seems made to spark children’s imagination. Built between 1448 and 1460 for Pier Maria Rossi, the castle overlooks the valley from the top of a hill and still preserves its imposing walls, towers and elegant interiors.
Its history is also connected with Pier Maria Rossi’s love for Bianca Pellegrini, an element that makes the visit particularly suitable for telling younger visitors a real medieval love story.
After visiting the castle, it is worth stopping in the village and enjoying the landscape of the Val Parma. For a family, it is an experience that combines culture, imagination and time outdoors.
3. Magnani Rocca Foundation Park: peacocks, monumental trees and meadows
In Mamiano di Traversetolo, the Magnani Rocca Foundation holds a surprise that could appeal even to children who are less interested in museums: a large park where magnificent peacocks roam freely.
The Romantic Park surrounds the villa and features monumental trees, exotic plants and large green spaces. Among the trees are a 37-metre-high cedar of Lebanon and a centuries-old sequoia, while the park is also home to several animal species, including peacocks, squirrels, hares and numerous birds.
The visit can therefore become a little observation game: how many peacocks can you spot? Which tree is the biggest? And which animals are hiding among the vegetation?
Adults can also visit the Villa dei Capolavori, home to Luigi Magnani’s art collection. It is an interesting combination for a day in which art and nature meet.
4. Carrega Woods: walking among trees, ponds and wildlife
For a simple day surrounded by greenery, the Carrega Woods are one of the most suitable destinations for families near Parma.
The park stretches across woods, clearings and small ponds, with a network of trails offering routes of different lengths and difficulty levels. Among the most evocative areas are the Lake Svizzera and Lake Grotta, surrounded by vegetation.
Here, a walk can become a real wildlife-tracking game: roe deer, squirrels, hares and other animals live in the park. The Sentiero di Alice, in particular, features panels dedicated to animal footprints and other signs left by wildlife, creating a fun way to learn how to recognise them.
For children, it is a simple but engaging experience: follow a trail, find a footprint, listen to the sounds of the woods and eventually reach a pond.
5. Monte Fuso Wildlife Centre: meeting deer, fallow deer and mouflon
Heading towards the Parma Apennines, you reach the Monte Fuso Wildlife Centre, in the Parco dei Cento Laghi. Here, the animals are the main attraction: deer, fallow deer and mouflon live within the wildlife area, while many other species can be found in the surrounding woods.
For children, it is an opportunity to observe animals that are difficult to see up close in the wild. The centre also organises activities dedicated to learning about wildlife and the local area.
The day can continue with a walk in the woods or a picnic. And for those looking for a little more adventure, the centre also has an adventure park with tree-top courses suitable from the age of 4, with different routes for children and adults. The adventure park is open by reservation and for groups of at least 10 people.
6. Stirone Park and MuMAB: searching for fossils from an ancient sea
What if we told you that, millions of years ago, there was a sea right here? Stirone and Piacenziano Park is one of the most fascinating places in the Parma area and a great way to tell children about the history of the Earth. Numerous fossils emerge along the stream, providing evidence of an ancient sea that once covered the area.
The MuMAB – Museum of Ancient Sea and Biodiversity allows visitors to explore this history through palaeontological finds dating from periods between approximately 14 million and 500,000 years ago. Outside, the trail passes through woodland, rest areas and the canyon walls carved by the Stirone stream.
It can become a real mission for little palaeontologists: observe the rocks, look for traces of the past and imagine what this landscape might have looked like when it was still beneath the sea.
7. Parma with Kids: the Great Beech Tree in the Parco dei Cento Laghi
Some trees seem to have a story to tell. In the Parco dei Cento Laghi, an easy trail leads to the Great Beech Tree, an impressive monumental tree that is around 250 years old. The route is approximately 3 kilometres there and back and is classified as easy, making it particularly suitable for a family walk.
The beech stands at around 1,300 metres above sea level and reaches approximately 34 metres in height. Once you stand in front of its enormous trunk, the temptation to try and hug it together is almost irresistible.
For children, it can become a little woodland adventure, while for adults it is an opportunity to slow down and observe an Apennine landscape very different from the surrounding plains.
8. Taro River Park: a day cycling among water and birds
For a change of pace, hop on a bicycle and follow the course of the Taro River. Taro River Park stretches for approximately 20 kilometres along the river and offers several walking and cycling routes. Among them is the Taro Cycle Route, while the Sentiero Le Chiesuole leads to an area that is particularly interesting for birdwatching.
With children, birdwatching can become a game: bring a small pair of binoculars and try to identify the birds along the river without disturbing the wildlife.
Cycling also makes it possible to experience the landscape more freely, alternating stretches along the river with riparian vegetation and open spaces.
9. Fontanellato Castle: a fortress surrounded by water
In the heart of one of the most beautiful villages in the Parma area, and beyond, there is a castle that seems to have come straight out of a fairy tale. Children will love entering across a real drawbridge!
This is Rocca Sanvitale, also known as Fontanellato Castle. Making it even more evocative is the moat surrounding the fortress, which still holds water today.
Inside, visitors can explore the historic rooms and discover details that fascinate younger visitors too, such as the Camera Ottica, where a system of mirrors and prisms projects an image of the outside square inside the castle.
Throughout the year, activities are also organised for children and families, from interactive visits to creative workshops. In 2026, for example, the Rocca hosted an Easter egg hunt with a multimedia guide and animated readings.
10. The Labyrinth of Masone: getting lost in a sea of bamboo
The final experience may be the most surprising of all: Fontanellato is also home to the Labyrinth of Masone, an enormous maze made entirely from bamboo plants.
The labyrinth is considered the largest of its kind in the world and extends for more than three kilometres. It is made up of around 200,000 plants belonging to around twenty species, creating green corridors, junctions and dead ends.
Here, the visit becomes a real game: choose a direction, take a wrong turn, go back and try to find the exit. It is a fun way to experience nature and architecture together.
The complex also houses Franco Maria Ricci’s art collection, temporary exhibitions and educational activities.
Where to stay green near Parma with kids
After a day among castles, woods, animals and trails, you can choose accommodation in the city or surrounded by greenery, favouring sustainable properties that care about the environment.
On Ecobnb, you can find several eco-friendly accommodations in Parma and the surrounding area, suitable for families who want to combine discovering the local area with environmentally conscious hospitality.
For example, there is B&B Al Battistero d’Oro, located in an eighteenth-century palace in the heart of the city, or BB Cancabaia Parma, set in a 17th-century courtyard on the first hills around Parma, just 15 minutes from the city but surrounded by the countryside. A little further away, there is Room & Breakfast Civico 75, near the Via Francigena and the cycle paths of the Parks of the Duchy, including Taro Park, Stirone Park and Carrega Woods, as well as riding centres and the thermal spas of Salsomaggiore, Tabiano and S. Andrea. It is also about 10 km from the bamboo Labyrinth of Masone in Fontanellato.