The Kelpies at The Helix in Falkirk.
Photo: G Laird · Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Falkirk · Engineering

The Kelpies with kids

The Kelpies can be a quick Falkirk stop or a longer wander through The Helix. Seeing the 30-metre sculptures, taking photos and walking the paths costs nothing. If you want more, add the roughly 25-minute paid tour, Adventure Zone or seasonal Splash Play. Choose your car park before you go: the closer Kelpies car park locks at night, while the smaller 24-hour Helix car park means a longer walk.

Best fit
Toddlers to primary age · flexible family stop
Cost
Free to view · paid tour · seasonal parking charges
Weather
Mainly outdoors · Visitor Centre for a short pause
Allow
Around 45 minutes to 2 hours

Our family take

The huge steel horse heads give even young children something obvious to look at, without needing them to follow the engineering story. Because the sculptures are free to visit, you can stop after photos or add the tour and more of the park. The tour is the only way inside one sculpture.

  • Strongest age fit. Toddlers and preschoolers are more likely to enjoy the scale, open space and play. Primary-age children can get more from the engineering story and short tour.
  • Weather. This is mainly an outdoor visit. The Visitor Centre gives some shelter, but the sculptures, paths and play areas need outdoor clothing.
  • Evening visits. The sculptures are lit after dark, but use the smaller 24-hour Helix car park if your visit will run beyond the closer car park's barrier time.
Plan your visit View on map

The practical details

Plan your visit

Free access
You can see and walk around The Kelpies at any time without a ticket. Visitor Centre, cafe, exhibition and tour hours are separate, so check the live site if you need those facilities.
Tour tickets
The approximately 25-minute tour is the only way inside a Kelpie. Current prices are £9 adult, £8 concession and £3.50 child, with two children free per paying adult. Advance booking is advised; tickets are non-refundable but can be transferred.
Address
The Helix, Falkirk FK2 7ZT. Follow the brown tourist signs when approaching by car.
Closer Kelpies car park
About 0.3-0.4 km from the sculptures. It is the shorter walk, but it locks at night, so check the seasonal barrier time before an evening visit.
24-hour Helix car park
Open around the clock except rare event closures, but about 0.8 km from the sculptures. Seasonal charges can apply. Blue Badge parking is free for daytime visits, with an overnight charge.
Prams and access
The park has wide asphalt paths, dropped kerbs and ramp alternatives around steps. The tour route has a shallow gradient and level surfaces, and free wheelchair loans can be reserved.
Food and toilets
The Visitor Centre has a cafe, exhibition, gift shop and accessible toilet. Baby changing and a RADAR-key Changing Places toilet are available on site, but toilet and building hours vary.
ParkingCafé or restaurantToiletsBaby changingPacked lunch spacePlay area

Checked 27 September 2026

Check tour times and tickets (official)

A little more detail

Make it work for your family

What children can actually do

Start by walking around both 30-metre horse heads and looking up through the steel panels. The scale, reflections and open space give children plenty to notice without needing the engineering story. If they want more of a story, explain how the sculptures connect to the working horses and canals they represent.

The paid guided tour lasts about 25 minutes and is the only way inside one Kelpie. Away from the plaza, children can use the timber Adventure Zone, level sensory play area and wider paths. Splash Play is seasonal, weather dependent and sometimes unavailable at short notice, so treat it as a bonus.

Short stop or park visit?

For a low-commitment stop, allow about 45 minutes for photos, a walk around the sculptures and a toilet or cafe pause. Free access means you can leave as soon as little legs or the weather say so.

Stretch the visit towards 2 hours by adding the tour, exhibition, Adventure Zone or a section of the Helix paths. The play area is nearer the smaller Helix car park than the sculptures, so a park visit involves more walking than a quick Kelpies stop.

Who will enjoy it?

Toddlers and preschoolers are most likely to enjoy the huge sculptures, open space and play. Primary-age children have more chance of engaging with the short tour and engineering story. Older children may enjoy the photography and scale, but there are no rides and not enough organised activity to fill a day on their own.

Choose somewhere else if you need a dependable indoor day, guaranteed Splash Play or a steady run of hands-on activities. This visit makes most sense when seeing the sculptures is enough and anything else is a bonus.

Sensory and busy periods
There is room to move away from busy spots outdoors, and the Adventure Zone has a level sensory play area. The Visitor Centre can become busy, and there are no confirmed regular quiet sessions. Contact the team if you need a particular adjustment.
Dogs
Dogs can use the park, but only assistance dogs are allowed inside The Kelpies on the guided tour.
Parking and after-dark visits

The closer 175-space Kelpies car park is about 0.3-0.4 km from the sculptures, but it locks at 10pm from April to October and 8pm from November to March. Last entry is 30 minutes earlier, and a car left inside cannot exit until the 8am reopening.

For an evening visit, use the smaller 78-space Helix car park. It is normally open 24 hours but leaves a walk of about 0.8 km. The sculptures are lit from dusk, although lighting is controlled separately and can change. Check the live parking page for charges, road works, event closures and busy-day overflow before setting off.

Parking charges
The operator currently lists car charges from March to October and free daytime car parking from November to February. Blue Badge parking is free for daytime visits, with an overnight charge. Check the live bands because rates and temporary arrangements can change.
Busy-day overflow
Both Helix car parks can fill early in good weather and school holidays. Falkirk Stadium is the suggested overflow except on match days; current road works can also affect arrival.
Weather, prams and access

This is mainly an outdoor visit, so bring waterproofs or sun protection rather than relying on the Visitor Centre. Wide asphalt paths, dropped kerbs and signed ramps around steps make the main routes practical for most prams and wheelchairs.

The tour route has a shallow gradient and level granite or timber surfaces, with seating inside. Free wheelchair loans can be reserved, and carers visit the tour free in that role. Some paths beside the lagoon, moats and canal have no barrier before the water, so keep toddlers close.

Food, toilets and play

The Visitor Centre has a cafe, exhibition, gift shop and accessible toilet. The exhibition includes colouring and LEGO activities, but its hours are separate from the always-accessible sculptures. Baby changing is available on site. The Changing Places toilet needs a RADAR key and is not open at all times.

The Adventure Zone includes accessible equipment and a level sensory area. It is about 400 metres from the smaller Helix car park and farther from The Kelpies, so decide whether play is part of the plan before choosing where to park.

Other ways to visit

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Nearby stop

Falkirk Wheel

Engineering | Falkirk

The moving boat lift gives children a second engineering sight nearby. The Kelpies is free and easier to keep short, so check the Wheel’s page before deciding whether both fit the day.

Nearby stop

Little Tots Village

Soft Play & Indoor Play | Falkirk

A nearby indoor role-play alternative for babies, toddlers and preschoolers when outdoor walking and a landmark are not the right fit.

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