20 Attractions to Explore Near The Gibberd Garden

Parndon Wood Nature Reserve, run by ECCO, is an area of the ancient woodland home to a huge range of birds, small mammals, deer, flora, and fungi. The reserve is a Special Site for Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its variety of flora and has received a Green Flag Award, which recognizes the best parks in the country, for the last 11 years.

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens is the workplace and family home of 20th-century sculptor Henry Moore: with over 70 acres of sculpture gardens & rolling fields. It has a display of over 20 of Moore's world-famous, monumental sculptures; showcasing his work as he intended, against the landscape he shaped. The Foundation supports innovative sculpture projects through a global grants program, runs exhibitions and research worldwide, and conserves the legacy of Moore himself.

North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome located in North Weald Bassett – Epping Forest, Essex. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain. Although unlicensed it is home to many private aircraft and historic types, and is host to a wide range of events throughout the year, including the Air-Britain Classic Fly-in and smaller airshows.

Hatfield Forest is a 403.2-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Essex, three miles east of Bishop's Stortford. The Forest is an ideal place for a quiet stroll away from the main lakeside area. Wander along the main plains or head off into the trees and explore the rides. It is owned and managed by the National Trust. A medieval warren in the forest is a Scheduled Monument.

Rye Meads is a 58.5-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Rye House, Hertfordshire. It is one of series of wetlands and reservoirs situated along the River Lea. This delightful wetland reserve beside the River Lee is a firm favourite with walkers, birdwatchers and photographers thanks to its many trails and hides. The HMWT site is an ancient flood meadow that has a variety of habitats including reedbed, marshy grassland and fen. It is grazed by ponies and water buffalo.

The Epping Ongar Railway is a preserved railway, which runs along the last section of the old Great Eastern Railway and London Underground Central line branch line. Take one seat in one of the period coaches and watch the train pass through beautiful countryside from Ongar to North Weald, from here you can catch the heritage rail shuttle which takes you through Epping Forest and so more.

The East Herts Miniature Railway is situated in the Van Hage Garden Centre, Great Amwell near Ware, Hertfordshire. This fantastic, 7¼" gauge railway completes two circuits of beautifully landscaped gardens and includes a trip over a pond and through a tunnel! Tickets for the railway cost just £1 per passenger. The railway opening times are from 11am-5pm on Saturdays and Bank Holidays . 10:30am-4.30 pm on Sundays. A special mid-week service operates during school holidays on Tuesdays and Thursday

Lowewood Museum showcases the history of the Borough of Broxbourne. Discover the history of the local area from prehistoric times to the present day. Explore the stories of those who have lived and worked here, from Royal Academy artist James Ward to the Pulhams of Broxbourne, one of the most important garden designers of the Victorian era.

Copped Hall is a fine Georgian mansion that is currently under restoration. It is superbly sited on a ridge overlooking its landscaped parkland.

A large grotto, built by a Quaker poet in the 1760s and restored by the Ware society. It survives from an eighteenth-century rococo garden. It is a Grade I listed building and with six chambers the most extensive shell grotto in the United Kingdom. The grotto is set into the northeast face of a hill, and comprises an entrance hall and a series of six chambers extending over 65 feet into and 30 feet below the chalk hillside, together with air shafts, light wells, and connecting passages.

Mountfitchet Castle & Norman Village is an award winning medieval Castle and Norman Village. Within the Castle complex is the world famous House on the Hill Museum which offers the visitor an amazing array of over 70,000 toys from the 19th Century to the 1980's. Excellent exhibitions of World War 1 & 2 memorabilia including a Home Front/Blitz display, a Rock 'n' Roll exhibition, film, TV and theatre. Meet the animals that roam freely through out the 10 acre site which love to be hand fed, wander

Mountfitchet Castle is a National Historic Monument, protected by the Department of the Environment. Within the Castle, complex is the world-famous House on the Hill Museum which offers the visitor an amazing array of over 70,000 toys from the 19th Century to the 1980s. Excellent exhibitions of World War 1 & 2 memorabilia including a Home Front/Blitz display, a Rock 'n' Roll exhibition, film, TV, and theatre.

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker is a large underground bunker used during the Cold War as a Regional Government Headquarters. Since being decommissioned in 1992, the bunker has been open to the public as a tourist attraction, with a museum focusing on its Cold War history. It was originally built for air defence but turned into a regional government headquarters as the Cold War progressed. Now open to visitors as a museum.

River Lee Country Park is a 1,000-acre park with a variety of activities for all ages to enjoy, great for families with young children to couples, walkers, cyclists, and wildlife watchers. The park follows the course of River Lee and has green spaces, country parks, nature reserves, and lakes and sports centers.

This was once one of the largest Augustinian abbeys in the country. The remains of some of the abbey buildings can still be seen today, including the gatehouse and the passage from the cloisters to the sleeping quarters. Its beautiful rose gardens also provide plenty of benches and picnic tables to relax.

Paradise Wildlife Park is a majestic family-run animal park located in Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England. The zoo is home to over 800 animals including Amur tigers, white lions, snow leopards, European wolves as well as African penguins, red pandas, Green anacondas, Two-toed sloths, lemurs, meerkats, Bactrian camels, Plain's zebras, Brazilian tapirs, and many more.

Hartham Common is a large well established public open space in the center of Hertford, comprising wildlife-rich river corridors, cattle-grazed meadows, and a network of paths and various recreational facilities. It is now owned and managed by East Herts Council. Next, the leisure centre is a popular fenced children's playground. There is also a skate park which is similarly popular with teenagers.

World of Dinosaurs at Paradise is now one of the UK’s biggest Dinosaur attractions and features thirty, moving, snapping, roaring dinosaur models. From cunning Velociraptors, to vast Brachiosaurus, from terrifying Spinosaurus to unpronounceable Pachycephalosaurus, plus of course, a mighty T Rex, they are all here! There’s a Dino Dig area too plus lots of other Dinosaur themed treats for all the family.

The Royal Gunpowder Mills is a great place for families to spend days out exploring the secret history of gunpowder, explosives and rocket propellants and so more. It is a Scheduled Monument with over 20 listed buildings. It is also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for it wildlife. Its alder woodland is undergoing conservation.

Hertford Museum was established by brothers Robert Thornton Andrews and William Frampton Andrews in 1903. The Museum cares for in excess of 100,000 objects. Collections include archaeology, paper ephemera, ethnography, fine art, geology, natural history, photographs, social history and the Hertfordshire Regiment collection.