Things to do

What follows are some of our personal highlights amongst the many possible activites ...

America Lodge is a great base for outdoor activities. Rutland Water tops the list: lots of other opportunities include Rutland walks (part of the Macmillan Way runs past America Lodge), cycling, birdwatching, fly-fishing (Eyebrook fishery and Rutland Water), sailing, water sports, riding, golf. Petrolheads might even be attracted by what's on offer at Rockingham Motor Speedway.

Equipment for outdoor activities can often be hired locally. However, if bringing your own, there's ample storage space at America Lodge - even for a boat!

Oakham has a fine castle (medieval hall) and a good museum; you can find plenty of galleries and antiques shops in Uppingham and Stamford. Stunning stately homes such as Rockingham Castle, Burghley House, Belvoir Castle, Kirby Hall and Belton House are all within easy range. Woolsthorpe Manor, birthplace of Isaac Newton and site of the famous apple tree, is just up the A1 and well worth a visit.

There are nationally renowned places of special interest in Rutland and nearby (such as Rutland Water Nature Reserve and Barnsdale Gardens) but also some which are perhaps less well known.

These include Easton Walled Gardens, Rocks by Rail, Rutland Falconry and Owl Centre, Bugtopia the Zoo and Oakham Studios. Anyone interested in trying their hand at clay pigeon shooting could visit Orston Shooting Ground.

Uppingham Theatre offers a diverse range of events (drama, music, lectures) throughout the year; from June to August, Tolethorpe Hall (Stamford Shakespeare Company) has a season of open air productions (principally, but not exclusively, Shakespeare); and, in June and July, Nevill Holt has an annual summer opera festival. Major international events include Rockingham Horse Trials (May), Burghley Horse Trials (September) and Birdfair (the British Birdwatching Fair) in August. The Rutland Walking and Cycling Festival 2019 (organised by ActiveRutland) will take place in May.

There's plenty of space around America Lodge for younger guests to run and play, well away from roads and traffic. Building wigwams in the woodland has proved to be particularly popular!

But there are also lots of other local (some a bit further away) attractions designed with younger people particularly in mind ....

The Aqua Park (Rutland Water), horse riding (Somerby), the Rock Blok (Rutland Water), Tallington Lakes, Sacrewell Farm Park, Twin Lakes (Melton), GoApe (Sherwood) and, of course, the National Space Centre all come high on our list.