Things to do in Slough: £2 sessions until 31 August

There is one thing worth knowing before the end of this month. Everyone Active, which runs all four of Slough’s council leisure centres, is charging £2 a person for a range of activities from 11 July until Monday 31 August 2026. The list varies by centre and covers things like soft play, badminton, swimming and pickleball. It applies at The Centre, Salt Hill Activity Centre, Slough Ice Arena and Langley Leisure Centre.

The rest of this page is what is here the other eleven months of the year, with every price and opening time checked against the venue’s own site or the council’s own record.

The Curve, and the museum inside it

The Curve, William Street, SL1 1XY, is the borough’s library and cultural centre and the single most useful free building in Slough. It holds the central library, a gallery and exhibition space, a performance venue, community learning rooms, computer suites and the Register Office.

Council opening hours are Monday 9am to 5pm, Tuesday 10am to 6pm, Wednesday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Slough Museum lives inside it, as eight pods spread over three floors, covering the town from prehistory to the present with a focus on its industrial history. The museum’s collection, started in 1985, runs to around 3,500 objects and documents and 7,500 photographs, most of which is not on display. The museum also runs a Make with the Museum session at The Curve on the last Saturday of each month.

The parks

Herschel Park, off Datchet Road, is the one to see if you only see one. It is 3.5 hectares, a Grade II listed park and local nature reserve attributed to Sir Joseph Paxton, restored to its Victorian layout with £2.7 million of Heritage Lottery and Big Lottery money. It has a lake and wildlife ponds, the Bentley Education Centre, a kiosk, a car park and a nature reserve picnic area, and the council publishes tree, history and natural history trail guides for it. It is open 24 hours a day, all year, and it is free. Access is from Datchet Road, Upton Close and Upton Park Road.

Salt Hill Park, on the north side of the A4, has the bowling green, the Barn and the stream that gives it its name. Upton Court Park is the big open one on the south side of the borough, and is due money for improvements as part of the Queensmere development. Pippins Park is out at Colnbrook.

One honest note. Herschel, Salt Hill and Pippins were Green Flag Award parks for years, Salt Hill continuously since 2010. No Slough park appears in the 2026 Green Flag winners list. That does not make them worse places to spend an afternoon, but if you have seen the claim repeated on a listings site, it is out of date.

The leisure centres

All four are run by Everyone Active on behalf of the council.

Slough Ice Arena is open from 5.30am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, to 10.30pm on Friday, 9.45pm on Saturday and 8.30pm on Sunday, with the gym running 6am to 11pm daily. Ice sessions and climbing are booked and priced through the Everyone Active app and website rather than published as a flat tariff, so check before you turn up, especially in school holidays.

Thames Valley Athletics Centre at Eton, just outside the borough, is the fourth place the council points people to for sport.

Just outside Slough

Black Park and Langley Park, both a few minutes north of the borough in Buckinghamshire, are the local countryside. The 2026 parking tariff is the same at both:

The car parks are cashless and ticketless: you pay through RingGo, PaybyPhone or JustPark. Motorcycles and Blue Badge holders park free. Black Park’s new Four Seasons cafe is open to the public daily, doing hot food including pizzas. Denham Country Park, the third in the group, is cheaper at £5.50 for over four hours.

The Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal runs five miles from Slough Basin to Cowley Peachey Junction. It opened in 1882 to carry bricks, lost its last commercial traffic in 1960, was saved from being filled in by local opposition and reopened in 1975. The towpath is flat the whole way, which makes it the easiest long walk or ride anyone in Slough has access to without a car.

Windsor is six minutes by train from Slough station, on the branch shuttle to Windsor & Eton Central. Legoland Windsor Resort is currently selling day tickets online from £34.13, reduced from £39 under the summer VAT saving that applies to visits between 25 June and 1 September 2026. Children under 90cm go free, and annual passes start at £64.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Slough for free?

Herschel Park is open 24 hours a day and is a Grade II listed Victorian park and nature reserve. The Curve on William Street is free to enter and holds the library, a gallery and the eight Slough Museum pods. The Slough Arm towpath runs five flat miles out of the town.

Is there a museum in Slough?

Yes. Slough Museum is displayed as eight pods across three floors inside The Curve, covering the town’s history with an emphasis on its industrial past. The collection behind the display runs to about 3,500 objects and 7,500 photographs.

What is on at Slough leisure centres this summer?

Everyone Active is charging £2 per person for a range of activities from 11 July to Monday 31 August 2026, across all four Slough centres. What is included varies by centre, so check the Everyone Active app or website for the timetable.

How much does it cost to park at Black Park?

£4.60 for up to two hours, £5.50 for up to four and £6.70 for longer, with a £3.40 early bird rate for two hours before 9am. An annual permit covering Black Park, Langley Park and Denham is £77.80. Motorcycles and Blue Badge holders park free.

Is there ice skating in Slough?

Yes, at Slough Ice Arena on Montem Lane, SL1 2QG, which runs public skating sessions, family discos and a learn to skate programme, alongside a gym, a Clip ‘n Climb wall and a synthetic-ice training zone. Session prices are set through the Everyone Active booking system.

How far is Legoland from Slough?

Slough station to Windsor & Eton Central takes six minutes by train, and Legoland runs shuttle buses from Windsor. Day tickets are from £34.13 online during the summer VAT reduction, which covers visits to 1 September 2026.

Sources

• Everyone Active, £2 summer activities for the 11 July to 31 August 2026 offer.
• Everyone Active, Slough Ice Arena and Langley Leisure Centre and Salt Hill Activity Centre for addresses, facilities and opening hours.
• Slough Borough Council, sport and leisure centres for The Centre’s pools and the list of council leisure sites.
• Slough Borough Council, Herschel Park for the size, listing, restoration funding, facilities, trail guides and opening hours.
• Slough Borough Council, The Curve for the address and opening hours, and Slough Museum for the eight pods and the collection size.
• Green Flag Award 2026 UK winners list, which contains no Slough entry.
• Buckinghamshire Country Parks parking for the Black Park and Langley Park tariff and annual permit price.
• Canal & River Trust, Slough Arm for the five-mile length and the 1882, 1960 and 1975 dates.
• Legoland Windsor Resort tickets and passes for the £34.13 online price, the 25 June to 1 September 2026 VAT saving and the £64 annual pass.

Prices and opening hours change, particularly in school holidays. Check with the venue before travelling. How to get around while the roadworks are on is in Slough roadworks and travel; what is being built where is on Slough planning news.