From of our house its a short walk and then you are standing in nature, a scenery with sand, heather and lots of beautiful old trees in many shapes (which the kids like to climb). This is part of one of the 21 national parks called the Drentsche Aa.
Zuidlaren is also part of the Unesco Global Geopark “De Hondsrug”. The Hondsrug complex has from east to west five sand/boulder clay ridges and is best expressed in the landscape in North Drenthe where Zuidlaren lies. Stream valleys have developed in this area.
Take a look at the official instagram account of Drenthe ‘oerdrenthe’ for a impression of the beauty.
The long distance Pieterpad-walk passes our house. The province Drenthe is know for its space, nature, quietness, adventures, biking, walking etc.
We are in awe with our own region :-).

There is an endless list of things you can do nearby and somewhat further away. Depending on where you come from everything can maybe called 'nearby' in the Netherlands (Amsterdam is for example a 2 hour drive). We can give customized advice: restaurants and activities with or without children, young children or older children.

Zuidlaren (and the province Drenthe) is loved bij national and international tourists. It has a lake: Zuidlaardermeer and nice restaurants around it. You should definitely bike around it and take the bicycle ferry, you will cross a swamp-area with rare birds like the ‘witwangstern’ and it is also the habitat of beavers and otters.
Zuidlaren has a typical Dutch mill (museum) open for public. The water in front of it connects to the Zuidlaardermeer. In summer you can take a steamboattrip from the mill to the lake.
There is also a playparc called "De Sprookjeshof"(outdoor and indoor).
And in our villagecenter there is even a restaurant with a Michelin star: de Vlindertuin/the Butterflygarden. https://www.restaurant-devlindertuin.nl. Make sure you make a reservation a long time before the swap.

15 min drive and you arrive in heaven: 't Nije hemelriek in Gasselte. The big walk around the two green/blue lakes in the woods is so nice and it's so fun to be here in every season. There are beaches and also an adventurewaterpark.

Haren (10 min by car) has a large botanical garden: Hortus Botanicus Haren. Our kids love the hortus. Especially the Chinese garden and the rockgarden. There is also a restaurant and a tiny (water)playground.

Assen en Groningen are both capital city's and a 15 min drive. Lots of museums, theaters, concerthalls here. Lots of possibilities for music lovers. The Forum, an architectural highlight and cultural center, is a mustsee in Groningen!

We like to go to Norg (15 min) and its beautiful forests and cute center, and also Veenhuizen (25 min), an area with lots of cultural historical value and a fantastic jailmuseum. Have you ever took a ride on a crookbus? A colony for orphans and beggars, a state correctional facility and a prison village: Veenhuizen was it all. Nowadays a World Heritage Site.

Westerbork memorial (30 min) - here are the stories shared of the more than one hundred thousand Jews, Sinti and Roma that were deported from Westerbork to concentration- and extermination camps in the east.
In Westerbork, is also the Milkyway walkingroute. And you can see 14 enormous telescopes. A place where history, nature and science meet.

Orvelte (30 min) is a pitoresque monumental village where you also can visit Zoo Bizar. The smallest zoo in the Netherlands, where you can meet for example Brechje the tarantula ;-).

In Pieterburen (45 min) you can visit the sealcenter, where they take care of sick seals to let them free once recovered.

And also fortress Bourtange is worth a trip (50 min drive): A unique historical defence in the shape of a star which is without comparison. In this small, cosy fortress town, the present day and past centuries go together perfectly.