Guides · Family days out
Days out,
already planned.
Whole days worked out for you: where to start, when to stop for lunch, how to get between places and what to do if it rains. Every stop links to its own page with opening times, prices and a map.
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South WestA Dartmoor barn weekend with otters and piglets
Shuttaford Barns, Holne
Base yourselves in a converted barn in a quiet Dartmoor valley with a games room for wet evenings, then spend a day around Buckfastleigh: piggy cuddles and tractor rides at Pennywell Farm, lunch at Buckfast Abbey, steam engines at Buckfastleigh station and otter feeding time at the sanctuary next to the steam railway. Everything is within 15 minutes of the barn.
Shuttaford Barns → Pennywell Farm → Buckfast Abbey restaurant → South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh station + 1 more
WeekendAges 3–7Cost ££
South WestRainy day on Bristol's harbourside
Bristol city centre
Three indoor stops a short walk apart around Bristol's floating harbour: hands-on science, the free city museum and Brunel's great ship. Good for curious 6-12s when the weather is grim.
M Shed → Brunel's SS Great Britain
One dayAges 8–12Rainy dayCost ££
South WestToddler riverside wander: Snuff Mills to Oldbury Court
Fishponds, Bristol
A gentle, free morning for little legs: a woodland riverside stroll past an old stone mill, ending at a playground with a kiosk café and proper toilets.
Snuff Mills → Oldbury Court Estate
Half dayToddlersSunny dayFree
South WestRoman Baths and a big Bath playground
Bath city centre
Start early at the Roman Baths before the queues, then let off steam in Royal Victoria Park, which has one of the best playgrounds in the city.
Roman Baths
Half dayAges 3–7Cost ££
South WestEden and Falmouth: two days in mid-Cornwall
St Austell or Truro
Day one inside Eden's giant rainforest dome, day two by the water in Falmouth with a hands-on maritime museum and a Tudor castle on the headland. Both days hold up if it rains.
Eden Project → National Maritime Museum Cornwall → Pendennis Castle
WeekendAll agesCost £££
South WestKing Arthur's castle and a free sea pool
North Cornwall coast
A dramatic morning crossing the footbridge to Tintagel's clifftop ruins, then a swim in Bude's free tidal sea pool in the afternoon. Best on a calm, dry day.
Tintagel Castle → Bude Sea Pool
One dayTeensSunny dayCost £
South WestTorbay caves and a full afternoon at the zoo
Torquay
A guided tour of prehistoric caves in the morning, then the rest of the day among the animals and play areas at Paignton Zoo.
Paignton Zoo
One dayAges 3–7Cost ££
South WestFree fun on the edge of Dartmoor: lake, marbles and forest
Newton Abbot or Exeter
A day that costs little more than parking: a lakeside country park with a treetop boardwalk, free giant marble runs at lunchtime, then play and a storybook trail in a big forest park.
Stover Country Park → Haldon Forest Park
One dayAges 3–7Sunny dayFree
South WestPurbeck in two days: apes, tanks, steam and castle ruins
Wareham or Swanage
Day one pairs an ape rescue centre with a hangar full of tanks next door. Day two takes the steam train to Corfe Castle and ends on the clifftops at Durlston.
Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre → The Tank Museum → Corfe Castle → Durlston Country Park
WeekendAges 8–12Cost £££
South WestFossil hunting on the Jurassic Coast
Lyme Regis
Learn about Mary Anning and Jurassic sea monsters in Lyme Regis, then head to Charmouth's free fossil centre and join a guided hunt on the beach.
Lyme Regis Museum → Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
One dayAges 8–12Cost £
South WestForest of Dean: a viewpoint, a fairy-tale wood and old mines
Coleford
Peregrines and big river views at Symonds Yat Rock, the twisting mossy paths of Puzzlewood, then underground into ancient iron mines.
Symonds Yat Rock → Puzzlewood → Clearwell Caves Ancient Iron Mines
One dayAges 3–7Cost £
South WestMendip caves and a wild gorge
Wells
A morning of show caves, circus and mini golf at Wookey Hole, then a free scramble through the quieter Ebbor Gorge just up the hill.
Wookey Hole Caves → Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve
One dayAges 8–12Cost ££
South WestStonehenge and Old Sarum
Salisbury
The stone circle and its Neolithic houses in the morning, then the vast earthworks of Old Sarum, where Salisbury began, after lunch.
Stonehenge → Old Sarum
One dayTeensCost ££
Written by Tumble from each place's own published information, checked October 2026. Times are suggestions, not bookings. Opening hours and prices change, so check each place's page before you set off.