centres

FANCY a fun day out at the garden centre, but need something a little more exciting than just bulbs and shrubs to keep the kids occupied?

These 10 garden centres have everything from enormous soft plays, to fun barns, autumnal pumpkin carving masterclasses, quad biking and even a sandy beach….

The Hollies Farm Shop, Cheshire

The Hollies Farm Shop has lots to explore, and is a favourite of ex-Love Islander Molly-Mae Hague.

The family-run business started as a simple honesty box on the side of the road back in 1959, but is now a major family destination with two sites.

Little Budworth is the original and larger of the two, with a farm shop, butchery, delicatessen, cafe, gift barn and even luxury forest lodges.

In the farm shop and deli, visitors can pick up fresh fruit and veg, as well as daily baked bread, cheeses, cured meats and a homemade range of cakes and juices.

In The Barn, there is an extensive collection of gifts and homeware to explore including Jellycats – visitors can also grab a bite to eat and a fully-loaded hot chocolate at The Friesian Rooms, where there is an outdoor terrace.

For those who want to spend their time at the farm, they can choose to book a luxury forest lodge, each with its own private hot tub.

There are six lodges in total to choose from, sleeping between four and six people – each has an open plan living area, kitchen and there’s a log burner.

The lodges cost from around £298 per night for four people.

Paradise Park & Gardens, East Sussex

Paradise Park & Gardens is described as a hybrid of a traditional garden centre and a family theme park.

Alongside its plant nursery, coastal gardens, water garden and coffee shop, it features an attraction zone to entertain the kids.

The indoor play area is suitable for children from toddlers to pre-teens, with token-operated arcade games, remote control cars, and a soft play with tunnels, slides and ball pits.

It also has a separate soft play area for children under three along with a miniature train and a mini golf course.

When it’s sunny, check out the outdoor play area with climbing frames, slides and a 9 hole crazy golf course.

Kids can dig about in the sandpit and even drive our remote controlled boats around the pond.

Coming up this autumn are some events too including the Halloween Trail where kids can meet Barry the Burping Monster, Squealbert the Sky Pig and naughty gnomes at the Undead Disco.

Tickets are included in entry to the park which start from £12.99.

Later on in the year there’s a Santa’s Grotto, where children can meet Father Christmas and get a little festive gift.

Tickets for children over three years old start from £21.99, and this includes all day access to the attractions at Paradise Park.

For children under three, entry to Santa’s Grotto with a Day Park Pass is £9 – accompanying adults with a Day Park Pass are £12.99.

Bury Lane, Hertfordshire

Tucked away just outside of Royston in Hertfordshire is Bury Lane which has plants and garden ornaments to take a look at and there is quite often a seasonal pick your own, from peonies to dahlias and tulips.

From early autumn, a pick your own pumpkin patch will open – so make sure to bring your wellies.

The farm shop offers an array of fresh fruit and veg, butchers, fishmongers and a delicatessen.

Then pop into the Farm Shop Cafe for hearty breakfasts, lunches and snacks with roast dinners served up on Sundays.

If you’re going as a family though, one place you cannot miss is the Fun Barn, which it added to its site about 10 years ago.

Inside is a multi-storey soft play with slides, cargo nets and activities along the way along with interactive role play areas.

It might not be what you’d expect in the countryside, but the Fun Barn also has an outdoor sandy beach with deck chairs and picnic benches dotted about.

Also outside is the adventure zone with climbing boulders, electric diggers, swings, a wooden boat to climb on, giant chess and football.

This year, the beach is open until September 27.

Tickets for the fun Barn Soft Play & Beach start from £2 (6-11 months old) and start from £2.50 (one year olds).

Tickets for two to four year olds start from £4.50, for five to 10 year olds prices start from £5.75.

For those aged between 11-17, prices start from £2 – the first adult per booking is free otherwise it’s an additional £2.

Bridgemere Garden Centre, Cheshire

With it being the country’s largest garden centre (according to The Guinness Book of Records), Bridgemere Garden Centre has plenty for a family day out.

The massive space holds a restaurant and tearoom on site, so you can feast on a range of deli goods and brunch specials, before enjoying a pastry at the patisserie.

The area has more than six acres of gardens, including the Cottage Garden and Woodland Walk – and kids will have plenty of space to run around.

To keep them even busier, head to the centre’s soft play and the role play area called Apple Tree Town.

Inside is a mini cinema, police station with its own cell, garage that has a car, cottage, shop, post office and vets – all of which have dressing-up options too.

When it comes to events, Bridgemere Garden Centre will have its own Halloween codebreaking trail through the autumnal gardens.

Children must find the pumpkins and decode the letters to solve the special word – hand in the sheet and get a Halloween treat.

Tickets start from £3.99, and if you fancy pumpkin carving too, tickets start from £8.99.

Coming up to the Christmas season, the garden centre will have its own Santa’s Grotto where children will receive a gift and get a photo.

Ticket prices vary on the day and are dependent on age of the child – head here to book in advance as Santa will get very busy.

Stay for the breakfast and order a festive fry up, a pancake stack or an Elf’s Benedict with Santa and his elves – and hear a festive story.

Tickets for a festive breakfast with Santa are £18.50.

Barton Grange Garden Centre, Preston

We couldn’t miss Barton Grange Garden Centre in Preston off the list.

It was named the Destination Garden Centre of the Year by the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Awards – and its won the award six times before that too.

It has a huge garden area along with a farm shop, cook shop, clothing store, the Riverside Cafe and Willows Restaurant.

The children’s menu has hot meals for £9.60, as well as make your own lunch boxes from £7.20.

Throughout the year, the garden centre holds evenings from evenings with horticulturists to pottery painting sessions.

There are also pumpkin sculpting masterclasses where an expert demonstrates how to turn the squash into characters like Stitch, from Lilo and Stitch.

In November, it will be launching its Santa’s Grotto where children can meet Santa and his elves before selecting a gift from the present room, which is brimming with toys

Then there’s a stop at Mrs Christmas’ kitchen where children can decorate their own gingerbread house cookie.

Tickets to the grotto start from £30 for one adult and one child.

And while technically it’s not inside the garden centre, just across the road is the Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre, which has crazy golf, bowling and a cinema for kids to enjoy.

Yarnton Home & Garden, Oxfordshire

Every member of the family will enjoy a day out at Yarnton Home & Garden.

It has beautiful plants, garden furniture, gifts and food is served at the Allotment Cafe.

The garden centre also has a children’s toy shop filled with puzzles, soft toys and books.

To entice kids out of the shop, head to the Magic Garden, a nature-themed indoor play area.

Designed for children up to 10, it has a climbing frame made to look like a garden shed along with tunnels, rope bridges and slides.

There’s also a see-saw, swing, foam gardening tools to play with, a teepee and for the parents, comfy sofas.

The soft play centre is completely free to enter.

If you fancy getting crafty, there are lots of events on throughout the year like the Pumpkin Workshop.

Kids can get hands on scooping and carving their own pumpkin for Halloween.

The workshop takes place every hour between October 26-30 from £6.99pp.

The garden centre also has its own Potting Shed Studio where you can create your own masterpieces or simply paint them.

You can book a table for up to six people for an hour session with a booking fee of £1pp.

Craft Nurseries, Essex

Whether you’re looking for plants, shrubs, seeds, or just a day out, Craft Nurseries in Essex is one to visit.

Its indoor soft play barn will keep kids occupied, along with a dedicated play section for young children and babies.

There’s also an outdoor area with a bouncing pillows, farm animals like pygmy goats and rabbits, and a mud kitchen.

Tickets to the soft play start from £4 (children aged 0-2) and £7.50 (children age 2+).

Accompanying adults must also have a ticket – these cost £3.

The garden centre also has a restaurant and coffee shop all set within the grounds.

Birchen Grove, London

Along with being a lovely garden centre filled with a collection of outdoor planes, houseplants, gifts and pots – the children’s play area at Birchen Grove is hard to beat.

It has a huge indoor play area called The Grove Playtown which has 11 themed rooms from shops to a police station, doctors, hairdressers, to an ice cream truck.

There’s also plenty of opportunity for kids to get dressed up with fancy-dress costumes.

To secure a spot it’s advised to make a booking, with children’s tickets from £8 and accompanying adult tickets from £2.

The sessions last an hour and a half.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as outside there’s lots of play equipment from swings to a climbing frame and quad bikes.

Kids can hop on and off – they just need a token from the tills and it costs £2 a go.

The quad bikes are open 11am to 3pm every weekend and during the school holidays (children under 90cm must be accompanied by an adult).

Vanstone Park Garden Centre, Hertfordshire

Vanstone Park Garden Centre in Caldicote is the perfect place for families to enjoy a day out.

The family-run business started back in 1976 selling plants and gardening essentials – but outside is where the fun begins.

The children’s playground has the usual swings, climbing frames and slides, as well as a bouncy castle.

For any fan of trains, hop onboard the miniature railway through the grounds and woodland.

Or take a walk around the Wildlife Lake, where you can spots birds like the Greylag Goose and Moorhen.

If you’re lucky, you might even spot a deer grazing nearby.

Don’t forget to pop into The Greenhouse Cafe for a hot dinner, toasted panini, sandwich or afternoon tea.

Brookside Garden Centre, Stockport

Brookside Garden Centre in Stockport might look like your average garden centre, but on some weekends throughout the year it has a funfair takeover.

It’s a vintage attraction with some rides and games dating back to the 1930s.

Think classic merry-go-round, hook a duck and swinging boat rides.

Its next upcoming funfair will be on September 26-27 between 11am and 4pm.

The following month, there will be a Spookside Halloween Celebration from October 31-November 1 between 11am and 4pm.

The funfair is completely free to enter, rides and games are paid for with tokens that you can buy on arrival.

The garden centre is also home to the Brookside Miniature railway where families can hop onboard a ride that’s over half a mile long.

They’ll be celebrating Halloween during Spookside too and the line will be kitted out with creepy decor.

The train fare is £2.50 for everyone over the age of two.

Published on
09/09/2026 – 12:16 GMT+2

Helsinki has landed the biggest cheque Google has written anywhere in Europe

The company announced on Wednesday that a €13 billion investment will fund data centres and supporting infrastructure across four municipalities, along with clean energy projects and funds dedicated to local biodiversity, education, research and workforce development.

The facilities in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala will power a range of Google services, among them its Gemini chatbot. The company described the decision as “a testament to Finland’s leadership in responsibly building AI infrastructure.”

Construction is expected across 2027 and 2028, and the firm estimates the investment will add €3.6 billion a year to Finland’s GDP while supporting more than 37,000 jobs, roughly 16,000 of them in construction.

Once the building stops, Google projects the sites will sustain around 7,000 jobs annually, spanning technical and facility roles, equipment suppliers, as well as the shops, restaurants and services used by those workers and their families.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo welcomed the announcement in Google’s statement.

“Google’s decision is a clear testament to our strengths. The value of the data economy extends far beyond direct investment into spurring innovation, research and development,” Orpo said, adding that closer collaboration would “deliver lasting benefits for both parties.”

Why Finland

The appeal to invest in Finland is rooted in its cold climate.

Data centres generate enormous heat and consume vast quantities of electricity, and Finland offers a cold climate that reduces cooling costs alongside relatively cheap and stable power from nuclear plants, wind and hydro.

That combination has produced a boom, with dozens of data centres already under construction across the country.

Google’s own presence dates back to 2009, when it bought a disused paper mill in the coastal city of Hamina and converted it, expanding steadily since.

For Orpo’s right-wing government, attracting this kind of investment has also been a priority, especially since Finnish elections will take place in April of next year.

Finland is contending with record unemployment and weak growth, and the data economy has become one of the few sectors offering the prospect of substantial investment and job creation.

Additional sources • AFP

WITH the average museum or attraction entrance fee costing between £12 and £21 a day in the UK, you might expect annual passes to be budget-obliterating.

Yet there are tourist spots across England that let you pay for a day and return all year for free, which is a great option for families on a budget.

If you were to boomerang back to some of the below attractions once a month, the cost of a visit works out as little as 41p a time. 

So here are all of the best places across the UK – by region – where you can pay once, then visit again and again for the whole year, absolutely free…

North East 

Preston Park, Stockton on Tees

Centred around a 19^th century mansion on the banks of the River Tees, this 100-acre site features history galleries, a replica Victoria street, and gardens with a poison plot and honeybee hives.

Adults £12, children (3-16) £8. 

Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham

Set within a former steelworks, this interactive science museum has four pavilions dedicated to the concepts of earth, air, fire and water. Plus, there’s a splash park for summer.

Adults £19, children (4 to 15) £17 or (2 to 3) £9. 

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham

Spreading out across 350 acres, Beamish has revived dozens of 19^th and early 20^th century buildings like post offices, pubs, and sweet shops, and filled them with costumed characters to interact with.

Adults £35, children (5-16) £20.50. 

York Castle Museum, York

Plunge into 400 years of York’s history in the museum’s exhibition rooms, replica Victorian street, and the former cells of York Castle Prison.

Adults £18, children (5-16) £10.80. 

Yorkshire Air Museum, York

The UK’s largest independent aviation museum set on a former WW2 airfield with historic aircraft, displays, a cafe and shop.

Adults £17, children (4-17) £7.

The Deep, Hull

More than 2.5 million litres of water provide shelter to 3,000 fish, sharks, rays, and even penguins at this 24,000 square metre aquarium.

Adults £24, children (3-15) £18. 

North West 

Port Sunlight, Wirral

Built for soap factory workers in the 19^th century, this model village offers a history museum, art gallery, and 130 acres of parkland.

Adults £8, children (5-16) £5.50.

Jodrell Bank, Cheshire

The UK’s largest radio telescope, an immersive planetarium, and a series of hands on exhibitions about space and the universe await visitors to this Unesco World Heritage Site in the Cheshire countryside.

Adults £15, children £10.50. 

Eureka! Science + Discovery, Wirral

Walk through a pair of lungs, design your own toothpaste, and hug a heartbeat tree within four interactive zones themed around the science of bodies, homes, and nature.

Adults and children (3+) £15.95. 

National Football Museum, Manchester

Everything from trophies and football shirts to Subbuteo tables and VR games are on offer at this museum dedicated to the beautiful game.

Adults £16, children (5 to 15) £10. 

Fusiliers Museum, Bury

This museum documents 300 years of The Lancashire Fusiliers and the latter Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, with artefacts like Victoria Cross medals and replica First World War trenches.

Adults £4.95, children £2.95. 

Windermere Jetty Museum, Bowness-on-Windermere

Get to know the 200-year boating heritage of England’s largest lake through vessels, interactive displays, and oral histories.

Adults £12, children (5-15) £6. 

Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole

A six-acre acre swatch of countryside with 20 heritage buildings such as a 1950s village store, Victorian cottage, and thatched Tudor longhouse.

Adults £12, children (4-15) £10. 

Yorkshire Museum 

Featuring displays on everything from the Vikings and Romans to Yorkshire during the Jurassic period – with iPads that showcase what the dinosaur skeletons on show really looked like when they were alive.

Adults £10, children (5-16) £6.  

Murton Park, Murton

Discover 14 acres of countryside exhibits including a farming museum, railway, farm animals, and a Viking village and Roman fort that are open on weekends and school holidays.

Adults £20, children (1-16) £17. 

East Midlands 

National Tramway Museum, Crich

Set around a recreated period village compete with tea rooms and a sweetshop, this museum displays more than 80 historic trams and features a working rideable tramway.

Adults £24, children (4-15) £15. 

Silverstone Museum, Northamptonshire

The two floors of exhibits at Silverstone Museum are crammed with racing memorabilia, F1 cars, immersive experiences like break tests, and photo ops.

Adults £24 online, children (5-15) £20. 

Lamport Hall, Lamport

Wander through period rooms dripping in antiques before ambling around 10 acres of gardens, which once boasted the first ever garden gnomes.

Adults £16, children (11-17) £9. 

Nottingham Castle, Nottingham

Brush up on your knowledge of Robin Hood, Nottingham lace, and the history of rebellion in Nottinghamshire at the hilltop castle that was first built by William the Conqueror in the 11^th century.

Adults £18, children free. 

Bakewell Old House Museum, Bakewell

11 rooms of exhibits spill the secrets of Bakewell’s oldest standing residence and its inhabitants from the past 500 years.

Adults £7.50, children (5-16).

King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester

Immersive exhibits recount how King Richad III’s body was discovered under a carpark in Leicester and backtrack through 500 years of history, feuds, and intrigue linked to the King.

Adults £12.50, children (5-15) £6.25. 

Eyam Museum, Hope Valley

This museum lifts the lid on how the residents of sleepy Eyam responded to the outbreak of Bubonic Plague in the 17^th century. Additional displays on local prehistory, mining, and the silk and shoe industry.

Adults £6, children (5+) £4. 

National Space Centre, Leicester

Amongst the 150 plus exhibits at this final frontier-themed museum, visitors will find two genuine rockets, real moon rock, and the UK’s largest domed planetarium.

Adults £22, children (5-15) £20. 

1620s House & Garden at Donington le Heath, Coalville

Explore the stone-walled home and gardens that once belonged to the relatives of Sir Everard Digby, who was executed for taking part in the Gunpowder Plot.

Adults £6.65, children (3-15) £3.95. 

Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Sutton Cheney

Nine interactive exhibition rooms walk visitors through the dramatic War of the Roses and the resulting battle that changed the course of British history.

Adults £10, children (3-15) £6.95.

Peak District Lead Mining Museum, Matlock Bath

Hundreds of rocks, minerals, tools, and three interactive mock mine tunnels evoke a time when lead mining was one of the Peak District’s most important industries.

Adults £8.50, children (4-17) £5. 

National Justice Museum, Nottingham

Five floors of exhibits on crime, the law, and punishment, including a Victorian courtroom and Georgian jail. Daily mock trials and free workshops.

Adults £16, children (5-15) £11.50. 

Wollaton Hall, Wollaton

Cocooned within 500 acres of parkland, this Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion is home to a 750,000 item Natural History Museum.

Adults £18, children free. 

Louth Museum, Louth

Learn about brickmaking, carpets, archaeology, the devastating Louth flood of 1920, and the ghost of the green lady at this four gallery town centre museum. Open April to October.

Adults £5, children free. 

City of Caves, Nottingham

Burrow through the caves beneath Nottingham, learning about the people who worked and even lived in them over the years as you go.

Adults £12, children (5-15) £9.50. 

West Midlands 

The Fusilier Museum, Warwick

Artefacts like drums, bearskin hats, uniforms, memorial plaques and even wedding gifts illustrate the personal stories of the soldiers of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Adults £5, children (under 16) free. 

Coventry Transport Museum, Coventry

Cast your eyes over more than 300 cycles, 120 motorcycles, and 250 cars, including penny farthings, Triumphs, E-type Jaguars, and the world land speed record-breaking Thrust SSC.

Adults £15.50, children (5-16) £8.50.

Museum of Royal Worcester, Worcester

Starring the largest display of Worcester porcelain in the world, with a sensory trail and regularly updated temporary exhibitions.

Adults £11.95, children (5-17) £4.50.

British Motor Museum, Gaydon

More than 400 classic cars welcome visitors to the British Motor Museum. Free guided tours take place twice a day and there’s an outdoor play area for sunny days.

Adults £18, children (5-16) £9, when booked in advance. 

East of England 

Museum of the Broads, Stalham

This dog-friendly museum spotlights the natural and human history of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads through more than 6,000 artefacts.

Adults £9.50, children (12-17) £5.50. 

Ely Musuem, Ely

Root around in Ely’s history through exhibits on the city’s prehistoric settlers, folk traditions, local trades, the importance of eel fishing in the area and plenty more.

Adults £7, children (5 and up) £3. 

Denny Abbey & The Farmland Museum, Waterbeach

This yawning site brings together a 12^th century abbey, a vintage village shop, rural trade exhibitions, a nun’s refectory, farming equipment displays, a 1940s farmworker’s cottage, and a clutch of gardens and play areas.

Adults £9.50, children (5-17) £6.50. 

Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton

More than 60 aircraft, 30,000 artefacts, and individual museums on Suffolk’s 446^th Bomb Group, RAF Bomber Command, and the Royal Observer Corps come together on this 11 acre site.

Adults £10, children (5-17) £5. 

Verulamium Museum, St Albans

Occupying the site of one of Britian’s largest Roman cities, Verulamium depicts what everyday life was like for the people who once lived here. Count on coin hoards, mosaics, and reconstructions of Roman rooms.

Adults £10, children (under 16) £5.  

Great London and Outer London

London Transport Museum, Covent Garden

Charting 200 years of transportation developments in London, including exhibits on riverboats, omnibuses, the underground, and the capital’s iconic red Routemasters.

Adults £27, under 18s free. 

Foundling Museum, Bloomsbury

Artworks by Tracey Emin and music scores by classical composer Handel are some of the surprising items on display at the UK’s only museum dedicated to the experiences of people who have been in care.

Adults £14.50, 21 and under free. 

The Postal Museum, Clerkenwell

See rare Penny Black stamps, dress up in postal uniforms, and have a ride on the narrow gauge underground Mail Rail railway at this museum that documents 500 years of postal history.

Adults £20.50, children (2-17) £11. 

Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

The hub of Greenwich’s Unesco World Heritage Site, this former hospital treats visitors to an ornately frescoed Painted Hall, an elegant chapel, and an interactive visitor centre.

Adults £19, children free. 

The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace

Discover what goes on behind the scenes at the stables responsible for all the road travel arrangements for the Royal Family, including a peek at the Cinderella-esque golden state coach.

Adult £18, young person (18-24) £12, children £9. 

Windsor Castle, Windsor

The largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle welcomes visitors to explore its state apartments, ceremonial rooms, and castle precincts.

Adults £32, young person (18-24) £21, children £16. 

South East 

Milton Keynes Museum, Wolverton

With displays on prehistoric times, Victorian life, farming, printing, and a street of replica shops from yesteryear, this museum looks into the stories that have shaped Milton Keynes.

Adults £17, children (5-16) £12.   

Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire

The former top-secret workplace of Britain’s World War Two codebreakers features 11 historic buildings, 12 hands-on exhibitions, recreated period rooms, and a cinematic experience.

Adults £28.75, children £7.50. 

Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock

Exploring how conflict has shaped Oxfordshire, the permanent exhibition at this museum looks into everything from The Liberation of Bergen Belsen by the Oxfordshire Yeomanry to the county’s secret agents.

Adults £9, children (5-16) £5.50.

Wallingford Museum, Wallingford

This two-floor, wood beamed museum tackles almost 3,000 years of local history including Wallingford’s links to Queen of Crime fiction, Agatha Christie.

Adults £6, children free.  

Milestones Museum, Basingstoke

The replica streetscapes at this film set style museum chart the history of Hampshire from the Victorian era to the swinging sixties.

Adults £18.50, children (5-15) £12.50. 

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Great Missenden

Based in the village where Roald Dahl lived and worked for almost four decades, this museum celebrates the life of the BFG author through memorabilia, hands-on activities, moving images, and craft offerings.

Adults £13.95, children (5-18) £9.95. 

Aldershot Military Museum, Aldershot

Highlights at this local military history museum include tank collections, a rifle handling area, recreated army barracks, and a World War Two inspired outdoor assault course.

Adults £11, children (5-15) £8. 

Cowper and Newton Museum, House and Gardens, Olney, 

Deep dive into the lives and careers of writers William Cowper and John Newton, co-authors of the hymn Amazing Grace, in the restored 18^th century mansion where Cowper lived.

Adults £12, children (under 16) free. 

Jane Austen’s House, Chawton

This red brick cottage is where Jane Austen lived and wrote her novels. Highlights include Jane’s personal letters and first editions of her stories.

Adults £15.50, young people (17-26) £11, children (6-16) £7.25. 

SeaCity Museum, Southampton

Covering 2,000 square metres, SeaCity unveils Southampton’s links to the ill-fated Titanic and reveals how they city became known as The Gateway to the World.

Adults £5, children (5-16) £3.50. 

Leeds Castle, Kent

A favourite residence of King Edward I and dwelling place of Catherine of Aragon, this turreted castle treats visitors to a ‘1930s castle experience’, children’s playground and maze, 500 acres of parkland, and a bird of prey centre.

Adults £38.50, children £28. 

Huguenot Museum, Rochester

Britian’s only museum about the Huguenots – the French protestants who took sanctuary in Britain after fleeing religious persecution in the early 18^th century.

Adults £5.50, children £4.50. 

Museum of the Iron Age, Hampshire

This two-floor museum offers an insight into the history of the nearby Danebury Hill Fort and the people who lived there more than 2,500 years ago.

Adults £5, children (5-15) £3.50.  

South West

National Maritime Museum, Falmouth

15 galleries spread across five floors explore how the sea has shaped human history and culture with remote-controlled boat pool, play zone and more. 

Adults £19, children (five to 18) £10.

Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, Truro

Swot up on all the elements that have helped forge Cornwall’s identity, from its ancient civilisations and geology to its myths and biodiversity.

Adults £10, under 18s free. 

Wheal Martyn Clay Works, Carthew

Learn about Cornwall’s 250-year clay mining history and find out how the industry contributed to the formation of landmarks known as The Cornish Alps.

Adults £17, children (5-15) £7.50. 

Newlyn Art Gallery and the Exchange, Penzance

A twin set of contemporary art galleries where the walls are hung with the works of regional, national, and international artists alike. Exhibitions change regularly.

Adults £9, children free.

The Eden Project, Bodelva

30 acres of indoor and outdoor gardens, including two iglu-like biomes filled with rainforest and Mediterranean flowers and plants.

Adults £35.50 online, children (5-15) £12.50.

Torquay Museum, Torquay

More than 400 artefacts on Egyptology – including a mummified body – accompany displays on natural history, archaeology, planetology, world cultures, and ceramics at this eclectic museum.

Adults £10, children (5-17) £5. 

Dorset Museum and Art Gallery, Dorchester

Four floors of displays spill the beans on Dorset’s natural history, 500,000 years of people’s history, Hardy’s Dorset, and the county’s artistic heritage.

Adults (26+) £13.95, young people (16-25) £11.70, children (0-15) free. 

The Tank Museum, Bovington

The world’s largest collection of tanks and armoured vehicles spreads out across six hangar-sized exhibition halls here, showcasing more than 300 artefacts from 26 nations.

Adults £19.60, children (3-15) £4.80. 

The Etches Collection, Kimmeridge

This modern space is filled with Late Jurassic marine fossils with a ‘sea-rex’ skull, a sea dragon skeleton, and CGI imagery that brings all the information to life.

Adults £9.50, children (5-16) £4.75. 

Museum of East Dorset, Wimborne Minster

The 11 galleries inside this Grade II listed house catalogue the social and local history of East Dorset, touching on subjects from childhood to agriculture.

Adults £12.50, children (5-16) £6. 

Lyme Regis Museum, Lyme Regis

Overlooking Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, this museum lays bare Lyme Regis’ geological heritage, history, culture, and literary connections using audio, touchscreen displays, and handleable objects. Adults £9.95, children (6+) £6.95. 

Bridport Museum, Bridport

The displays at Bridport Museum switch from Jurassic Coast fossils to local rope making history, Anglo Saxon history, and the ‘beastly Bridport’ topic of disease and the ‘deadly Bridport dagger’.

Adults £5, under 21s free. 

Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury

Scattered across the cow shed, farmyard, barn, and orchard of a former abbey farm, the exhibits of this heritage attraction shed light on the working life and rural crafts of countryside Somerset over the ages.

Adults £11, children (5-17) £5.25.   

Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford

15 exhibition rooms showcase more than 300 vehicles here, whilst displays touch on topics from the birth of the internal combustion engine to sustainable transport.

Adults £22.45, children (4-15) £12.74, when booked online. 

The Food Museum, Stowmarket

17 historic buildings spread across 84 acres highlight how food is grown, made, and eaten. With daily talks and regularly changing exhibitions.

Adults £17.50, children £12. 

Lewes Castle, Lewes

An 850-year-old Norman Castle, where you can climb the keep for views of the South Downs, check out Medieval artefacts in the museum, and picnic in the grounds.

Adults £18, children (5-17) £6.50.  

Anne of Cleves House, Lewes

This timber-framed wonky-roofed building was gifted to Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, after their royal marriage ended. Wander through the Tudor style rooms to gen-up on this period of history.

Adults £7.50, children (5-17) £4.50. 

Fishbourne Roman Palace and Gardens, Fishbourne

See the remains of a once lavish Roman villa, complete with mosaics and artefacts, and mooch around the reconstructed period gardens.

Adults £15, children (5-17) £7.50. 

Michelham Priory House & Gardens, Upper Dicker

Get stuck into 800 years of history at this moated building with its period rooms and seven acres of grounds and gardens.

Adults £15, children (5-17) £7.50.