Lots of interesting places to visit in Devon

Branscombe

Approx 15 mins drive

Branscombe is one of the most picturesque villages in East Devon with its thatched forge and pretty cottages. The Forge and tea rooms are run by the National Trust. The beach is pebbled with a café with a large carpark.

There is a fantastic walk from Beer to Branscombe.

Beer

Approx 15 mins drive

Beer has a long history of fishing and boating and locals pride themselves in preserving village traditions. You can join a fishing trip or hire a little boat from the beach. There are also some lovely pubs, restaurants and galleries in the village. Beer is also a pebbled beach and there are rockpools at low tide.

Seaton

Approx 20 mins drive

Seaton is the gateway to the Jurassic Coast. You can take a trip on the Seaton Tram or play a round of dinosaur-themed crazy golf in the Jubilee gardens. There is also a little harbour, Axmouth at the end of the promenade that is prefect for crabbing. Seaton has a long promenade fronting its pebbled beach.

Sidmouth

Approx 20 mins drive

Sidmouth offers many fine Regency, Georgian and Victorian buildings. The Esplanade, which overlooks the main pebbled beach, is an ideal place to take in the ambience as you enjoy a leisurely stroll. You will also find the spectacular gardens of Jacobs Ladder to the west of the town. Jacobs Ladder beach has some sand at low tide and also great rock pools.

The Norman Lockyer Observatory is at nearby Salcombe Regis, holds regular open days and evenings.

Lyme Regis

Approx 30 mins drive

The pretty town of Lyme Regis can be very busy in the season but does offer a huge variety of things to see and do. From the lovely sandy beach, to a pebbled one, crabbing from the cobb and rock pooling to the east of the beach. There are also two museums plus a small aquarium.

You are spoilt for choice for places to eat from fish and chips on the beach to the famous HIX Oyster Restaurant and small cafes. There are also a host of independent shops dotted along the pretty High Street.

Charmouth

Approx 35 mins drive

Charmouth is home to the Jurassic Coast Heritage Centre and is the place to go if you want to go fossil hunting. We would recommend booking onto one of their fossil walks a few weeks before your stay as they do get busy. The time of the fossil walk will give you an idea of the best tide time of the day to look for fossils.

You will only find a carpark, the Heritage Centre, a small café and toilets at the beach so we recommend taking provisions for the day.

Budleigh Salterton

Approx 35 mins drive

Set in a cosy bay at the start of the Jurassic Coast, the picture-postcard streets are packed with independent shops, designer clothes and chic homeware. The beach is known for its multi-coloured stones

Exmouth

Approx 40 mins drive

Exmouth is your typical English bucket and spade town with long sandy beaches, amusement arcades and trampolines on the beach. Great if you want a day on the beach.

Donkey Sanctuary 
Sidmouth, EX10 0NU

Approx 15 mins drive

Set along the historic Jurassic Coast and nestled in the tranquil East Devon countryside in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, our working farm is home to hundreds of rescued donkeys, mules and hinnies, who can’t wait to meet you.

Enjoy mile upon mile of scenic walks, burn off some steam in the maze and outdoor farm-themed play area, and discover the wild side of the Sanctuary by visiting our Nature Centre.

Wildwood 
Escot, Ottery St. Mary, EX11 1LU

Approx 15 mins drive

For all lovers of nature and the great outdoors, Wildwood is a unique experience and offers a great family day out. Set in 220 acres of stunning private parkland in the heart of East Devon. Meet rare red squirrels in our walk-through enclosure, test your orientation with our world-class beech hedge maze, and marvel at our birds of prey displays. You will also find otters, Wildcat, Lynx, wolves and wild boar. Whilst exploring the woodland you will hidden playgrounds, a heart-stopping drop slide, a Saxon village and an indoor play area.

World of Country Life
Exmouth, EX8 5BY

Approx 45 mins drive

Fantastic mix of play areas, animals, museum exhibits and entertainments, there is something for all ages to enjoy. Three indoor soft play areas, outdoor adventure playground with swings, slides, roundabouts and trampolines, farm animal petting zoo with daily bottle feeding, animal handling, goat walking and ferret racing activities as well as a bird of prey flying display, the Deer Train Safari – hand-feed the red deer and llama – museum of farming, vintage & classic vehicle collection and the Reg Imray Motorcycle Collection. Includes a farm-themed restaurant serving locally sourced, home-cooked proper meals.

Crealy Theme Park
Exeter, EX5 1DR

Approx 30 mins drive

Crealy Theme Park is an award winning family attraction. The Park has over 60 rides and attractions set in over 100 acres of glorious Devon countryside. There are over 100 animals, 30 outdoor attractions and a variety of other activities to choose from. With rides for thrill seekers to soft-play and animal petting for younger guests, Devon’s Crealy is a great family day out.

Paignton Zoo
Paignton, TQ4 7EU

Approx 1 hour drive

With over two thousand creatures to get close to and more animals than any other zoo in the South West, indoor and outdoor play areas, the Jungle Express train, keeper talks, animal feeding sessions and six amazing animal habitats you’re sure to have a great day out for the whole family.

National Marine Aquarium
Plymouth, PL4 0LF

Approx 1 hour drive

The nation’s biggest Marine Aquarium offering families a great variety of nautical/sea life. Great family day out that’s fun and educating. All indoors.

Eden Project
Bodelva, PL24 2SG

Approx 2 hour drive

Located in Cornwall, the Eden Project is nestled in a huge crater. Here, massive Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and stories serve as a backdrop to our striking contemporary gardens, summer concerts and exciting year-round family events.

Honiton

Approx 5 mins drive

The market town of Honiton has long been famous for lace, pottery and glove making, and Honiton still has numerous shops dedicated to lace and pottery. The town has become a centre for antiques and antiquarian books. There are around thirty establishments connected with this trade and regular auctions are held in the town. Honiton has an extensive selection of restaurants and tea shops.

Honiton Festival is held annually in May and features music by local artists and internationally known names. There is also an annual hot pennies day, the first Tuesday after the 19th July, that dates back to the 13th Century where hot pennies are thrown out of first floor windows along the High Street.

Axminster

Approx 10 mins drive

The small ancient market town of Axminster is situated on the River Axe in the east of Devon. It is famous for its Axminster carpets. These were designed by Thomas Whitty in 1775, in a manner similar to Turkish carpets. Caster Hill House, where the carpets were originally produced, can still be seen. The carpets were of the highest quality, custom made carpets for the country’s stately homes and mansions. The manufacturing process can still be seen today by visitors to the Axminster carpet factory.

Axminster’s origins date back to Celtic times and it is thought to have been first settled around 300 BC. The Saxon church of St. Mary stands on Minster Green in the centre of town. It has an interesting Norman door and a Jacobean pulpit.

Colyton

Approx 5 mins drive

Colyton first appeared as an ancient village around 700 AD and features in the Domesday Book as ‘Culitone’. It was called the ‘most rebellious town in Devon’ due to the number of its inhabitants who joined the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.

Colyton and Colford hosts a number of annual events including point-to-point horse racing, civil war days and an annual Goose fair in September.

The Seaton Tramway terminates at nearby Kingsdon on the other side of the River Coly and the town is on the route of the East Devon Way footpath.

Ottery St. Mary

Approx 10 mins drive

Famous for the burning of Tar Barrels on bonfire night and beautiful church and links to Coleridge, Ottery St. Mary sits on the banks of River Otter. There is a great independent garden centre, Otter Nurseries, on the outskirts of Ottery.

Exeter

Approx 20 mins drive

Exeter is the county city of Devon and houses a lovely cathedral. You will find all the big High Street Names in its renovated centre, a fantastic free museum, underground passages and lovely quay. There also a variety of indoor activities including climbing wall, trampoline park, bowling alley, indoor play areas, and a number of big screen cinemas.

Seaton Tramway
Colyton to Seaton

Approx 10 mins drive

Never ridden a tram before? Now’s your chance! Seaton Tramway is a great family day out. Open top double deckers for panoramic views of the estuary and enclosed saloons in wet weather. The tramway rides through two beautiful nature reserves.

Colyton Tram station has free parking.

South Devon Railway
Buckfastleigh to Totnes

Approx 40 mins drive

The South Devon Railway is the longest established steam railway in the south west. The line runs along the stunning valley of the Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes (Riverside). The steam trains offer a wonderful all day, all weather attraction for families and visitors of all ages.

The ‘3 Great Attractions, 1 Amazing Day’ joint tickets available for the railway and Dartmoor Otters & Buckfast Butterflies and the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm.

Pecorama
Beer

Approx 15 mins drive

Pecorama at Beer is the home to the famous Model Railway Exhibition and the Beer Heights Light Railway. The Exhibition hall displays wonderfully detailed railway layouts, in many different gauges. Outdoors, a fleet of miniature steam locomotives pull passenger trains on a mile-long route through the grounds, over bridges, through steep-sided cuttings and a long, dark tunnel!

Pecorama also features the Millennium Celebration Gardens.

Stuart Line Cruises,
Exmouth, EX8 1FE

Approx 10 mins drive

Stuart Line Cruises operate trips throughout the year aboard modern and comfortable vessels so ensure you do not miss out and take a trip with them.

During the Summer months (April to October) you can sail along the Jurassic Coast or take a day trip to a local town such as Sidmouth, Topsham, Torquay or Brixham.

During the Winter months of November to March the Exe becomes a haven for thousands of wintering birds.

Knightshayes
Near Tiverton, EX16 7RQ

Approx 40 mins drive

A Gothic dream of a house, a ‘medieval’ world created in Victorian times, with richly decorated interiors; outside, the garden is one of Devon’s finest. There is a café, its family friendly and dogs welcome on estate.

A la Ronde
Near Exmouth, EX8 5BD

Approx 30 mins drive

Sixteen-sided house with a ‘magical strangeness’ about it, filled with the amazing hand-made creations of Jane and Mary Parminter. There is a café, its family friendly and dogs welcome on estate.

Killerton House & Gardens
Near Broadclyst, EX5 3LE

Approx 15 mins drive

One of Devon’s great estates: miles of paths and cycle trails to discover, and at its centre a welcoming house set in a celebrated garden. There is a café, its family friendly and dogs welcome on estate.

Branscombe & Jurassic Coast
Near Seaton, EX12

Approx 15 mins drive

Historic thatched village leading down to the sea on Devon’s Jurassic Coast: lots to explore and great walking country. There is also a watermill (seasonal opening) and traditional forge.

Burrow Farm Gardens 
Dalwood, EX13 7ET

Approx 5 mins drive

Burrow Farm gardens is a beautiful and secluded 13-acre garden with many unusual trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. A thatched stone summerhouse looks towards a lake and ancient oak woodland under planted with rhododendrons, azaleas and other woodland plants, a photographers dream. There is a bog garden created within an old Roman quarry.

The more formal Millennium garden features colour themed planting with a rill running through the centre into a formal pond. The Anniversary Garden features ornamental grasses waving gently above the sunken path.

Café for lights snacks and cream teas, dogs and children welcome. Nursery with many plants for sale.

Powerderham Castle
Exeter, EX6 8JQ

Approx 35 mins drive

Powderham Castle is the family home of the Earl & Countess of Devon. Set in a beautiful deer park on the banks of the Exe estuary, the Castle was built by the Courtenay family in 1391. Despite being besieged during both the Wars of the Roses and the Civil War, it has remained home to the same family. Guided tours bring the Castle and family’s fascinating 1000 year history to life.

Relax in the peaceful surroundings, from the beautiful Rose Garden, overlooking the deer park and Exe estuary, to the American Woodland Garden, with its stunning collection of trees. The walled garden is home to our Adventure Play Castle & Zip wire.

Forde Abbey 
Chard, TA20 4LU

Approx 30 mins drive

Forde Abbey in Dorset is a treasure dating back almost 900 years. It is a family home as well as a living and breathing working estate, and welcomes visitors all year round. Home to the highest powered fountain in the country, Forde Abbey gardens include topiary lined vistas, colourful herbaceous borders, an arboretum, a bog garden, which together with swathes of early Spring bulbs and camellias provide all year round interest. Wide open lawns and the space and freedom to explore makes Forde Abbey a great day out for all the family.

Enjoy a tea, or lunch, in the Monastic Undercroft Tearoom; browse the Gift Shop and Plant Centre for that unusual present or perfect plant

Bicton Park Botanical Gardens 
East Budleigh, EX9 7BJ

Approx 30 mins drive

Spanning nearly 300 years of horticultural history, these magnificent grade 1 listed gardens are set in Devon, Otter Valley, between the city of Exeter and England’s Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Bicton provides all year round enjoyment for all ages including historic glasshouses, a countryside museum, the Bicton Woodland Railway train ride, nature trail, maze, mini golf, indoor and outdoor children’s play complexes, restaurant and shop.

Beer Quary Caves
Beer, EX12 3AS

Approx 20 mins drive

Beer Quarry Caves is a man-made limestone underground complex located about a mile west of the village of Beer, Devon. The guides will take you on an hour long tour through the awe-inspiring caves with their mighty halls of vaulted roofs and pillars of Beer Stone which have been likened to a vast underground cathedral.

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter EX4 3RX

Approx 20 mins drive

Exeter’s world-class museum, RAMM, has stunning new displays and galleries, fabulous exhibitions and modern amenities. The displays reveal Devon and Exeter’s rich history and global connections. Exotic animals, birds and insects delight children and the world cultures galleries display stunning items from all over the world. There is a great train service from Honiton to Exeter. 

Allhallows Museum
Honiton, EX14 1PG

Approx 5 mins drive

Allhallows Museum has one of the most comprehensive collections of Honiton Lace in the world. Displays in two galleries feature exquisite examples of 16th to early 20th century Honiton lace. Other displays include Honiton Pottery; a mid Victorian furnished doll’s house; palaeontology; children’s toys; war memorabilia, mementos of Allhallows School and the Borough of Honiton; coins and trade tokens.  

Lyme Regis Museum
Bridge Street, Lyme Regis, DT7 3QA

Approx 20 mins drive

Lyme Regis Museum stands where Dorset meets Devon on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Built on the site of the fossilist Mary Anning’s home, the museum is an architectural gem packed with fascination. Discover Lyme’s history, its geology, its fossils, its artists and writers, from J M Whistler to Jane Austen to John Fowle. 

Dinosaurland Museum
Lyme Regis, DT7 3PY

Approx 20 mins drive

Dinosaurland Museum is a private museum which is owned and run by Palaeontologist Steve Davies and his wife Jenny. The museum contains a spectacular collection of the local Jurassic marine fossils. The collection contains more than 10,000 specimens to show people just how exciting and wonderful the world of fossils and dinosaurs really is. 

Underground Passages
Exeter, EX1 1GA

Approx 20 mins drive

Exeter’s Underground Passages were built to house the pipes that brought clean drinking water into medieval Exeter. They have always fascinated people with war and plague stories. A guided tour of Exeter’s Underground Passages is a memorable event – narrow, dark, interesting and exciting.