Golden Oak Treehouse at Blackwood Forest - Fun Days Out

Paultons Park is a family theme park on the edge of the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, set in 140 acres of parkland. It has rollercoasters, thrill rides, family rides, indoor and outdoor play areas and water splash parks, along with a collection of birds and animals.

Peppa Pig World is the headline area, with Peppa-themed rides and a large indoor playzone. The park also has themed areas including Critter Creek, Lost Kingdom, Tornado Springs and Valgard, a Viking-themed land. The park describes itself as a family venue, and most of its rides are designed for children and families. It will suit families with young children, and anyone who likes a day of rides alongside the animals and gardens.

Tip: Tickets are for a set date and some days sell out, so book your visit date in advance.

Marwell Zoo is a 140-acre zoo at Colden Common, near Winchester, run by the conservation charity Marwell Wildlife. It is home to hundreds of animals, including giraffes, leopards, meerkats and penguins, with red pandas, snow leopards and a walkthrough lemur exhibit among the other residents.

Alongside the animals there are seven adventure play areas, cafés and a gift shop, and animal feeds are on offer, subject to availability. The zoo sits in the grounds of Grade I listed Marwell Hall, which dates from around 1320. Families with children are the natural fit, though anyone who likes wildlife and a long walk outdoors will find plenty to fill the day. Café Graze serves hot food, sandwiches and sweet treats, and has vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options.

Tip: Book tickets online for the correct day before you arrive, and allow about 4 hours on a first visit.

Thorpe Park sits between Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, on the site of old flooded gravel pits that give it a watery setting. It opened in 1979 and is run by Merlin Entertainments. Today it's a full day of rides, with a strong line-up of roller coasters.

Big names include Hyperia, Stealth, Colossus, Nemesis Inferno and SAW – The Ride. If you'd rather get wet, there are water rides such as Tidal Wave, Depth Charge and Storm Surge. The park also has gentler rides for those who prefer to laugh rather than scream. Older visitors may like the history too: Flying Fish began life as Space Station Zero, the park's first coaster. Coaster fans, families and groups of friends will all find rides to suit them.

Tip: Book your tickets online in advance to guarantee entry.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, a World Heritage Site and one of Britain's best-known landmarks. The outer ring of huge sarsen stones, topped with lintels, was raised in the third millennium BC. It sits within a landscape dense with burial mounds and other Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments.

You can walk up to the Stone Circle and take photos, then step into the reconstructed Neolithic houses. Children can have a go at finding out what it takes to move a sarsen stone. The exhibition explains how the builders lived and worked, and includes a Neolithic man brought to life face to face. There's a café for a snack, and plenty of wider landscape to explore on foot.

History fans, families and anyone ticking off an icon will get a lot from it.

Tip: Pre-book your ticket before you travel.

Winchester College was founded in 1382 and has been on the same site ever since. It is still a working boarding school, but members of the public can join its daily guided tours and see the heritage museums and collections.

The medieval buildings are the main draw: Outer Court, Chamber Court, the cloisters and the chapel, built in flint with limestone facings. The chapel keeps its original wooden fan-vaulted ceiling. A Wren-style classroom block called School dates from the 1680s, and the War Cloister of 1924 is a memorial to Old Wykehamists killed in the two World Wars. The college's museum, Treasury, has held an exhibition on Jane Austen's connection with the school, where eight of her nephews were educated. Austen spent her final weeks at No. 8 College Street, which the college has opened to visitors in the past.

Tip: Public access is through the daily guided tours, so check the Winchester College Heritage pages before you go.

Legoland Windsor is a LEGO-themed theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire, on the site of the former Windsor Safari Park. It has more than 55 rides and attractions across 11 themed lands, plus live shows, building workshops and the Miniland models. It is the most visited theme park in the UK.

Younger children are the main audience. They can earn a driving licence at the LEGO City Driving School, ride the Dragon Coaster through a medieval castle, or explore a lost underwater city in a submarine. Older kids and LEGO fans can head for Flight of the Sky Lion, a flying theatre ride, or the Minifigure Speedway dueling rollercoaster. There is also an indoor LEGO-themed Adventure Golf course, and the BIG Shop is the UK's largest LEGO store. Children under 90cm go free.

Tip: Book your tickets in advance to guarantee entry, and pre-book parking to save time on the day.

Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house in Hampshire, about five miles south of Newbury. The present house dates from 1679 and was largely renovated in the 1840s by Charles Barry in a Jacobethan and Italianate style. It is the country seat of the Earls of Carnarvon, and it became internationally famous as the main location for the ITV drama Downton Abbey and the films based on it.

You can explore the house, the Egyptian exhibition and the gardens on self-guided tours, which are offered during the summer months and at other times of year such as Christmas and Easter. The wider 5,000-acre estate has a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The house also holds ticketed events, including the Battle Proms picnic concert, and special guided tours.

The Grange at Northington, in Hampshire, is described by English Heritage as the foremost example in England of Greek Revival architecture. Between 1809 and 1816 the architect William Wilkins transformed a modest 17th-century brick house into something more like an Ancient Greek temple. He wrapped it in cement and added classical façades, including a striking temple front on eight gigantic columns. It sits in a landscaped park.

You come to see the house from the outside and explore the grounds. There is a car park, but access is to the car park and grounds only, and the interior is generally closed apart from Heritage Open Days. Public outcry saved the house from demolition in 1975, and an opera company has a theatre in its former orangery. It's one for history and architecture lovers.

Tip: Check English Heritage's page before you set off, as the grounds can close early in June and July for the opera festival, or for private events. Dogs on leads are fine, but the path crosses land grazed by cattle. There are steep steps up to the terrace and uneven ground, so it isn't suitable for unaided wheelchairs or buggies.