Classic Golden Oak at Strathyre - Fun Days Out

Blair Drummond is a family safari park just outside Stirling, set in a 120-acre estate with over 300 animals. You can set out on a drive-through safari past the African reserve, home to Grant's zebra and southern white rhinos, the lion reserve and the Asian reserve with Bactrian camels and Père David's deer. There is also an optional Monkey Jungle reserve for Barbary macaques, plus an elephant enclosure and a dinosaur exhibit with moving, noisy models.

Away from the animals, there is a bird-of-prey display, a big adventure playground with a pirate ship and adventure fort, part of it under cover for wet weather, and fairground rides. You can also walk the chimp path to a viewing platform. Food ranges from a restaurant and grill to cafés. Wood-fired pizza and desserts may be closed on weekdays. You can also bring a picnic; there are undercover benches if it rains. It's a good choice for families with children.

Tip: Tickets are online only and none are sold at the gate, so book ahead, especially at weekends and school holidays when it often sells out.

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most historically important castles in Scotland. It stands on a volcanic crag with steep cliffs on three sides, and the rock has been fortified since ancient times. Generations of Scottish monarchs enlarged and embellished it, and Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned here in 1542.

You can walk the ramparts and the castle's three main enclosures, taking in the size of the stronghold and the views over Stirling and the surrounding countryside. Inside, look for the Great Hall and the refurbished Royal Palace, the childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Its interiors have been recreated as they may have looked when James V's grand scheme was complete. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum, on regimental history, is also on site.

Tip: Book your visit online in advance for a set date and time; the Great Hall and Royal Palace are the parts to head for first.

Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn meets the River Teith, about 8 miles northwest of Stirling. The earliest identifiable work dates from the 13th century, but it took its present form between 1375 and 1425, when Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland, rebuilt it. It has survived relatively unchanged and complete, and is now looked after by Historic Environment Scotland.

Inside, you can see the large tower house over the entrance, which held the rooms of the Lord and his family, and the separate kitchen and guest tower. The great hall links the two. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here several times, in the rooms above the kitchen. It suits anyone who enjoys medieval architecture and Scottish history, and it makes an easy stop on a trip towards Callander and the edge of the Trossachs.

The Kelpies are a pair of monumental steel horse heads between Falkirk and Grangemouth, designed by sculptor Andy Scott. Each stands 30 metres high and weighs around 300 tonnes. They sit either side of a lock and basin at the eastern gateway of the Forth and Clyde Canal, within the parkland known as the Helix.

The sculptures celebrate the heavy horses that pulled the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships of Scottish industry, and their shape is inspired by Clydesdales. You can wander round them for free, or take a guided tour of about 25 minutes. The guides explain the engineering, the symbolism and the artist's ideas. They are a good choice if you like big public art or are curious about how such huge sculptures were built.

Tip: Pre-book the guided tour, as tours are subject to availability. Dogs are not allowed on the tour.

Kelvingrove is a major art gallery and museum in Glasgow's West End, set in Kelvingrove Park. The Spanish Baroque building opened in 1901, and its 22 galleries display over 8,000 objects. The collections range from natural history, Egyptian antiquities and armour to Scottish history, design and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, plus one of Europe's great civic art collections.

Highlights include Salvador Dalí's Christ of St John of the Cross, Sir Roger the Asian elephant and paintings by the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists. The grand Centre Hall has a Lewis and Co organ, with free recitals given daily. There are tours and trails to follow, a floor plan to download, and a table-service café and a coffee shop for a break. It has a family-friendly atmosphere, and Glasgow Life calls it a must-see if you only have one day in the city.

Tip: Download the floor plan or the free digital guide before you go, to pick out the must-see objects first.

The Antonine Wall was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across the Central Belt of Scotland between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Construction began in AD 142 on the orders of Emperor Antoninus Pius, and for a time it was the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire. It ran for about 63 kilometres, with a deep ditch on its northern side.

Don't expect towering stonework. The turf and timber wall has largely weathered away, so its remains are less obvious than Hadrian's Wall, but some stretches are still visible and are cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. Look for the ditch, the forts and the fortlets that once lined the route. Rough Castle Fort is the best preserved of the forts, though also one of the smallest. It's a good outing if you enjoy Roman history and don't mind using your imagination.

Tip: Head for Rough Castle Fort first, as it is the best preserved of the wall's forts.

Dumbarton Castle clings to Dumbarton Rock, a volcanic plug rising almost vertical where the River Leven meets the River Clyde. It was once the heart of an ancient kingdom covering the area now known as Strathclyde, and its recorded history goes back 1,500 years, from the Dark Ages through to the Second World War.

The highlight of a visit is reaching the top of White Tower Crag for the views across Strathclyde and beyond. On the way you pass the artillery fortifications, some of Scotland's finest examples of early 18th-century military architecture. In the Governor's House, the Rock of Ages exhibition shows artefacts found at the castle, including part of a 1,000-year-old Viking sword. It suits history fans, families with curious children and anyone who likes a good view.

Tip: Book your visit online in advance; Historic Scotland members and Explorer Pass holders can also get in using their pass.

The Hunterian is the oldest public museum in Scotland, run by the University of Glasgow on its main campus in the West End. It is a group of venues rather than a single building, and holds over a million items, from meteorites to mummies and Mackintosh.

The Hunterian Museum itself is in the university's neo-Gothic main building. Its displays cover William Hunter and his collections, Roman Scotland (especially the Antonine Wall), geology, ethnography, ancient Egypt, scientific instruments and coins and medals. The nearby Hunterian Art Gallery has major collections of work by James McNeill Whistler and most of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's watercolours, plus an outdoor sculpture garden. The Mackintosh House and the Zoology Museum are also part of the complex, so you can pick the parts that interest you.

Tip: The venues are spread across the campus and beyond, so check the Hunterian's website for each venue's opening times and any temporary closures before you go.