1-Bedroom Hot Tub Cottage in North Petherton - Fun Days Out

Diggerland is a theme park where children and adults can ride, drive and operate real diggers, dumpers and other full-size construction machinery. The Devon park is in Cullompton, and the whole line-up runs to around 20 rides and drives. You can get to grips with real JCBs and Komatsu excavators, spin on Spindizzy, rise up on the Skyshuttle for the views, or take an off-road trip on the Groundshuttle. There are also dodgems and go-karts.

The parks are aimed at children aged 4 to 14, though visitors of all ages enjoy it, and rides have height restrictions. There are indoor and outdoor play areas, a cafeteria and a Goodie Store for souvenirs. Visitors describe the site as compact, with little walking between rides, which suits grandparents and younger children. One reviewer spent about five hours there in mixed weather.

Tip: Check the ride height chart on the Diggerland website before you go, so you know which rides each child can enjoy.

Tropiquaria is a small zoo and animal sanctuary based in and around a repurposed 1933 BBC Radio Transmitting Station at Washford Cross in Somerset. The listed building houses the Reptile House, Aquarium and Nocturnal House, with several acres of outdoor enclosures around it. Outside you can spot animals such as gibbons, ring-tailed lemurs, meerkats, tapir, wallabies and serval.

There are talks and encounters, a restaurant, and both indoor and outdoor play areas, so it works well for a relaxed family day out. The mix of wildlife, conservation and history should also appeal to anyone curious about the building's past. The zoo is a member of BIAZA and has bred a number of endangered species.

Tip: Don't leave dogs in your vehicle, as the car park has limited shade; only registered Assistance Dogs are allowed in the zoo.

Cheddar Gorge is a dramatic limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, with cliffs up to 137 metres deep. A day ticket covers Gough's Cave, Jacob's Ladder and the Museum of Prehistory. Gough's Cave is where Cheddar Man, Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, was found, and its stalactites and stalagmites were shaped by an underground river.

If you want something more active, there are adventure caving, rock climbing and the Black Cat Freefall. Escape rooms of different lengths are a good option if you fancy something indoors. The gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with wildlife and plants to look out for, so it suits curious families, history fans, nature lovers and thrill seekers alike.

Tip: Arrive before 11am, especially in school holidays and on bank holidays, to find a parking space easily. Booking day tickets online in advance also saves money.

Glastonbury Tor is a conical hill rising from the Somerset Levels, topped by the roofless 15th-century tower of St Michael's Church. Excavations at the summit revealed the plans of two earlier churches on the site. The Tor is cared for by the National Trust and has been a place of religious significance for over 1,000 years, linked with Christian and pagan beliefs and with Arthurian legend and the Isle of Avalon.

The main thing to do is walk up. The paths to the top are concrete, with a bench halfway, and the reward is views over the Somerset Levels, Dorset, Wiltshire and Wales. Look out for the terraced slopes, whose origins are still unexplained. It is a good place to stretch your legs, take in the history and wildlife, and unwind.

Tip: There is no parking at the Tor itself, so use the nearest fee-paying car park at Draper and Co on Chilkwell Street and walk, and keep your dog on a lead because sheep graze here.

The Museum of Somerset is in the 12th-century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton. It is run by the South West Heritage Trust, an independent charity, and tells the story of the county through its collections.

Exhibits include the Frome Hoard, 52,503 Roman coins found in a ceramic pot near Frome, and the Low Ham Roman Mosaic. You can also see the bronze-age South Cadbury shield, toys and dolls, sculpture, natural history, fossils, fine silver and pottery remains. The Somerset Military Museum follows the Somerset Light Infantry on their campaigns around the world.

At the heart of the museum is the Tree of Somerset, a sculpture carved from Quantock Hills oak that depicts events from the county's history.

Bristol Zoo Project is a wildlife conservation park in South Gloucestershire, run by Bristol Zoological Society. It covers a large site, and its areas are designed to link ecosystems and conservation programmes around the world. Current areas include Bear Wood, Benoué National Park and Discover Madagascar.

The animals include reticulated giraffes, Southeast African cheetahs, Grant's zebra, Western lowland gorillas, European brown bears, Eurasian wolves and wolverines. There are also several kinds of lemur, as well as meerkats, red pandas and gelada. Bear Wood is an environment designed to mimic England in 8,000 BC. The site also grows a third of the food for the animals, so there is a working side to the place as well as the animal areas.

Montacute House is a late Elizabethan mansion in South Somerset, completed around 1601 and built of golden local Ham Hill stone. Inside you can explore the ground floor, which is home to the rare Tournai Tapestry, and the Long Gallery is the longest in England and displays portraits as an outpost of the National Portrait Gallery. Outside, the formal garden has lawns, flower borders and the much-loved 'wibbly wobbly' yew hedges, plus a tranquil Orangery.

The wider estate suits walkers, with parkland, the Lime Avenue, veteran trees and heritage apple orchards. Waymarked trails lead through woodland and up St Michael's Hill to Prospect Tower, which has views over the Somerset countryside. There is a natural play area for children, a courtyard café in the old service buildings, a shop and a second-hand book barn.

Tip: Parking is free, and timed entry tickets are used on busier days, so check before you set off. The Ladies' Walk is a 45-minute climb with lovely views over the village.

Barrington Court is a National Trust estate near Ilminster, centred on a Tudor manor house begun around 1538. The Trust acquired it in 1907, and it was restored in the 1920s by Colonel Lyle and his wife. Strode House, a former stable and coach block, stands alongside.

The formal walled gardens were influenced by Gertrude Jekyll and include a Lily Garden, a White Garden and a Rose and Iris Garden, plus lawns, orchards and a kitchen garden. Beyond them, the estate covers over 70 acres of parkland, farm buildings and cottages, with walks to explore. Beagles Café serves lunches, cakes and hot drinks, and there is a shop, a second-hand book barn and independent craft workshops on the Avenue. There is space for picnics on the South Lawn, and the National Trust describes it as family friendly. Dogs are welcome on leads in the garden (except the Kitchen Garden) and parkland.

Tip: Sat navs can direct you to the rear entrance, so use the what3words location ///rags.could.galaxy and follow the brown tourist signs. Check the National Trust page for what is open before you go.