Pantglas Farm - Fun Days Out

Folly Farm began as a dairy farm and has grown into an award-winning family attraction with four areas: a farmyard, a zoo, an undercover vintage funfair with a Wurlitzer organ, and play areas. The zoo has over 200 species, including African lions, Humboldt and Macaroni penguins, and critically endangered eastern black rhinos in Kifaru Reserve.

The large undercover Jolly Barn has horses, goats, sheep, pigs and smaller petting animals. Outdoor paddocks lie across the A478, and a tractor-driven land-train tours them in the late morning and mid-afternoon. Fairground rides cost extra, but there is plenty to do without them. It suits families with children of all ages, and anyone who enjoys animals.

Tip: Pre-booking a date isn't required, and online tickets save 5%. A free return visit within seven days is offered if you can't see everything in one day, but get the ticket validated before you leave.

The Boathouse in Laugharne is where Dylan Thomas lived with his family between 1949 and 1953. Set in a cliff overlooking the Tâf estuary, it is now a museum run by Carmarthenshire County Council. The interior has been returned to its 1950s appearance, with a recording of Thomas's voice playing in the background, and it holds memorabilia and some original furniture, including his father's desk.

Close to the house is the clifftop writing shed, reconstructed with a writing table littered with discarded papers, as though Thomas were in the process of working on a book. Other exhibits include a bust once owned by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, a letter from former US President Jimmy Carter, and a 1936 photograph of Thomas that was taken into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. It suits anyone interested in Thomas's life and work.

Tip: Visit the writing shed close to the main house, where Thomas did most of his writing, and look across the estuary that inspired "Over Sir John's Hill".

Carew Castle stands on a limestone bluff overlooking the Carew inlet, part of the Milford Haven Waterway. It began as a Norman stone keep around 1100 and was rebuilt and extended over the centuries, so you can see several architectural styles in one place. You enter the inner ward across a dry moat, with D-shaped towers at the front and two large round towers at the back.

Look out for the Tudor range on the north side, with its ornate windows and long gallery, and the doorway decorated with three coats of arms. In the outer ward are earthworks built by Royalist defenders in the Civil War, and excavations there have uncovered the walls of an Iron Age fort. Carew Tidal Mill, the only restored tidal mill in Wales, is also part of the story. It is a good choice if you enjoy history and castle architecture.

Tip: Look for the Tudor range on the north side, and find the tidal mill, the only restored one in Wales.

Pembroke Castle sits on a rocky promontory beside the Milford Haven Waterway, in the centre of Pembroke. It was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke and is Grade I listed. William Marshal rebuilt it in stone after 1189, creating most of the structure that remains today.

The big draw is the huge round keep in the inner ward. It stands 23 metres tall, with walls up to 6 metres thick at the base and a domed roof. Around it you can see the curtain wall, the outer ward's twin-towered gatehouse, the barbican and several round towers. Beneath the castle, Wogan Cave has shown that people lived on this site at the end of the last ice age.

The story runs deep. Henry VII was born here in 1457, and Oliver Cromwell besieged the castle for seven weeks in 1648. It suits anyone who likes castles and medieval history.

Carmarthen Castle is a ruined medieval fortress in the county town of Carmarthen, on a high terrace overlooking the tidal River Towy. It began as an early 1100s timber motte and bailey, was rebuilt in stone and was captured, destroyed and rebuilt many times. Owain Glyndŵr took it in 1405, and Henry VII's father, Edmund Tudor, died here as a prisoner in 1456.

The imposing 13-metre-high gatehouse on Nott Square is the surviving landmark, and the castle has shaped the town's streets and property boundaries. Later it served as the site of the county jail, designed by John Nash. Cromwell ordered the castle dismantled after the Civil War. It will suit history fans, and anyone happy to explore ruins and picture how much has happened here.

Manorbier Castle is a Norman enclosure castle on a natural coastal promontory, about five miles southwest of Tenby. It has curtain walls with round and square towers, and a tower gateway with a portcullis leads into the inner ward. A postern gate once gave access to the beach and the sea.

Inside, you can see the remains of the domestic ranges, which included kitchens, apartments and a Great hall, along with a chapel with elaborate vaulting and plaster-work. Some of the original medieval frescoes survive. The castle was the birthplace of the scholar Gerald of Wales, who called Manorbier the most pleasant place in all of Wales. The site also includes gardens, a dovecote and a mill, which makes it a good choice for anyone who enjoys castles and medieval history.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is in Llanarthney, in the River Tywi valley. It is both a visitor attraction and a centre for botanical research and conservation. The centrepiece is the Great Glasshouse, the world's largest single-span glasshouse at 110 m long and 60 m wide. It stands virtually on the site of Cockerell's mansion, the new Middleton Hall.

The garden sits on the historic Middleton Hall estate, which is registered Grade II* for its special historic interest. Much of the original waterscape has been restored, with cascades on the western approach to the Glasshouse. The view from the east side of the mansion has also been restored, stretching out towards Paxton's Tower in the distance. Experts say it helps visitors understand what "picturesque" meant to the great landscape architects of the late eighteenth century.

Tip: Look out across the restored eastern view towards Paxton's Tower, which was designed to be seen from the mansion's east side.

Cardigan Castle overlooks the River Teifi in the town of Cardigan. The site dates back to the late 11th century and was rebuilt in 1244. Rhys ap Gruffydd rebuilt it in stone, and in 1176 the first recorded eisteddfod was held here. After years of decay, it was restored and opened to the public.

Inside the walls you can visit Castle Green House, a Regency-era home with rooms such as the Georgian Kitchen and Miss Wood's Room, and wander the gardens, which are on the Cadw/ICOMOS register of historic parks and gardens. There is also a heritage centre, a children's castle area, an escape room inspired by the history of Castle Green House, and a restaurant called 1176. Paths are wheelchair friendly.

Tip: There is no on-site parking for day visitors, so use the car park at the bottom of Quay Street, a minute's walk away.