When you think of going on holiday to Devon images of beautiful beaches, coastal walks and time by the sea or on quiet estuaries come to mind.
Devon Tourist Destinations
However, while that’s true, there are plenty of other things to do in this beautiful south western county. Here we’ve a few examples of places to spend a day with the kids away from the beach while you’re on holiday in one of the most picturesque counties in England.
Powderham Castle, Kenton
This beautiful castle is open to the public all year round and during the school holidays there are themed weeks of activities to take part in. Otherwise, you can take a guided tour inside the castle which takes you over a haunted corridor and through secret doors. Outside there is a nature trail and a walled garden. There’s a play area and a pets corner. Every day during the summer holiday there is a bird of prey display and you can take a deer park safari.
Devon Railway Centre, near Tiverton
The Devon Railway Centre has two different railways for visitors to ride on and children get to clip other passengers’ tickets just like a real ticket inspector. There’s a model village and model railway exhibition, as well as indoor play coaches including sand pits, ball pools and wooden train tracks to play with. For the grown-ups, there’s a tea room so you can take it easy while the children play.
Devon’s Crealy Adventure park, near Exeter
This is a family owned theme park where there are theme park rides and plenty of other activities to take part in, both indoor and outdoor, so it’s a great choice for a day when the weather doesn’t look 100%. There are three huge indoor play areas and a pets’ corner.
Outside, as well as the theme park rides, there’s the Soak Zone, which is great for cooling off on really hot days, and big play areas like the Play Fort and the River Raiders Bridge Challenge and the Woodland aerial walkway.
As for where to stay, there are so many different places to choose from in Devon that you can have your pick of different types of accommodation. There are the Devon holiday parks and campsites, which have lots of great facilities, as well as hotels and B&Bs and private holiday cottages to rent. Where you stay depends on what you want to do while you’re there, and on which accommodation is most conveniently located for your holiday.