This weekend (13 to 15 Nov) · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
This area takes in Bournemouth, Poole and its harbour, Sandbanks and Highcliffe. Listings include Brownsea Island, Highcliffe Castle, Compton Acres and Poole Museum, with boat trips and wildlife cruises across Poole Harbour. Events include exhibitions, concerts and guided walks on Brownsea Island.
Festivals and shows
A free festive trail through Bournemouth's Lower Gardens, lit with thousands of twinkling lights and illuminated displays. Visitors can explore a Christmas tree maze, Santa's Workshop, a festive train and a big wheel, alongside a Christmas market and ice rink nearby. Suited to families looking for a winter evening out.
Arts and culture
A live stand-up comedy night at the Lighthouse's intimate studio space in Poole, run by the Coastal Comedy Club. The bill features headline act Nick Page alongside Rich Wilson and Samantha Day, with Dave Chawner hosting.
Exhibitions and events that run for weeks or months.
Arts and culture
A three-hour guided retreat cruise around Poole Harbour, combining meditation and movement sessions with a ceremonial cacao ceremony. Light refreshments and water are included, offering a chance to relax while sailing through the harbour.
10 Jul to 3 Jan
A free exhibition at Poole Museum showcasing the vivid, fantastical artworks of Jason Wilsher-Mills, including sculptures, inflatables and digital pieces. It features mermaids, larger-than-life characters and unusual creatures, with newly commissioned works inspired by Poole's maritime heritage. Designed to appeal to visitors of all ages.
Open all year
A collection of internationally inspired gardens spanning ten acres, including Italian, Japanese, Heather, Valley and Rock and Water gardens. The site also has a plant centre and a cafe tearoom, with nature trails for children during school holidays. Dogs are welcome in selected areas, and free parking is available on site.
Open all year
An island wildlife sanctuary in Poole Harbour with woodland, heathland and a lagoon, home to red squirrels and many bird species. Visitors can explore Scouting history, a former pottery and the remains of the village of Maryland. A free shuttle bus, Tramper wheelchair and BSL trail help make the island accessible.
Open all year
Quiet sandy beaches on Mudeford Spit, good for bathing and popular with dog walkers, who can let dogs off the lead all year. You reach it on foot, by bike or on the land train from Hengistbury Head car park, about a mile away; the land train has a wheelchair carriage. There are cafés, restaurants and toilets, but no lifeguards, and barbecues aren't allowed.
Open all year
A Blue Flag beach of wide, clean sand and shingle, a favourite with locals and away from the bustle of Bournemouth Pier and the town centre. You can walk down from Southbourne high street through Fisherman's Walk. RNLI lifeguards, a pub, a kiosk and accessible toilets are here. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
A natural, tranquil Blue Flag beach between Shore Road and Branksome Chine, with sandy cliffs and wooden huts, a short walk from the restaurants and shops of Canford Cliffs village. RNLI lifeguards patrol and there are toilets. Getting down from the car park can be difficult; for easier access the council suggests Sandbanks, Shore Road or Branksome Chine. Dogs aren't allowed from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Sandy beaches beside the historic Boscombe Pier, with views across Poole Bay and plenty to do: surf equipment hire, climbing boulders, slacklining and free electric barbecue hotplates. RNLI lifeguards patrol, and there's a pub, restaurants and kiosks. Boscombe Undercliff car park next to the beach has good level access, and a beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat matting are available from May to September.
Open all year
A relatively unspoilt pebble beach below imposing clay and ironstone cliffs, within the Hengistbury Head nature reserve. There's plenty of parking, with toilets and cafés at both ends. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the beach, but keep them on a lead off the beach so they don't disturb rare wildlife. Barbecues aren't allowed anywhere on Hengistbury Head.
Open all year
A Grade I listed 19th-century castle set in grounds with direct access to a sandy beach and the nearby Steamer Point nature reserve. Room hosts share the history of the building and past residents, including department store founder Harry Gordon Selfridge, who once lived there. The grounds suit a relaxing stroll or a family picnic, and there are tearooms on site.
Open all year
A maritime museum in Poole's Old Town telling the story of the town and its people shaped by the sea. Visitors can see three immersive galleries, an Iron Age logboat nearly ten metres long, interactive displays and family-friendly trails, with free entry. The site also includes Scaplen's Court, a preserved medieval merchant's house with a walled herb garden.
Open all year
Poole's historic quayside, where tall ships, fishing boats and Sunseeker powerboats come and go, and boats leave for harbour cruises, Swanage and Old Harry, and for Brownsea Island every 30 minutes in season. Explore the Old Town on the Cockle Trail, head up to the viewing platform of the Sea Music sculpture, try crabbing or sit with the life-size statue of Lord Baden-Powell. Shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs line the quay.
Open all year
Pleasure boat trips departing from the quayside in Poole, giving views of Poole Harbour and the Dorset coastline. Cruises last around an hour, with booking preferred in advance though visitors can also turn up at the kiosk on the day.
Open all year
Upton House, a Grade II* listed Georgian mansion, stands in 160 acres of parkland, woodland and formal gardens with 2.6km of shoreline and plenty of wildlife. Wander the botanical Walled Garden, let children play at Spurrier's Play Park, or see local artists' work in the Gallery Upstairs above the Tea Rooms. Admission is free every day, all year, and the park is open until dusk; car parking charges apply.
Open all year
Soft golden sand at Sandbanks, which has won the Blue Flag more times than any other UK resort. There's a café, mini golf, a children's play area and RNLI lifeguards. The beach can be reached by ramp, with a beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat matting from May to September. Dogs aren't allowed on the main beach from 1 May to 30 September, but can use the stretch from the western end of the promenade to Haven Point all year.
Open all year
Sandy beaches by Bournemouth Pier, on the edge of the town's historic gardens, with cliff top walks and views to the Isle of Wight. Restaurants, cafés, mini golf and amusements are close by, and RNLI lifeguards patrol. From 1 July to 1 September the free KidZone scheme helps reunite lost children with their families. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum fills a historic clifftop house on Bournemouth's East Cliff. Its richly decorated galleries hold fine art, sculpture and treasures from around the world, gathered by the Victorian collectors Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes, alongside a changing programme of exhibitions. The café looks out to sea. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and on bank holiday Mondays.
Open all year
A large urban park beside a boating lake, with play areas, a café, tennis, bowls, minigolf, a fitness trail and water sports. The Poole Park railway runs through the park seven days a week. There are three free car parks with maximum stays, plus free parking on the park's roads, but cars can't drive in from 7.30am to 10am, Monday to Saturday. Dogs are welcome except in the fenced play areas.
Open all year
A large arts centre in the heart of Poole offering theatre, live music, comedy, dance, cinema and exhibitions. It has multiple performance and exhibition spaces including a concert hall, theatre, studio and cinema, with children's theatre and family shows also on offer.
Open all year
A Blue Flag stretch of sand and shingle at the eastern edge of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, on the Hampshire border, popular with swimmers and body boarders. Grassy dunes and low cliffs sit behind it, with paths through to Steamer Point Nature Reserve. The cliff top car park has a café, toilets and disabled parking. Dogs aren't allowed between groynes H4 and H8 from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
A 64 mile long distance walking route that follows the River Stour from its source at Stourhead down to Christchurch Harbour, where it meets the sea. In Dorset it passes through Sturminster Newton, Wimborne Minster, Ferndown, Bournemouth and Christchurch, and is signposted with a kingfisher logo.
Open all year
A Blue Flag sandy beach with wide views along the coast, a car park right beside it, a beach shop and a popular restaurant. RNLI lifeguards are on duty from late May to early September, 10am to 6pm. The beach can be reached by ramp, and a beach wheelchair is available from the beach office from May to September. Dogs aren't allowed on the main beach from 1 May to 30 September.