Any date · All of Dorset
Open all year
Boat trips departing from the Cobb Harbour in Lyme Regis, offering views of the Jurassic Coast from a rigid inflatable boat. Choose fast paced adventures or slower sightseeing cruises to spot dolphins, seals and seabirds, with commentary from skippers. Suitable for those aged 5 and over, with lifejackets and a safety briefing provided.
Open all year
A restored Grade I listed Georgian building in the heart of Sherborne, combining historic interiors with galleries, a shop and a cafe. Visitors can see a nationally significant Sir James Thornhill mural and explore a building once used as a private home, a girls' school and an arts centre. The house and galleries are open daily with free admission.
Open all year
A family-friendly visitor centre run by Dorset Wildlife Trust, offering interactive displays on the geology and wildlife of Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon. Visitors can learn about the shingle beach's formation and the rare birds, fish and plants of the lagoon's Site of Special Scientific Interest. Fleet Explorer boat trips run from April to September, and the Salt Pig café overlooks the water.
Open all year
Dorset Foot Golf is an 18-hole hillside course combining football and golf, with sea views over West Bay and the Dorset coastline. Obstacles include tractor tyres, tunnels, ramps and hoops, alongside features referencing local landmarks such as Durdle Door and Colmer's Hill. On-site there is parking, toilets, a children's outdoor play area, indoor soft play, alpacas and a bar and restaurant.
Open all year
The Saltwater Sauna's flagship on Boscombe beach: an indoor communal sauna for 35 people overlooking the sea, open all year. Ninety-minute sessions range from open social sessions and silent ones to guided rituals led by certified sauna masters, with upbeat music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Between rounds there are hot and cold showers, a cold bucket shower, sea dips and a lounge with herbal tea. Overstrand car park is a four-minute walk.
Open all year
A bike hire centre in Purbeck Park offering mountain bikes and electric bikes for exploring the woodlands, heaths, beaches and hills of the Isle of Purbeck. Nine signed routes with pub stops cater for all ages and abilities, ranging from a 10 mile round trip to 24 miles. The centre is reachable by car, with a large car park, or by the Wareham to Swanage railway line, and is usually open from mid March to October.
Open all year
TheGallery at the Arts University Bournemouth is a contemporary art and design space open to the public, showing sculpture, film, photography, drawing and fine art. Exhibitions include work by contemporary artists and designers from around the world, alongside pieces on loan from major galleries and museums. Admission to exhibitions and supporting events is free.
Open all year
A high ropes adventure course set in the countryside just outside Lyme Regis and Charmouth, with a continuous belay system for safety. Suitable for children aged 6 and over with a minimum height of 1.2m, it suits families, groups of friends and team-building days out.
Open all year
An outdoor activity centre offering coasteering, climbing and abseiling, kayaking, paddleboarding, high ropes and bushcraft along the Jurassic coastline. Sessions suit families, private groups, schools and youth groups, with activities open to ages eight and upwards led by qualified instructors. A bunk-house residential centre is also available to hire.
Open all year
A windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding centre based within the National Sailing Academy grounds on Portland Harbour. It has an affiliated RYA school catering for all abilities, a shop selling watersports kit, and is a stockist of OneWheel electric boards.
Open all year
Year-round boat trips across Poole Harbour to spot local birdlife, run in partnership with Greenslade Pleasure Boats. Wetland birds gather in large numbers over winter, breeding species such as Peregrine and Sandwich Tern appear in summer, and passage migrants pass through in spring and autumn.
Open all year
The Royal Signals Museum at Blandford Camp tells the story of the Royal Corps of Signals and of military communications, from semaphore to satellite. Displays include a First World War cable wagon, secret SOE radios, Cold War cryptographic equipment, animals at war and a medal gallery. Adults aged 16 and over need valid photo ID to enter the camp. The museum is closed on Sundays, and only assistance dogs are allowed inside.
Open all year
RockReef is an all-year, all-weather activity attraction at the end of Bournemouth Pier, with 28 themed climbing walls, a balance-testing Stairway to Heaven and an aerial HighLine obstacle course. Visitors can also try the Pier Cave, a Vertical Slide, and the PierZip, a pier-to-shore zip wire landing on the beach below. There is a cafe with sea views inside.
Open all year
Two wood-fired saunas, Big for up to eight and Small for up to six, beside the dunes on Sandbanks Beach. Between rounds of heat you can take a cold beach shower or wade in from the soft sand, which shelves gently, with views to Old Harry Rocks. It's an off-grid site with a small changing space in each sauna, so bring only the essentials. Sessions last 65 minutes and guests must be 16 or over.
Open all year
A waterpark and mud trail set in woodland near Corfe Castle, suited to families and groups. The 18-acre site features inflatable water obstacles across two lakes, a 2km muddy adventure trail, and a spring-fed sauna with plunge pool. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome, and there is a picnic area with views of Corfe Castle.
Open all year
Holme for Gardens is a 15-acre landscaped garden and garden centre in the Isle of Purbeck, near the Jurassic Coast. Visitors can wander through wildflower meadows, lavender hedges, a wisteria walk and kitchen garden, with ponds and patios to sit around. There is also a large indoor conservatory and a grass amphitheatre used for summer theatre and concerts.
Open all year
Two identical electric saunas on the promenade at Avon Beach, next to the occasion huts near the Noisy Lobster, each taking up to seven people and looking across the water to the Isle of Wight. The shore is a gently sloping mix of sand and shingle, so swim shoes are recommended for a sea dip. Each sauna has a small changing room, and Avon Run Road car park is about two minutes' walk behind. Guests must be 16 or over.
Open all year
Old Harry Rocks are chalk stacks on Handfast Point at the southern end of Studland Bay, part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and managed by the National Trust. The route is popular with walkers and cyclists along the South West Coast Path, with open grass areas for picnics and kayak trips available for a closer look. Dogs are welcome on a lead due to the cliff height.
Open all year
Insight Activities offers woodland archery, axe throwing and crossbow shooting in a private woodland setting near Dorchester. Its Medieval Trio session combines all three activities over 2.5 hours for ages 12 and over, with archery-only sessions available for children from age 6. Bushcraft sessions covering firelighting and knife skills are also offered.