Next 7 days (9 to 15 Nov) · All of Dorset
Open all year
An outdoor adventure park within Moors Valley Country Park offering high ropes, zip lines, all-terrain Segways and a multi-level nets playground. Experiences range from a gentle introduction for younger children to a longer treetop challenge with Tarzan swings for older kids and adults. Suitable for adventurers aged four to one hundred and four.
Open all year
A single wood-fired sauna for up to eight on the left as you enter Lulworth Cove. Book a 65-minute communal or private session, or a private guided ritual, and cool off in the sea, where pebbles, shingle and sand slope away; swim shoes help. Changing, lockers and a hot spring-water shower are at Lulworth Lodge, two minutes' walk away. The sauna is reached by a sea ladder, so it isn't easy for everyone. Guests must be 16 or over.
Open all year
The Etches Collection is a modern museum in Kimmeridge showing fossils of the marine life of Jurassic Dorset, and the story of life and death in the Kimmeridgian seas 157 million years ago, in the age of the dinosaurs. A Jurassic giant known as Big Sara can be seen at set viewing times. The museum is open every day apart from over Christmas, there is no need to book, and one ticket lets you return free for a year.
Open all year
This museum on the Isle of Portland recreates the wartime dockyard from which US troops embarked for the D-Day landings in 1944. Visitors can handle original WW2 artefacts and weapons, climb inside military vehicles, or read information panels while taking in the dockyard setting. It suits all the family, and visitors are encouraged to dress in 1940s attire.
Open all year
A family-friendly museum set in a historic town house off Wimborne's High Street, with 11 galleries covering local history and archaeology. Visitors can enjoy interactive exhibits, face-to-face encounters with figures from Wimborne's past, and a collection of Victorian Valentine cards. The site also has a walled garden, tearoom, second-hand bookshop and gift shop.
Open all year
Coastal Cruises Poole Ltd runs boat trips along the Jurassic Coast, to Swanage and around Poole Harbour. A uniformed crew provides commentary on the coastline and landmarks, and refreshments including a bar are available on board. Evening cruises and private charters can also be arranged, and dogs are welcome on all trips for a small charge.
Open all year
Skippered RIB boat trips along the Jurassic Coast, departing from Bridport Harbour in West Bay. Options range from fast-paced adventures to relaxing sightseeing cruises and private hire, suiting families, couples and groups. Trips run from Easter through to the end of October, weather and sea conditions permitting.
Open all year
A family-run farm park near Verwood built around a rare breed of heavy horses. Visitors can meet and feed the horses, take carriage and tractor rides, explore play barns and a trampoline barn, and see a vintage vehicle collection. The park is open from April to November, with a café on site.
Open all year
Sailing trips aboard the tall ship Moonfleet, a gaff rigged cutter based at Portland Marina, suited to both beginners and experienced sailors. Passengers can either relax and watch the coastline or join the crew in tasks such as hoisting sails and taking the helm. Trips run most days but depend on the weather.
Open all year
A guided tour of Britain's only thatched brewery, set beside the river Brit in Bridport and brewing ales since 1794. Visitors explore the historic brewery buildings, starting in the Malt Loft, and learn about the brewing process before sampling the finished ales in the Palmers Wine Store. Tours run Monday to Friday and last two hours; under-13s cannot take part and 13 to 17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult.
Open all year
A single-estate vineyard near Dorchester producing award-winning traditional method sparkling wine. Visitors can join guided or self-guided tours through the vines, then sample wines in a tasting room housed in a 19th-century former milking parlour, which also has a shop and cafe.
Open all year
Careys Secret Garden is a walled Victorian garden set against the backdrop of the Isle of Purbeck, rediscovered in 2019 and restored using rewilding and permaculture principles. The 3.5-acre site includes an arid garden, rose garden, orchard, wildflower meadow, tea and herb garden, food forest and wildlife pond. It suits families, with parent and toddler sessions on Friday mornings, and is open Wednesday to Saturday.
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.