Things to do in Dorset

This weekend (13 to 15 Nov) · All of Dorset

Photo: Stefanie Jockschat

123 results · page 5 of 6

Open all year

Open all year
Museum of East Dorset
Wimborne Minster · East Dorset · Heritage
- Family-friendly
- Accessible
- Rainy day
- +2 more
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
Poole · Outdoor activities
- Dog-friendly
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
Lyme Bay RIB Charter
West Bay · West Dorset · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
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
Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park
Verwood · East Dorset · Nature and wildlife
- Family-friendly
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
Moonfleet Adventure Sailing
Portland · Outdoor activities
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
Palmers Brewery
Bridport · West Dorset · Food and drink
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
Langham Wine Estate
Dorchester · West Dorset · Food and drink
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
Isle of Purbeck · Gardens
- Family-friendly
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
Lyme RIB Rides
Lyme Regis · West Dorset · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
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
The Sherborne Art & Culture Hub
Sherborne · West Dorset · Heritage
- Free
- Rainy day
- +1 more
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
Wild Chesil Centre
Chesil Beach · Weymouth and Portland · Nature and wildlife
- Family-friendly
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
West Bay · West Dorset · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
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 Boscombe
Boscombe · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Outdoor activities
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
Cyclexperience
Norden · Isle of Purbeck · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
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 Arts University Bournemouth
Bournemouth · Arts and culture
- Free
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
The Tunnel Tree Tops
Charmouth · West Dorset · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
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
Cumulus Outdoor Adventure
Isle of Purbeck · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
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
The Official Test Centre - Watersports Centre
Portland · Outdoor activities
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
Safari Cruises
Poole Harbour · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Nature and wildlife
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
Royal Signals Museum
Blandford Camp · North Dorset · Heritage
- Rainy day
- Accessible
- +1 more
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
Rock Reef Activity Attraction and Pier Zip
Bournemouth · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
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
The Saltwater Sauna Sandbanks Beach
Sandbanks · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Outdoor activities
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
Dorset Adventure Park
Corfe Castle · Isle of Purbeck · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
- +1 more
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
Holme · Isle of Purbeck · Gardens
- Dog-friendly
- Rainy day
- +1 more
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.