Days out with Kids

The Argory is a superb National Trust house dating from the 1820's, which has remained substantially unchanged from the turn of the century.

The house is situated in 315 acres of woodland overlooking the river Blackwater. The house contains some fascinating furniture including a superb 1824 cabinet organ.

The Seal Sanctuary now has three Seal Rescue Centres to visit. Apart from all being busy rescue centres each centre also offers the chance to see many different types of seal and other animals.

The National Seal Sanctuary in Helford Estuary is situated near the village of Gweek in Cornwall. The Scottish Sealife Sanctuary is set on the shores of Loch Creran, near Oban. At the Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary in Norfolk you can also see Sharks, Otters, Penguins, Rays and Seahorses.

The Museum of Transport has the biggest collection of vintage buses and coaches in the United Kingdom dating back over a 100 years. Log on for details of forthcoming events.

Web: www.gmts.co.uk

The Leighton buzzard railway is one of the few narrow-gauge light railways to survive in England. Built in 1919 to transport sand, the line has carried a steam-hauled passenger train service since 1968 and now houses one of the largest collections of narrow-gauge locomotives in the UK.

Web: www.buzzrail.co.uk

Hundreds of wonderful teddy bears displayed in enchanting room settings in an Elizabethan building. Favourites like Sooty and Paddington plus rare early bears.

Web: www.oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk

Visit this award winning museum, the only shipwreck centre of this standard in Britain. There is loads to see including a spectacular audio-visual show which features a voyage in time to the reign of Richard lll. Visitors will linger over the huge collection of personal and commercial artefacts brought up from the sea bed.

Web: www.bodminandwenfordrailway.co.uk

Get inside London's most famous bridge.

Facilities: play area, baby/disabled.

Web: www.coam.org.uk

Electric Mountain is First Hydro\'s Visitors Centre in Llanberis, close to the shores of Llyn Padarn and set against a magnificent backdrop of towering mountains and breathtaking scenery. Here, visitors of all ages can discover the amazing powers of hydro-electricity in an exciting, interactive and educational environment.

Web: www.fhc.co.uk/electric_mountain.htm

Exbury Gardens, the home of the de Rothschild family, is one of the most famous woodland gardens in the world. Rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas abound in this lovely English garden.

Web: www.exbury.co.uk

Web: www.cprra.co.uk

Web: www.bedford.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces.aspx

Historic warehouse packed with rich collections and 21st century displays. Climb aboard heritage boats, delve into the world of Gloucester’s Victorian docks and meet the people and the wildlife of our wonderful waterways. Lots to see and do for all the family, plus well-stocked shop and café. Visit our website for details of boat trips, events and activities.

Web: www.nwm.org.uk

Visit this famous venue to experience behind the scenes guided tours, see the players tunnel and changing rooms. Enjoy the history with touchscreens, video clips and films.

Learn how Cadbury make some of their most famous brands, see the Cadbury Land Show which takes you on a fantastic journey into a magical chocolate land, dip your Cadbury chocolate the traditional way, jump into a Beanmobile and enjoy an enchanting ride through chocolate wonderland, lots of free samples and much more!

Durham Cathedral has stood on this spot as a place of prayer and pilgrimage for over 900 years. It contains the remains of Cuthbert, the saintly seventh-century bishop of Lindisfarne; it also holds the tomb of Bede, the chronicler of Cuthbert's life and the first English historian. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in England and part of a World Heritage Site.

Web: www.durhamcathedral.co.uk

Walk through time at one of London's most friendly and enjoyable museums.

Opened in 1914 the Geffrye Museum is set in elegant Grade 1 listed, 18th Century almshouses with delightful gardens. It is the only museum in the United Kingdom to show a specialist collection of English furniture and decorative arts in a chronological series of period rooms, from the 17th century with oak furniture and panelling, past the refined splendour of the Georgian period and the high style of the Victorians, to 20th-century modernity, seen in a 1930's flat, a mid century room in 'contemporary' style plus a late 20th Century living space in a converted warehouse.

The museum and gardens are brought to life through an imaginative programme of seminars, workshops, drama and music, which range throughout the year. Special exhibitions are mounted throughout the year, exploring a wide variety of themes relating to the period room displays.

Web: www.geffrye-museum.org.uk

Spanning a chasm some eighty feet deep is the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, A two hand railed bridge caged bridge was installed by the National Trust during Easter of 2000.

The area is exceptional in is natural beauty, to the left as you come down the steep hill is Larrybane headland which once stretched out towards Sheep Island and had a promontory fort on the top dating to 800AD, underneath large caves once served as home to boat builders and a safe resting place from winter storms. Facilities include a tea room.

The longest show cave in Britain, in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The 80-minute guided tour of White Scar Cave covers one mile, and includes one of the largest caverns in the country. Over 330 feet long, with its roof soaring in places to 100 feet, this is one of the largest caverns in Britain. It contains literally thousands of delicate stalactites, which hang from the roof in great clusters.

Spectacularly set in the beautiful Tywi valley of Carmarthenshire, Aberglasney.

The gardens cover approximately 10 acres, including two woodlands.

Web: www.aberglasney.org

Voted the Best Attraction in the West Midlands by Kids and Parents, West Midland Safari Park situated in Worcestershire is an all day attraction with impressive facilities. See some of the greatest species known to man - the UK’s largest pride of rare and mysterious White Lions; White Tigers; Giraffe; famous Elephants that can paint and play football; Indian & African Rhino that freely roam the animal reserves; Mischievous African Wild Dogs; Cheetah – the fastest animals in the world - and a mob of pure white Wallabies, to name just a few in the four mile self drive safari that combines with Discovery Trail - showcasing a Sea Lion Show; Twilight Cave, Seaquarium, Mark O’Shea’s Reptile World, Creepy Crawlies and friendly animal encounters.

Lemurs really are on the loose at West Midland Safari Park in the UK’s largest walk-through Lemur Exhibit. Located in natural woodland, beside a centuries old lake, “Walking with Lemurs” is an exciting new exhibit for 2011 that is home to a variety of Lemur that include Ring Tailed, White-Front Brown and Red Bellied – all native of Madagascar and now totally free range at the Park. There are themed Lemur talks and special activities organized throughout main holiday times.

West Midland Safari Park is not just about animals. Their Amusement Area plays host to a variety of over 25 family orientated rides, including two water rides, namely the Zambezi Water Splash and Wild River Rapids.

The Park has a great line up of seasonal events too, with late night opening throughout in August, Spooky Spectacular for October half term and Santa Safari which is a Christmas Wonderland in December.

Web: www.riverlink.co.uk

The National Seal Sanctuary is set in the picturesque Helford Estuary, by the beautiful village of Gweek, in Cornwall. The Sanctuary is a busy rescue centre, and also has resident Grey Seals, Common Seals, Fur Seals, Californian and Patagonian Sea Lions, Goats, Ponies and Otters.

Web: www.sealsanctuary.co.uk

Inigo Jones was established in 1861. Today the company prefabricates architectural monumental and craft items from natural welsh slate. Owing to popular demand the slate works are open to the public for a self-guided tour that includes an introductory video, taped commentary on a walkman as well as an historical letter cutting and calligraphy exhibition.

Web: www.inigojones.co.uk

Find out the history of Cornwall from Stone Age to the present day at the Royal Cornwall Museum. The museum boasts collections of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities, also a range of temporary exhibitions.

Web: www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk

The Sygun Copper Mine is an award winning family attraction situated in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park. There are winding tunnels and large, colourful chambers, magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations and copper ore veins that contain traces of gold, silver and other precious metals. Our self-guided audiovisual tours allow you to explore the old workings on foot, in complete safety.

Dr Jenner's House Museum was the home of Edward Jenner, the pioneer of the smallpox vaccination and the father of the science of Immunology.

Jenner's famous research on smallpox and his development of the first vaccine to protect against the horrific disease led to smallpox being the first and only human disease to ever have been eradicated in1980. This interesting museum and garden make a wonderful day out for the whole family.

Address: The Chantry, Church Lane, Berkeley, Gloucestershire GL13 9BN

The Barbican is Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and education events. It is also home to the London Symphony Orchestra.