Food stop · 10:00–12:15 (2h15m)
We The Curious
Book ahead at weekends; start upstairs before the crowds build.
Photo: Mark Boyce
Three indoor stops a short walk apart around Bristol's floating harbour: hands-on science, the free city museum and Brunel's great ship. Good for curious 6-12s when the weather is grim.
One dayAges 8–12Rainy dayCost ££10:00–16:303 stops
The plan
- 10:001
- 12:402
Museum · 12:40–13:50 (1h10m)
M Shed
Free museum - eat lunch at the harbourside food stalls nearby, then explore the city's story.
Bristol's free city museum in a former harbourside transit shed, telling the story of the city and its people through objects, vehicles and photographs. The working cranes outside and the dockside make it an easy stop on a harbour walk.
FreeIndoors- Good on a rainy day
Photo: Gillett's Crossing from Bristol, United Kingdom
- 14:053
Museum · 14:05–16:30 (2h25m)
Brunel's SS Great Britain
Go below the glass sea to the hull first, then climb aboard.
An indoor and outdoor museum in Bristol, aimed at ages 4 and up.
PaidIndoors & out- Baby changing
- Café on site
- Toilets
- Accessibility
- Good on a rainy day
Photo: Dietmar Rabich
More days out in South West
South WestPurbeck in two days: apes, tanks, steam and castle ruins
Wareham or Swanage
Day one pairs an ape rescue centre with a hangar full of tanks next door. Day two takes the steam train to Corfe Castle and ends on the clifftops at Durlston.
Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre → The Tank Museum → Corfe Castle → Durlston Country Park
WeekendAges 8–12Cost £££
South WestFossil hunting on the Jurassic Coast
Lyme Regis
Learn about Mary Anning and Jurassic sea monsters in Lyme Regis, then head to Charmouth's free fossil centre and join a guided hunt on the beach.
Lyme Regis Museum → Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
One dayAges 8–12Cost £
South WestMendip caves and a wild gorge
Wells
A morning of show caves, circus and mini golf at Wookey Hole, then a free scramble through the quieter Ebbor Gorge just up the hill.
Wookey Hole Caves → Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve
One dayAges 8–12Cost ££