Somerset Accommodation

Bristol Zoo makes a great day out near Bristol
Entrance to SS Great Britain and The Matthew ships at Bristol's Harbourside
@Bristol has a host of interactive science and technology display in Bristol
Cheddar Gorge and Caves is a great underground attraction for all the family
You can also have a go at rock climbing or caving at Cheddar Caves
Cheddar Caves and Wookey Hole in the Mendips are great family days out
Weston-super-Mare has loads of family seaside entertainment
Amusements, rides and Sealife Aquarium at Weston-super-Mare
The Helicopter Museum near Weston-super-Mare has restored helicopters to explore
Butlins in Minehead is designed for family holidays or days out

Family Days Out in Somerset

There's plenty of family holiday attractions in Somerset. The Somerset Coast is totally geared towards family seaside holidays with amusement arcades on the piers, aquariums, miles of sandy beaches and leisure parks at Brean and Butlins in Minehead.

Bristol has a lot of family attractions from Bristol Zoo on its outskirts near Clifton to SS Great Britain in the centre at the old docks. In the same building as the Tourist Office is the @Bristol Science and Discovery Centre with interactive and fun activities to keep the family occupied. The Mendips are honeycombed with caves and you can go underground and see them for yourself at Cheddar and Wookey Hole near Wells. There are other activities on both sites so why not make a day of it?

Featured Somerset Accommodation

Hoseasons Bristol Queen… - Bristol City Centre

Luxurious self catering apartments in Bristol city centre. Ideal for business delegates, couples or small families. Internet access available.

£99 to £135 Per night

Bristol Zoo and Gardens Clifton

Bristol Zoo is based in Clifton just along the A4176 near Westbury Park. It is a fantastic family day out with over 400 animal species from gorillas to millipedes. The 12 acre site houses a variety of outdoor enclosures as well as indoor environments for exotic animals ranging from lions, gorillas, monkeys, seals and penguins, and even endangered native UK species such as water voles. Areas are themed to show animals from different parts of the world or different habitats like The Aquarium and Wallace Aviary or Zona Brazil that recreates the Brazilian rainforest habitat used by tapirs, capybara and gold lion tamarins. There are loads of interactive things for the kids to get involved in too like face painting and badge making in The Activity Centre or the Zoolympics - a range of activities to explore those used in the animal kingdom.

Bristol Zoo aims to educate people about the animals, habitats and ecosystems that make up the world and why it's important for these to be conserved for our own survival. Recent exhibitions have included some that help how our activities affect the planet. The Zoo Gardens are also popular and holds an important collection of plants from all over the world, some of which are rare.

Bristol Zoo is open daily during the peak season. Discounted tickets and special offers are available in conjunction with First Bus and First Great Western to promote a greener way of getting to the zoo. Groups of ten or more can also get discounted tickets. What a fantastic birthday celebration idea taking a bunch of friends to the zoo for a day out - no doubt the kids would enjoy a birthday party at the zoo too!

Check the Bristol Zoo website, link right, for up-to-date information on details of the zoo, group bookings and other events hosted at the zoo throughout the year.

Brunel's SS Great Britain Bristol

SS Great Britain is the majestic ship moored on a glass "sea" down on Bristol's Harbourside. SS Great Britain was the first propeller driven ocean going ship to have a hull made out of iron and was the largest floating vessel in 1843 when it was launched. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the ship's designers and it was built in a dry dock in Bristol where it returned in 1970 for restoration.

Today you can explore the ship assisted by an "audio companion" (available in several languages) and find out all about life on a nineteenth century ocean liner helped along with the smells of the time - not all of them the most pleasant! There are often a range of events held on the ship too so check the SS Great Britain website for up-to-date listings, weblink right.

Open daily: Apr-Oct 10am-6pm, last entry 5pm. Nov-Mar 10am-4.30pm, last entry 3.30pm. Closed 17, 24 and 25 December. The ship is accessible by wheelchairs that have been specially designed to fit through the cabin door, and there are ramps and lifts for those with limited mobility. Where access is difficult due to the nature of the boat alternative routes are available. Sign language video guides for both adults and children and audio guides specially recorded for blind and partially sighted visitors are also available. There is a gift shop in the SS Great Britain complex and waterfront cafes nearby. You can even hire the ship for functions. There is plenty of car parking around the waterfront too so it makes a good starting point for exploring Bristol.

Brunel's SS Great Britain, Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol BS1 6TY. Tel: 0117 926 0680. Fax: 0117 925 5788. Email: admin@ssgreatbritain.org.

@Bristol Science and Discovery Centre

At Bristol houses the Explore Bristol family oriented attractions in impressive modern buildings around Millennium Square. Head for the giant silver sphere or follow the signs for the Tourist Information Office as it's housed in the same building. Here you can buy tickets for the At Bristol attractions that include Explore Bristol and the Planetarium. It was until recently complemented by an IMAX Theatre but unfortunately this has now closed.

Explore Bristol is an interactive science centre with hands-on activities and live shows. There's plenty of things to do to keep you occupied for hours and is aimed at all ages - excellent for rainy days. The silver sphere is the Planetarium where you can find out all about the stars and planets from the Seasonal Night Sky Shows. Access to the Planetarium is free with a ticket to Explore. Explore Bristol also has a changing programme of exhibitions for all ages. Check the weblink right for more information.

Explore-At-Bristol, At Bristol, Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5DB. Tel: 0845 345 1235. Fax: 0117 915 7200. Email: information@at-bristol.org.uk

Cheddar Gorge and Caves Rocksport Climbing Caving

The biggest attraction at Cheddar is Cheddar Gorge and Caves. Cheddar Gorge is Britain's largest gorge. It cuts through limestone in the Mendip Hills just outside Cheddar village. It is considered one of Britain's greatest natural wonders along with Dan-yr-Ogof Caves in Wales. The Gorge attracts 500,000 visitors every year.

The main attractions are Cox's Cave and Gough's Cave. These were discovered in 1837 and 1903 respectively by local men. The caves are named after their discoverers. Gough's Cave is the biggest but Cox's Cave has more intricate rock formations. Here you can see the effects that water has on limestone when it erodes and makes intricate wavy shapes in the rock with stalactites and stalagmites pointing into mirror-like pools. Some of the limestone is coloured with oranges and reds which comes from the minerals in the rock.

Cheddar Caves and Gorge are open all year round. Closed 24-25 Dec. You can purchase the Caves and Gorge Explorer Ticket that gives you access to both caves, the open top bus tour, Jacob's Ladder and the Cliff Top Gorge Walk and the Museum of Prehistory. If you don't get round all the attractions in one day your ticket is still valid for 10 years! If you're taking the family, family discount tickets are available for two adults and up to three children. Cheddar Caves & Gorge, Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3QF. Tel: 01934 742343. Email: caves@visitcheddar.co.uk

Rocksport is based at Cheddar Caves and Gorge and offer training on rock climbing, abseiling and adventure caving. For climbing and abseiling instruction you get to climb up a 50 foot rock face in Cheddar Gorge itself. This is a one and half hour introductory taster lesson and you can hire all necessary equipment. An excellent way to find out if you want to take it further. The instructors are registered with the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority. Sessions are available every day from March to October. Rocksport Tel: 01934 742343. Email: RockSport@visitcheddar.co.uk.

Wookey Hole Caves Mendips Somerset UK

Wookey Hole is Somerset's other showcaves attraction just a short distance to the west of Wells. These caves have been created through the natural erosion of the Mendip limestone hills by the River Axe that flows underground through the caves. There is evidence that man inhabited the caves as long ago as 50,000 years ago. They were extensively excavated in the early twentieth century which opened them up to visitors to the area. Today you can take a guided tour through the caves to find out all about the history of the caves, how the beautiful rock formations were formed and something of the legends that surround them.

The Wookey Hole attraction is a fun packed family day out and it's not just the caves you can explore. On the site is a mill that has had several uses over time the latest of which was a paper mill. You can find out about the industrial history of the mill and watch as paper is handmade today. You can even have a go yourself.

Dinosaur Valley contains twenty life-size models of all sorts of dinosaurs that may have roamed prehistoric Britain including Tyrannosaurus Rex and Woolly Mammoths! Wookey Hole also has the largest collection of Edwardian Penny Arcade machines in the country. You can change you money into old pennies and have a go just as visitors to the Somerset seaside would have done years ago! The Mirror Maze is another attraction that is always fun. A maze of crazy mirrors in a vaulted crypt provides fun with distorted reflections and secret glimpses of a wizard trapped the Witch of Wookey Hole.

Wookey Hole Caves is open seven days a week, all year round. There is often themed events such as Halloween nights and a Christmas circus. Your entrance ticket will cover you for all attractions on the site and is valid throughout the day. You can buy tickets online or when you arrive at Wookey Hole. Access to the caves and valley is not suitable for wheelchairs and the severely disabled visitors but the other attractions are accessible. Wookey Hole Caves, Wookey Hole, Wells, Somerset BA5 1BB. Tel: 01749 672243. Fax: 01749 677749. Email: witch@wookey.co.uk.

Children's Entertainment in Weston-super-Mare

Apart from the amusements on the Pier other family attractions include the Sealife Seaquarium. It's a recent addition to the seafront opening in 1995 on its own purpose built mini-pier - the first seaside pier to be built in Britain for 85 years. The Seaquarium includes an underwater tunnel that gives you a closer look at sea creatures from the surrounding seas as well as more exotic animals from far flung places. You can watch sharks and rays swim above you or check out other creatures in over 30 displays. There is also a cafe overlooking the beach and sea and gift shop.

Groups of ten or more can get discounts on the entrance fee. You can also hire the Seaquarium for events or children's parties. The Seaquarium is open daily from 10am. SeaQuarium, Weston-Super-Mare, Marine Parade, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset BS23 1BE. Tel: 01934 613361. Email: weston@seaquarium.co.uk.

Beach fun is supplemented with donkey rides, trampolines and miniature trains that travel along the prom.

Check our other Weston pages for more children's activities like North Somerset Museum and the Helicopter Museum.

The Helicopter Museum near Weston-super-Mare

The Helicopter Museum is the world's largest museum solely dedicated to helicopters. It is just off the M5 on the A371 just outside the main town of Weston-super-Mare. It makes a good day out for all the family particularly as it's undercover for those rainy days! The Museum houses over 80 helicopters from all over the world.

The collection was started by aviation writer/historian Elfan ap Rees when he started collecting a variety of rotorcraft documentation and artefacts in 1958. Soon he acquired his first complete helicopter, a Bristol Sycamore MK3, and the museum has continued to acquire parts and whole helicopters that it has conserved since.

The majority of the restored helicopters are displayed in the main display building where you can find out about their history. There is also a wealth of associated literature, manuals and artefacts relating to rotary powered craft. There is also a coffee shop, children's play area and Heliworld gift shop that is also the largest stockist of helicopter model kits.

The Helicopter Museum is open Weds-Sun all year round and open daily from Easter through the Summer period. The Helicopter Museum, Locking Moor Road, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, BS24 8PP. Tel: 01934 635227. Fax: 01934 645230. Email: helimuseum@btconnect.com. Groups are welcomed but you will need to book in advance if you number more than twelve. The Helicopter Museum can also help organise children's and adults parties and functions. Check their website, link right, for much more detail or visit in person.

Brean Family Leisure Parks Pontins

The coast from Brean Down to Berrow is the centre for family fun packed holidays at seaside locations. Here you can camp by the beach in a tent, your own or static caravan, find loads of activities and rides at Pontins, Brean Leisure Park, animal farms, boat trips and attractions nearby or further afield.

Being on the coast it's an ideal location for taking leisurely coastal walks on Brean Down or along Berrow sand dunes. There's a multitude of wildlife in the dunes or birdlife on the beaches. For golf Burnham and Berrow Golf Club offer golfing opportunities on a natural links course and a 9 hole course and Brean Golf Club offer short games and lessons for the novice.

History of Butlins Minehead

Minehead is most famous for being the home the largest of the Butlins holiday camps.

You can book groups on themed party weekends, take the family for a fun packed week or roll-up for a day visit. Well known pop stars and groups often perform and there are several themed adult weekender breaks throughout the year. You can often get a discount for booking online. For families a huge attraction is the indoor and outdoor pools of Splashworld. Under sub-tropical temperatures you can have a go on long, twisty waterslides, wave machines, rapids, bubble pools, water canons and space bowl. There is also a free fun fair, the largest high ropes course in Europe, a climbing wall and you can book yourself on a variety of outdoor activities, sailing, canoeing and fishing trips which are held outside the camp. When you've worked up an appetite there are plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants to choose from.

The Minehead Butlins is also handy for getting out and exploring Exmoor National Park. Butlins at Minehead has always been a popular family attraction and is a handy day out if the weather turns bad.

Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park

Just to the east of Chard is the popular family day out - Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park. The Park is most renowned for its wildlife park but it was also the location for the filming of "To The Manor Born" with Penelope Keith. The eighteenth century Manor House is now open as a hotel

The Park has a whole host of exotic animals including lemurs, meerkats, marmosets, hunting dogs, zebras, deer and Przewalski Horse. A wide range of birds are also on display like parrots, cockatoos, macaws, lovebirds, ostrich and emus and flamingos.

You can tour the park on your own or book on to behind the scenes tours like the "Walk on the Wild Side" three hour guided tour. Alternatively you can become a "Keeper for a Day" to find out what looking after all these animals takes. Check the weblink right for more information.

The park is open all year round. 10am-6pm (4.30pm in winter). Last admission at 4pm (3pm winter). The Wildlife Park at Cricket St Thomas, Chard, Somerset TA20 4DD. Tel: 01460 30111. Email: wildlifepark.cst@bourne-leisure.co.uk