Children on Exmoor | Days Out | Duddings
Days out with the kids on Exmoor
The peace and tranquillity of your cottage, and the appeal of the tennis court and pool can only take you so far!. We all know that kids are pretty much always raring to go, so with that in mind we’ve listed five places to visit to keep the whole family entertained during your stay on Exmoor. Find all of these and more on the attractions map.
Tropiquaria
A 10 minute drive away from Dunster, there’s an abundance of things to see and do here for kids of all ages. A huge range of different types of animal live within Tropiquaria and you can get up close and personal with them and hold a snake, lizard or a creepy crawly. Their cuddly friends make surprise visits too! There are an assortment of play facilities, both inside and out where younger folk to play. These include two full size replica pirate ships, an outside ply area with zip wire and a play fort. Even the indoor café has a fort and a small ball park that’s been made with the under-fives in mind.
Exmoor Owl & Hawk Centre
This unique outdoor activity centre, located in the Porlock Vale on Exmoor National Park and only 15mins away from Dunster offers one of the finest assortments of flown owls in the world. Not only this but with hawks and eagles on show, indoor owl shows, the tea rooms and gardens, horse riding on Exmoor, alpaca walks, there’s certainly a jam-packed day ahead for the whole family to enjoy.
Ilfracombe Aquarium
Ilfracombe Aquarium is an award-winning, all-weather, educational attraction within the coastal town’s harbour. 75 species are on offer as visitors follow a unique zoned journey. It all starts at the source of an Exmoor stream, working its way down river, to an estuary, a local rockpool, the harbour and coast before finally reaching its way out to Lundy Island and its unique marine reserve. You can expect to keep the little ones busy with free quiz trails, presentations and experienced fish keeper guides, while offering feeding demonstrations and interactive opportunities that are all available throughout the day to keep the whole family entertained.
Watermouth Castle
One of the West Country’s premier Family Tourist Attractions, a Victorian Castle packed full of eclectic treasures, and nostalgic displays. There’s also a theme park including rides and play areas to enjoy, and beautiful landscaped gardens to relax and have a picnic. Suitable for all ages in a spectacular location that overlooks the picturesque Watermouth Cove, Watermouth Castle offers a unique and magical experience. There’s a fantastic water show to be seen, a maze that’s waiting for you to get lost in and do you dare visit the dungeons?
Exmoor Zoo
The award-winning Exmoor Zoo is aimed at being different. By being neither a wildlife park nor a city zoo, this means that they can be a friendlier and contact orientated zoo which has grown into the North Devon countryside. Recent exhibits such as caracal, maned wolves, puma, sand cats, tapir and the famous "Exmoor Beast" are available for visitors to see. You can also see unique and rare smaller animals in "natural" enclosures that are provided by the zoo itself. The zoos carefully planted shrubs and trees along the snaking zoo paths keep you pondering just what you might see next. You get to meet the animals as well. Join in the handling sessions, feed a wallaby, touch a snake or hold a spider while being educated about the animals during the talks and the feed times.
