23 best things to experience on a Devon family holiday

Devon is an iconic county along the Jurassic Coast of England that offers a wide range of things to experience on a family holiday. Things to do on family holidays in Devon range from the wild and untamed like animal experiences or cliffside fossil hunting to classic and traditional amusement parks with roller coasters and games. You can explore ancient, ruined castles where you can witness jousts, or you can walk museums dedicated to quirky corners of local history. Options abound for luxury family holidays in Devon or any kind of family break you could want. Check out the 23 best things to experience on a Devon family holiday to get some inspiration for your travels.

Have an up-close animal experience

1. See the animals at the Exmoor Zoo

The Exmoor Zoo in Barnstaple allows you to really get up close and personal with the animals. You can handle spiders, pet alpacas and more. You’ll also find animal experiences with creatures like black leopards. You can view poisonous snakes and toads, laughing hyenas, colourful tropical bird species and even molluscs like snails. The whole experience makes for a wonderful option for exciting activities on your Devon family holiday.

2. Find a fairytale world at a butterfly farm and otter sanctuary

At the Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary and Buckfast Butterfly Farm, you can see creatures that are playful and colourful, friendly and unique. This farm allows you to get lost in a fairy tale world surrounded by bright blue, orange, yellow and green butterflies as far as the eye can see. You can then head to the waterfront and watch otters at play at the sanctuary that includes North American, Asian and European species of otters. You can see river otters, sea otters and the rare giant otter and even learn about their ecology and feeding habits. It’s a wild and wonderful option for family breaks in Devon.

3. Discover an entire undersea world at the National Marine Aquarium

The National Marine Aquarium is among the largest aquariums in the United Kingdom and guides you on a long journey across the oceans of the world from the Plymouth shores to tropical living reefs and beyond. The Great Barrier Reef exhibit is one of the most exciting and popular of all the exhibits, showcasing more than 70 different fish species, plus rays, sharks, sea turtles, jellyfish and anemones. The aquarium also showcases other zones including those dedicated to marine protected areas, seagrass shores, ocean drifters, the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. You can even see an octopus moving along the floor and exotic creatures like seahorses.

4. Pet a donkey or mule at The Donkey Sanctuary

Take a trip to Sidmouth on your Devon holiday with kids and check out The Donkey Sanctuary, where you can stroke, pet and even hug more than 500 donkeys and mules. Your kids will be thrilled by how friendly and loveable these creatures are. While you’re here, you and the kids will get to learn about why donkeys are important to our world, how they are cared for, what they eat and why conservation is so important in protecting these creatures. Your journey will take you far beyond the stubborn role they play in popular culture, and you’ll develop a new appreciation for them.

5. See a working farm at Occombe Farm

Every kid plays with a toy farm at some point in time, and if you’re looking for one of the best family holidays in Devon, you can’t go wrong with a visit to the real-life Occombe Farm. This working, living farm offers you the chance to see farm animals up close and pet them, and to watch feedings and the way farmers work. You can even head to the cafe where the food is all made with produce grown right on-site. You can also take a hike along a nature trail through rolling fields and lush forests to see native wildlife in its natural habitat.

6. Visit with guinea pigs and owls at Totnes Rare Breeds Farm

For a truly unusual animal experience, check out Totnes Rare Breeds Farm. This is a working farm, but it also allows you to get near animals you might not normally see up close like chipmunks and owls. While you’re here, you can pet a guinea pig or duck, and visit with sheep or pigs. All of these creatures, while they might seem familiar, are rare breeds of their species, because that’s the farm’s main focus. You’ll learn why these breeds are rare and why it’s important to save them, and you’ll get to pet some interesting animals in the process.

Thrilling adventures await at local theme parks

7. Head for The Big Sheep amusement park

One of the top attractions for your Devon family holiday has to be The Big Sheep amusement park in Bideford. This park is in many ways a traditional park with swing rides, thrill rides, games, entertainment and snacks. What sets it apart from other parks, though, is that it’s entirely sheep-themed. Here you can watch a sheep-shearing show, bet on a sheep race, feed lambs and go on a farm safari, while the youngest kids can head to the soft-play barn. For the grown-ups, you can quench your thirst at the on-site brewpub. There’s something for everyone here.

8. Check out 24 hectares of attractions at Woodlands Family Theme Park

Tucked in Totnes you’ll find the Woodlands Family Theme Park, which offers an amazing 24 hectares of thrilling fun for your Devon family holidays. In the themed attraction areas you can take your little ones to play in the toddler area, while the older kids will love wandering the zoo or seeing a bird show at the falconry centre. If you’re of a crafty mind, you can head for the pottery section and try your hand at painting your own. You can explore the indoor and outdoor Sea Monster Zones, head for Cyclone Canyon, tackle an excursion to the Arctic Zone or take a pulse-pounding journey through the Action Zone.

9. Thrill the little ones at The Milky Way Adventure Park

If you’re looking for the best family holidays in Devon for families with little ones, head for Clovelly and The Milky Way Adventure Park. This park is known for rides and activities that are attractive to toddlers and young children like the Cosmic Caterpillar, the Milky Way Train and the Little Stars Play Centre. Of course, there’s also plenty to thrill older kids and adults, too, like roller coasters, dodgems, a death slide, a gravity rider and the Ninja Stars games arena. Naturally, you’ll also be able to grab classic theme park takeaway eats and enjoy plenty of options for live entertainment all season long.

10. Explore dozens of rides and 200 animals at Crealy Theme Park & Resort

Crealy Theme Park & Resort is routinely voted among the best family holidays in Devon. Here you can experience more than 60 rides and attractions spread over 40 hectares of land just minutes from Exeter. Kids will enjoy a massive 75,000 feet of play areas both indoor and outdoor. You can even visit more than 200 animals. You can race in a Grand Prix, ride the Dolphin Drop, drive Dino Jeeps through a Jurassic safari, travel the Jolly Roger, cool down in the Soak Zone or on the Tidal Wave, or feel your pulse pound on the Maximus roller coaster. If it’s a theme park attraction, you’ll find it here.

Explore unusual attractions in Devon

11. Have an adventure with Sir Francis Drake at the Golden Hind

If you’re anywhere near Brixham on your family holidays in Devon, you’ll want to check out the Golden Hind. This full-size replica of the ship of Sir Francis Drake offers education and history to visitors. Here you can head back to the Golden Age of Sail, where little kids love nothing more than running around above and below the decks and spinning the wheel. Let them play pirate for an afternoon while you imagine what life was like on the high seas during the days of Drake, hunting buccaneers on the high seas in the 16th century.

12. Ride a 1930s machine at high tide on the Burgh Island Sea Tractor

You’re probably thinking, ‘What’s a Sea Tractor’? That’s exactly the reason you should head for Burgh Island on your luxury family holidays in Devon. The Sea Tractor is a working artefact of history, designed in 1969 by Robert Jackson and today operating as a ferry for a very nominal fee. Sea tractors are wheeled vehicles designed to travel through shallow seawater. They were most popular during the 1930s, and this one still fulfils the same function, providing scenic and thrilling tours to island visitors. It’s an experience for your family holidays in Devon that neither the kids nor the grown-ups will soon forget.

13. Tour a prehistoric cave at Kents Cavern

If you want your Devon family holiday to offer a walk into the past, you’ll definitely want to head for Torquay and check out Kents Cavern. You’ve heard about cavemen all your life, but did you know that people really did live in caves? This cave lets you step into a Stone Age settlement and see how people lived in prehistoric times. Various educational and live entertainment activities are held all year long, and you can explore caves, a woodland trail, coastal walking trails and even a Geopark while you’re here. It’s an entire alien world to explore, right here on earth.

14. Take a ride along the River Dart on the South Devon Railway

Along the River Dart Valley runs 7 miles of the South Devon Railway that transports you between the towns of Buckfastleigh and Totnes, with many other attractions on the way. You can even get package deals to enjoy many attractions all at once. For the littlest ones, you can catch special Thomas the Tank Engine days where they can take themed rides and even meet their favourite characters while riding on a train pulled by Thomas himself. At the station, you can stop for a bite to eat at the on-site cafe or grab the perfect souvenir at the gift shop.

15. Play games at the House of Marbles

The House of Marbles is located in Bovey Tracey and is a working factory of glass and games dedicated to producing glass marbles in all their unique and diverse colours and styles. This factory has been producing games for decades. While it’s focused on original games, some of the games on-site date back to the 17th century. While you’re visiting, you can watch glass-making displays and workshops, and learn about the 4,000 years of history of the art, craft and trade of glass making. It’s an especially fun option for those rainy days.

16. Drive a dumper truck at Diggerland

Diggerland in Cullompton might be the most unique and fun attraction for Devon holidays with kids you can imagine. Kids love construction vehicles and dream about sitting behind the driver’s seat, and they can do exactly that at Diggerland. They can drive full-size construction machinery including a 6-tonne digger, monster JCBs and dumper trucks, all in safe and controlled surroundings. After this, they can head for sandpits and play areas or ride kid-friendly rides all afternoon. You can take a construction-themed train ride, hit the Skyshuttle and race go-karts, then play games and grab snacks or a meal for a full day of fun.

Explore history, castles and heritage sites

17. See blacksmiths and wooden forts at Powderham Castle

If you happen to be heading for Exeter on your Dover family holidays, be sure to stop at Powderham Castle for a truly medieval experience. You can head for the real, working forge to see an actual blacksmith at their craft. The kids can pretend to be the king of their own realm in a wooden fort, and you can head inside the castle to explore the authentic, historic home of the Courtenay family, still decorated and outfitted just as it was hundreds of years ago. Outside, hop on the tractor for a ride through the deer park where you might catch a glimpse of some native wildlife.

18. Explore the Exeter underground tunnels

One thing many people don’t realize is that the city of Exeter has lingering remnants of the medieval era right beneath your feet. You can explore medieval passages beneath the streets that whisper stories of sieges and war, plague and progress. Originally the tunnels were built to pipe clean drinking water to the people, and the pipes ran through vaulted passages to make them easier to repair. Exeter is the only city in the United Kingdom to have these passages, and guided tours are offered where you can see interactive displays and learn all about them.

19. See a quirky collection of surfing artefacts

If you’re looking for something just a little different on your Devon family holiday, the Museum of British Surfing may just be what you’re looking for. This award-winning museum is entirely dedicated to artefacts, ephemera, documents and photos related to the history of surfing in the UK. This museum has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of surfboards and other memorabilia in Europe. Every item here is either of British make or has some sort of distinctly British connection to the sport. It’s a fun and quirky place to go to explore one of Britain’s great water sports.

Get in your steps on Devon outdoor adventures

20. Walk the coast for a rockpooling adventure

Rockpooling is an ideal activity for family holidays in Devon that can keep kids occupied for hours or even days. They’ll splash around in rocky pools left behind when the tide goes out, looking for crabs, sea snails, fish and fossils, or just swimming. You’ll find plenty of places all across the Jurassic Coast of Devon that are ideal for rockpooling, including places like Wembury Bay, where you can enjoy a spectacular coastline with dramatic cliffside views of the ocean, soft sands and a famed location for rockpools. Kids will be thrilled at the chance to discover an entire underwater ecology they can explore right at their fingertips.

21. Walk the clifftop paths of the Berry Head nature reserve

The Berry Head nature reserve is located on the southern end of Torbay and is considered one of the gateways to the global geopark along the English Riviera. There’s so much to do here for your family holidays in Devon that your biggest problem might be figuring out where to start. You can gaze out over the ocean to catch glimpses of sharks, dolphins and seals, you can explore fortifications that date back to the Napoleonic War, or you can just take a family walk in the outdoors and let the kids run and play while you enjoy the sea air and green landscape.

22. Forget geocaching and go letterboxing on Dartmoor

You might be asking, “What’s letterboxing?” Letterboxing is, in many ways, the original prototype for geocaching, only it’s entirely analogue. Letterboxing begins with a small weatherproof box hidden in a public place, which will contain puzzles and hints as to where you can find the next box. You place a stamp in a journal in the box to show you’ve been there, then stamp your own journal to show your progress. Dartmoor is a hub for this hobby that stretches back over 150 years and now is enjoyed all around the globe. Get your diary, head on out and make a Devon family holiday out of finding that first box!

23. Walk the entire English Riviera on the South West Coast Path

If a serene, peaceful and colourful walk is your idea of paradise, it’s hard to beat the South West Coast Path. This long nature trail stretches the entire length of the English Riviera between Somerset, Cornwall, Dorset and Devon. The kids can run and play in endless miles of rolling fields and forests while you can enjoy cliffside walks with brilliant coastal views of the deep-blue ocean waters. Whether you’re just looking for a quick escape from reality or you want a full day of hiking, this is the place to be.

24. Discover the Devonian period at Geoplay Park

Geoplay Park is a location for family holidays in Devon that really offers something for everyone. This scenic park in Paignton is themed around the unique geological history of the county and offers 4 different areas, with each area aimed at a different age group. That means whether you’ve got toddlers or teens, you’re sure to find something to entertain. Toddlers will love riding on the back of a trilobite, while teens will love the adventure course that allows them to swing over the sea.