Brewery Heritage centre

The smell hits you first - that rich, yeasty aroma that tells you everything about what this place is before you've even stepped inside properly. The Brewery Heritage Centre in Burton-on-Trent is essentially a working museum dedicated to the town's extraordinary beer-making history, and it's the sort of place that makes sense only if you care about how things are actually made.

You'll walk through the old brewing floors, see the vast copper vessels, and learn how Burton became the beer capital of England in the first place - water chemistry, mostly, which sounds dull until someone explains why that mattered. There's proper hands-on stuff too; it's not just glass cases and plaques. The guides actually know their stuff, which helps when you're trying to work out why a Victorian brewery looked the way it did.

History enthusiasts and anyone with even a passing interest in industrial heritage will find hours here easily. Families with older kids do well enough, though under-tens might lose interest once they've grasped the basics. The gift shop does a brisk trade in beer-related merchandise, obviously.

Stay at Peake's Retreats just down the road - it's genuinely excellent - and you've got a proper weekend sorted. The centre sits comfortably within reach of the Conkers site too if you're after a bigger caravan operation. Expect to spend two to three hours minimum if you're taking it seriously.