Bygones

Step through the doors and you're transported into Britain's largest collection of period room sets and Victorian street scenes. Bygones recreates life from bygone eras with meticulous attention to detail - from a complete Edwardian street with working shop fronts to authentic Victorian parlours furnished down to the last antimacassar.

Families with curious children will find plenty to hold their attention, though it's really the older generation who seem most captivated by the displays. The recreated scenes feel properly authentic rather than theme park kitsch, and there's something rather moving about seeing how ordinary people lived just a century ago.

Located in Torquay, it makes for a solid rainy day alternative when you can't face another beach. Allow at least two hours to do it justice - there's more to see than you'd expect from the outside. The Victorian street section alone could keep history buffs occupied for ages, picking out period advertising signs and authentic shopkeeper mannequins.

For those staying at nearby Parkdean Resorts Torquay Holiday Park or the various sites around Paignton Bay, it's an easy drive when the weather turns. Not earth-shattering, perhaps, but a decent enough distraction that actually teaches you something. The sort of place that sparks proper conversations with the grandparents about what life was really like back then.