Fine foundation centre

The Fine Foundation Centre sits in Seaton, a seaside town on Devon's Jurassic Coast, and it's one of those places that catches you off guard with how engaging it actually is. Walk in expecting something stuffy and you'll leave genuinely impressed. The centre celebrates art, design and craft through rotating exhibitions and collections that rotate regularly - so what you see depends entirely on when you visit. It's strong on contemporary work and has a real commitment to showing emerging artists alongside established names, which keeps it fresh rather than feeling like a museum stuck in time.

For families with older kids and teens, this works well. Younger children might lose interest after forty minutes unless there's something particularly visual on. Art enthusiasts and anyone interested in design will spend a good two hours here properly, reading labels and engaging with the work. Adults travelling without kids tend to like the intimacy of the space - it doesn't feel overwhelming the way some big institutions do.

The location is brilliant if you're basing yourself at Beer Head Holiday Park just down the road, or Oakdown if you want something with better facilities. You can easily combine it with a coastal walk along the Jurassic Coast path - Seaton itself has beach access. Allow an hour minimum, longer if an exhibition really grabs you. It's a worthwhile stop if you're in the area rather than a reason to make the journey solo, but it's hardly a wasted afternoon either.