Gallery JIB

Gallery JIB sits in Kidlington, just north of Oxford, and it's a proper working artist space rather than a stuffy museum experience. You walk in and find actual studios - painters, sculptors, printmakers all getting on with it while you're wandering round. The work on show shifts regularly, so there's always something different to catch depending on when you visit.

It's brilliant if you're into contemporary art and want to see things being made, not just hung on walls. Artists are often there during opening hours, which means you can actually chat to them about their work instead of reading a label written by someone who never met them. That's the real draw here.

Families with older kids who have even a passing interest in art will get more from it than younger ones - it's not set up as entertainment, it's a genuine working studio. Probably allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you get chatting. The whole thing has that refreshingly low-key feel you get from independent spaces that haven't been corporatised to death.

If you're camped at Greenhill Leisure Park just down the road - that's your best option locally with a solid 4.2 rating - Gallery JIB makes an easy morning or afternoon visit. You're close enough to Oxford proper if you want culture with more bells on, but this place has character that the big institutions can't quite manage. Worth the detour if you're in the area.