HMS Holland 1

The world's first submarine sits in a concrete bunker near Lee-on-the-Solent, and it's properly absorbing if you're into maritime history. HMS Holland 1, launched in 1901, is a cramped iron tube that looks like it shouldn't have ever worked - yet it did. You're standing in front of the actual vessel that changed naval warfare forever, which hits differently when you're staring at the riveted hull and imagining eight men crammed inside for hours.

It's a modest affair, honestly. The submarine itself is the main event - no reconstruction, no theatrical staging. You get a real sense of how basic early submarine design was: the controls are simple, the space claustrophobic, the engineering ingenious in its desperation. History buffs will find it absolutely gripping. Kids might manage twenty minutes before restlessness sets in, unless they're genuinely fascinated by how things work.

Bit of a mission getting there - you'll need to check ahead for opening hours and admission details, as information's thin on the ground. Lee-on-the-Solent itself is a quiet seaside town with a decent seafront, so you could combine it with a stroll along the water.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Hayling Island Holiday Park is closest at under six miles, or you could be based on the Isle of Wight at Nodes Point - this makes a proper half-day trip rather than a full day out. Well worth the detour if submarines fascinate you. Less essential if you're after beaches and amusement arcades.