Little Woodham Living History Village

Walking through Little Woodham feels like stepping backwards about 50 years without the time machine. This is a working village where costumed interpreters go about their day doing actual crafts and trades from the 1940s - blacksmithing, carpentry, baking in a proper wood-fired oven. You're not just looking at exhibits behind glass; you're watching someone hammer metal or knead dough, which makes it properly engaging.

It's the sort of place that genuinely works for families with younger kids who get bored in traditional museums after twenty minutes. Children can often have a go at things - there's usually hands-on activity rather than "don't touch" signs everywhere. Adults with a serious interest in social history or rural life will spend longer picking the interpreters' brains about how things actually worked day to day.

Allow two to three hours to do it properly, maybe longer if you've got kids who want to try every activity on offer. The village sits just outside Lee-on-the-Solent, which is handy if you're staying at Kingfisher Caravan Park barely half a mile away, or any of the others dotted around the Solent area.

Check ahead for opening times and admission costs before you head over - details aren't always kept current online. Combining it with a walk along the Solent coast or a quick visit to Lee-on-the-Solent seafront makes for a solid half-day out.