Murano

The glass glows differently when afternoon light hits it. Murano, just outside Christchurch, is a gallery devoted to contemporary glass art - the sort of place that makes you slow down and actually look at objects. You'll find everything from delicate blown vessels to chunky sculptural pieces, the kind of work that photographs badly because the real magic lives in how light moves through the material.

It's a small operation, which is exactly the point. You're not shuffling through crowds here. Art types and anyone curious about craft will spend a solid hour browsing. The pieces on display rotate, so there's reason to visit more than once if you're staying in the area. Kids might find it a bit abstract unless they're already into making things themselves - glass art doesn't grab five-year-olds the way dinosaur museums do.

Worth timing with a wider Christchurch wander. The town's got proper river walks and the priory ruins if you want to stretch your legs after. If you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Meadowbank Holidays is just 2.6 miles away, or the top-rated Hoburne Park a bit further - this works as an afternoon stop rather than a full day out. Rain won't stop you, which matters in Dorset. Check their opening hours before you go, though - galleries this size sometimes keep odd schedules.