National Marine Aquarium

The National Marine Aquarium sits right on Plymouth's waterfront, and you'll spot it instantly - a striking building that juts out into the harbour. Inside, it's genuinely worth a couple of hours of your time, especially if you've got kids in tow.

You're walking through tanks of British marine life - seahorses, rays, jellyfish, the lot. What makes it different from your standard aquarium is the focus on local waters and conservation. There's a proper interactive section where you can handle starfish and anemones, which absolutely grips children aged five to twelve. The deeper you go, the darker and moodier the tanks become, culminating in some seriously impressive shark and large fish displays.

It's educational without feeling like a school trip. You learn about overfishing, plastic pollution, and what's actually swimming in UK seas - turns out we've got far more interesting marine life than most people realise.

Allow two to three hours if you're not rushing. The admission fee is standard for a quality aquarium - not cheap, but not extortionate either. Mornings are quieter than afternoons.

If you're basing yourself at Dartmoor Domes just five miles away, this makes a solid half-day outing when the weather's dodgy. Plymouth itself has plenty else going on - the Hoe, the Barbican - so you can string together a proper day without feeling like you've wasted the petrol. It's particularly good on rainy Devon days when you need an indoor plan that doesn't feel like a compromise.