Portsmouth Natural History Museum

The Portsmouth Natural History Museum sits in the heart of Hampshire's coastal corner, a short drive from Hayling Island where most of the nearby holiday parks cluster. It's the sort of place that rewards a rainy afternoon - the kind where you weren't planning to spend three hours indoors but end up doing exactly that.

Inside, you'll find the usual suspects: stuffed birds in glass cases, skeletons of creatures that haven't swum these waters in millennia, minerals catching the light in ways that genuinely stop you mid-stride. The local geology section is stronger than you'd expect, particularly if you're interested in how the Solent formed and what lived here before humans started building harbours. Kids tend to engage properly with the fossil displays rather than just rushing through - there's something about holding a 50-million-year-old shell that makes it click for them.

Admission is free, which removes the guilt of dipping in for an hour if the weather's decent outside. Allow ninety minutes if you're thorough, forty-five if you're just browsing. The museum doesn't require advance booking for casual visits, though it's worth ringing ahead to check current hours before you go.

Fit it into a caravan holiday on Hayling Island as a backup plan rather than a headline attraction. Kingfisher or Hayling Island Holiday Park make sensible bases - you're talking five minutes' drive at most. On a blue-sky day, the seafront walk beats museum walls every time. But when the wind picks up off the Solent, it's a solid, unpretentious way to spend an hour with the family.