STEAM Discovery Centre Paignton

The STEAM Discovery Centre sits right in Paignton, and it's the sort of place that actually engages kids rather than just parking them in front of screens for an hour. You're walking around hands-on exhibits covering science, technology, engineering, art and maths - the kind of stuff that sounds dry on paper but works well when children can actually fiddle with things and see how they work.

The space itself is fairly compact, so don't expect a half-day mission. Most families get what they need from it in around ninety minutes to two hours, depending on how old your lot are and whether they're the type to spend twenty minutes working out a single puzzle. Younger children - say five to eleven - tend to get the most from it; teenagers might find it a touch basic unless they're genuinely interested in the mechanics of things.

It's a decent shout if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Hoburne Devon Bay or Beverley Holidays and need an indoor option when the weather turns. Paignton's got the seafront and the amusement arcades if you want variety, so you can string a few activities together without much faffing about. Worth checking opening hours and admission costs before you go - those details aren't confirmed - but as a rainy-day alternative to the beach, it does the job properly.