3-Bedroom Hot Tub Cottage in Eye Kettleby

Twinlakes is a 100-acre family theme park just north-east of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. A large share of the rides are aimed at young children, so it suits families better than thrill-chasing adults. The park bills itself as all-action and all-weather, and says its water park is all inclusive, with unlimited rides, slides and splashes.

Tip: Book tickets online in advance, as the park says this usually gets the best savings.

Twycross Zoo is a 100-acre charity-run zoo near Norton Juxta Twycross in Leicestershire. It is known as a specialist primate centre and is the only zoo in the UK to keep all four types of great ape: gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos. It also has one of the largest collections of gibbons in Europe.

Tip: Check the 'What's On' board at the entrance for the day's talk and feed times, and book tickets online ahead to save money.

Belvoir Castle (pronounced BEE-vər) is a grade I listed mock castle on a high hill in the north of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir. The name means "beautiful view" in Norman French. A castle has stood on the site since the Norman Conquest, and the present building dates from the early 19th century, in the romantic Gothic Revival style by architect James Wyatt.

Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan country house, built in the 1580s on a prominent hill in Wollaton Park, Nottingham. Its bold, heavily carved exterior is largely intact, and the Grade I listed building now houses Nottingham's Natural History Museum, with the Industrial Museum in the outbuildings.

Tip: Book the Hidden History Tour to see the Tudor kitchens and basement, and pay for parking by the RingGo app or by card on site.

Nottingham Castle stands on Castle Rock, a natural promontory with cliffs that dominate the city skyline. The Norman fortress is long gone, but the gatehouse and parts of the ramparts remain, and a 17th-century ducal mansion now houses the museum and galleries.

Tip: Cave and dungeon tours are optional add-ons to the main admission ticket, so book them when you buy your tickets.

The National Space Centre is a space-themed museum near Leicester, run by an educational charity whose aim is to make space accessible, educational and fun. Its collection and exhibitions are built around interactive displays, and there are activities to keep children engaged.

Tip: Book ahead online: the centre says its best-value tickets are sold online and include a free Annual Pass upgrade.

Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham, is the birthplace and family home of Sir Isaac Newton. This Grade I listed house is cared for by the National Trust and presented as a typical seventeenth-century yeoman's farmhouse. Newton returned here in 1666 when Cambridge University closed because of the plague, and performed many of his most famous experiments on light and optics in the house.

Burghley House is one of the largest and grandest houses of the 16th century, built for William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I. It is still a family home, and the State Rooms are full of paintings and treasures, including ceiling paintings on the Heaven Room and Hell Staircase and carvings by Grinling Gibbons.

Tip: Book online in advance to save money on the day. Dogs on leads can use the parkland, but not the house, gardens or adventure play.