The Stables @ Merrydown

Diggerland is a theme park where children and adults can ride, drive and operate real diggers, dumpers and other full-size construction machinery. The Devon park is in Cullompton, and the whole line-up runs to around 20 rides and drives.

Tip: Check the ride height chart on the Diggerland website before you go, so you know which rides each child can enjoy.

Forde Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, now a family home, with nearly 900 years of history. Inside, you can see surviving monastic parts such as the cloisters, the monks' dormitory and the old chapter house, alongside State Rooms with ornate plaster ceilings and four-poster beds. The house is also known for its Mortlake tapestries, woven from the famous Raphael cartoons.

Tip: Dogs are welcome in the gardens on a short lead, and the nursery and gift shop can be visited without an admission ticket.

Lyme Regis Museum overlooks Lyme Bay and the Jurassic Coast, and it is built on the site of the former home and fossil shop of Mary Anning. Three galleries tell the story of the town across 200 million years, using objects, audio and touchscreens, with plenty of interactive and touch exhibits.

Tip: If you're visiting with children, ask for the Museum Trail at Reception, which comes with the admission ticket.

Paignton Zoo covers 80 acres of animal enclosures and gardens, and most families spend a full day here. You can follow the four zones (Wetlands, Islands, Grasslands and Rainforests), catch the daily talks and feeding sessions, and wander through nature trails in Clennon Gorge wildlife reserve.

Tip: Book tickets online ahead of your visit to save money.

Exeter Cathedral has stood at the heart of Devon for nearly a thousand years. Its Norman towers and Decorated Gothic interior are topped by the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world. Inside you can see the 15th-century Astronomical Clock and an early set of misericords, and guided floor tours and audio guides help bring the building to life.

Tip: Head for the Treasures Exhibition tour or a guided floor tour, both included in standard admission, though floor tours are subject to availability.

The Cerne Abbas Giant is an ancient figure cut into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas. At 180ft tall, it is Britain's largest chalk hill figure and perhaps the best known.

Tip: The viewing area in the car park gives the best view; the A352 lay-by is free but offers only a limited view. Keep dogs on leads, and expect mud on the steep slope after rain.

Otterton Mill is a working watermill beside the River Otter, near Budleigh Salterton. A mill has stood here since the Domesday Book, and the old workings are free to look round, with a self-guided tour and the water wheel kept turning. Flour is still milled using traditional methods.

Tip: Well-behaved dogs on leads can sit outside or downstairs in the café, but only assistance dogs are allowed in the farm shop, gallery and upstairs café.

Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house six miles south of Exeter, on flat ground beside the Exe estuary. The medieval core dates from after 1390, and the house was extended and altered in the 18th and 19th centuries. It has been home to the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon, for centuries.

Tip: The main public entrance gates are in the village of Kenton, so head there rather than to the castle's other side.