Dragon House

Tropiquaria is a small zoo and animal sanctuary based in and around a repurposed 1933 BBC Radio Transmitting Station at Washford Cross in Somerset. The listed building houses the Reptile House, Aquarium and Nocturnal House, with several acres of outdoor enclosures around it. Outside you can spot animals such as gibbons, ring-tailed lemurs, meerkats, tapir, wallabies and serval.

Tip: Don't leave dogs in your vehicle, as the car park has limited shade; only registered Assistance Dogs are allowed in the zoo.

Dunster Castle stands on a steep hill called the Tor above the village of Dunster, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. Today it is a Grade I listed country house run by the National Trust, with dramatic views and subtropical gardens around it.

Tip: The car park is small and its gates lock at 6pm, so arrive early. In poor weather you may be asked to use Dunster Steep village car park instead.

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.

Exmoor Zoo is a conservation centre near Bratton Fleming in Exmoor, North Devon. It grew from Exmoor Bird Gardens, which opened on a former farm site in 1982, and today it specialises in smaller animals, with a good number of rare species on show.

Tip: Tickets can be bought securely online through the zoo's website, where you can also check price options and offers.

The Museum of Somerset is in the 12th-century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton. It is run by the South West Heritage Trust, an independent charity, and tells the story of the county through its collections.

Cothay Manor is a Grade I listed medieval house near Wellington in Somerset, built around 1480. Its period rooms include a great hall with a hammer-beam roof, and the house has a chapel, a gatehouse and mullioned windows. Writing in Country Life in 1927, Christopher Hussey called it "the most perfect small 15th-century country house that survives in the Kingdom".

Coldharbour Mill in Uffculme is one of the oldest woollen mills in the UK, and has been in continuous production since 1797. Once owned by the Fox Brothers textile firm, it is now a working wool museum set across 12 acres of Victorian mill buildings, boilers, steam engines and grounds. Historic England has called it "probably one of the best-preserved textile mill complexes in the country".

Tip: Check the mill's website for current opening days and any event days or workshops before you go.

Barrington Court is a National Trust estate near Ilminster, centred on a Tudor manor house begun around 1538. The Trust acquired it in 1907, and it was restored in the 1920s by Colonel Lyle and his wife. Strode House, a former stable and coach block, stands alongside.

Tip: Sat navs can direct you to the rear entrance, so use the what3words location ///rags.could.galaxy and follow the brown tourist signs. Check the National Trust page for what is open before you go.