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Folly Farm began as a dairy farm and has grown into an award-winning family attraction with four areas: a farmyard, a zoo, an undercover vintage funfair with a Wurlitzer organ, and play areas. The zoo has over 200 species, including African lions, Humboldt and Macaroni penguins, and critically endangered eastern black rhinos in Kifaru Reserve.

Tip: Pre-booking a date isn't required, and online tickets save 5%. A free return visit within seven days is offered if you can't see everything in one day, but get the ticket validated before you leave.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is in Llanarthney, in the River Tywi valley. It is both a visitor attraction and a centre for botanical research and conservation. The centrepiece is the Great Glasshouse, the world's largest single-span glasshouse at 110 m long and 60 m wide. It stands virtually on the site of Cockerell's mansion, the new Middleton Hall.

Tip: Look out across the restored eastern view towards Paxton's Tower, which was designed to be seen from the mansion's east side.

Kidwelly Castle (Castell Cydweli) is a ruined castle overlooking the River Gwendraeth and the town of Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire. It began as a Norman earth and timber ringwork in the early 12th century, and the semicircular outer ditch still survives.

Tip: Look for the inner ward's four towers, which were raised in height in the 1390s to overlook the outer ward.

Carmarthen Castle is a ruined medieval fortress in the county town of Carmarthen, on a high terrace overlooking the tidal River Towy. It began as an early 1100s timber motte and bailey, was rebuilt in stone and was captured, destroyed and rebuilt many times. Owain Glyndŵr took it in 1405, and Henry VII's father, Edmund Tudor, died here as a prisoner in 1456.

The Boathouse in Laugharne is where Dylan Thomas lived with his family between 1949 and 1953. Set in a cliff overlooking the Tâf estuary, it is now a museum run by Carmarthenshire County Council. The interior has been returned to its 1950s appearance, with a recording of Thomas's voice playing in the background, and it holds memorabilia and some original furniture, including his father's desk.

Tip: Visit the writing shed close to the main house, where Thomas did most of his writing, and look across the estuary that inspired "Over Sir John's Hill".

Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary sits between Caehopkin and Abercraf in Powys. It began as a hill farm and grew into a final home for unwanted primates, including chimpanzees, baboons, spider monkeys, capuchins and marmosets. Its first chimpanzees arrived in 1999, when seven were taken in from Penscynor Wildlife Park after it closed.

The National Waterfront Museum in Swansea's Maritime Quarter tells the story of industry and innovation in Wales over the last 300 years. It is part of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, housed in an original listed warehouse linked to an ultra-modern slate and glass building.

Tip: There's no dedicated car park, but several pay and display car parks are a short walk away. For satnav, the museum's site suggests postcode SA1 3ST.

Swansea Museum is the oldest museum in Wales, opened in 1841 in a Grade II* listed neo-classical building in the Maritime Quarter. Its six galleries hold objects from Swansea, Wales and the wider world, with everything from an Egyptian mummy to a Welsh kitchen. Temporary exhibitions change through the year, so there is usually something different to see.

Tip: Parking at the museum is limited to a few free spaces, so the City Gates NCP or East Burrows Road car parks, both about a 4-minute walk away, are a good fallback.