The ancient county of Somerset is a jewel in the south- west of England, waiting for you to discover all that it has to offer. With its large choice of
attractions,
events, festivals and famous top-class local
food and drink, Somerset is the place to take a break, relax and enjoy yourself.
There is a wide choice of
Somerset attractions to choose from, including activities such as learning to fly owls at
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, riding the slides at
Brean Splash Water Park or trying adventure caving at
Wookey Hole. For those looking for something more relaxing, there are many places to experience nature and history in Somerset including stunning coastlines, wildlife on the Somerset Levels or the long-standing Glastonbury Tor.
Somerset is the home of festivals, whether that be music, food and drink or arts and culture.
Glastonbury Festival starts summers of music and performance in open fields, where you can enjoy local food and drink, including world-renowned Cheddar cheese, apple juice and Somerset ciders or ales. You can experience anything from the National Trust Top of the Gorge Festival at Cheddar to the Somerset Gin Festival at Westlands Entertainment Venue in Yeovil.
Frome Festival is made up of many cultural events in the town each July, with Somerset Art Weeks Festival taking place every September, a great example of a free day out that gives you the opportunity of appreciating the large array of creative talent that lives in Somerset.
There are many things to see in Somerset including open countryside, magnificent architecture, and miles of coastline. There are also many options for a free day out, exploring picturesque and peaceful harbours at Porlock Weir,
Minehead or Watchet or relaxing on the beach at
Burnham-on-Sea or
Weston-super-Mare. Free days out in Somerset can also take you to one of many stunning monuments at Wellington, Burton Pynsent or the Admiral Hood Monument at Compton Dundon. The views from each are inspiring. For the more active, you could try one of the many cycle routes across the county or walking the River Parrett Trail which is surrounded by wildlife. You could also explore the Somerset Space Walk along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, a sculpture trail model of the solar system that uses 14 miles of towpath to display a model of the Sun and its planets in their proportionally correct sizes and distances apart.
If you happen to have a rainy day in Somerset then there is no shortage of choice with many impressive museums including
Haynes Motor Museum,
The Fleet Air Arm Museum,
The Rural Life Museum and the
Museum of Somerset in the county town of Taunton, where you can learn much about Somerset’s role in the English Civil War and Monmouth Rebellion. There are nearly forty museums in Somerset for you to choose from!