Look, look, look - from living museums to live stage shows

■ The Old House in High Town

A fascinating museum in the heart of the city offers a glimpse of daily life in Jacobean times. Furnished in period stye with plenty to look at, including wall paintings and baby walkers. Hands-on activities for children include replica clothing and puzzles.

Details: 01432 260694.

■ Malvern Theatres

Garlic Theatre presents George and the Dragon. August 21. Beware! In a cave under the castle lurks a fiery dragon waiting to devour monks, knights, sheep and …princesses! - will George be bold enough to challenge it - or will he run away? In Garlic Theatre’s award winning production, puppetry, humour and inventiveness combine to celebrate one of the most famous medieval legends of all time.

Ages 5+ Details: 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk

■ Ludlow Museum

See some of the oldest-known fossil plants and land animals in the world at Ludlow Museum and discover how a Victorian geologist made Ludlow’s rocks famous around the world. The museum also tells the story of the people who have lived and worked in Ludlow, from the Bronze Age farmers through to the present day. Details: 01694 781306.

■ Take a ride on The Lakelander, and visit the Cumbrian coast, Saturday, August 7

Departing From: Newport, Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Crewe, Preston, Carnforth.

Enjoy a memorable day on board a vintage steam hauled train, travelling around the Cumbrian Coast, an area steeped in cultural and maritime history with spectacular views of the Lake District mountains and over the wide panoramic expanse of Morecambe Bay and Irish Sea as the train heads for Ravenglass, where there is the opportunity to ride the legendary Ravenglass & Eskdale miniature Railway into the Lakeland Fells, visit the beautiful gardens at Muncaster Castle, or continue to historic Whitehaven.

■ Blaenavon World Heritage Site

VISIT the ironworkers’ cottages in Stack Square and go underground at Big Pit to experience something of what life was like as a miner, with tours to the coalface conducted by men who worked there before the pit closed.

INFO: world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 32 miles, 50 minutes. PRICE: free

■ Explore At Bristol

MOVE water uphill, put your mind and body to the test or create your own show on Play TV. More than 30 new exhibits offer the chance to be awed by cosmic rays, get in a spin at the turbulent orb, or try to control a loop of string with a mind of its own then tour the night sky in the planetarium.

INFO: at.bristol.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 68 miles, 1hr 25mins. PRICE: Adult, £11.90, child £7.70, family (2+2) £34.

■ Black Country Living Museum

HISTORY really comes to life at the Black Country Living Museum, where you can travel about the canalside village by tram, experience life underground in the reconstructed mine and take a trip into the world-famous Dudley Canal Tunnel and limestone mines. Enjoy some fish and chips from the 1930s fish and chip shop with its beautiful tiled interior or have a drink in the Bottle and Glass Inn. And as you explore the village you’ll come across characters in costume, or even acting out a typical scene. Try your hand at the toys of the time or experience a lesson in the schoolroom, watch a 1920s movie or enjoy a ride in the Victorian fairground.

INFO: bclm.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 57 miles, 1 hr 15min. PRICE: Family (2+3) £34.95, or 1+1 £18.

■ National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull

THE world’s largest motorcycle museum, with important and famous machines constantly being added to the collection. The museum offers a nostalgic experience for the older generation, a chance to admire the machines they rode in the past, while younger generations can learn about the golden years of the British motorcycle industry, from the 1930s to the 1960s, when British machines ruled the world.

INFO: nationalmotorcyclemuseum.

co.uk. FROM HEREFORD: 65 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: Adult £6.95, child £4.95, family (2+3) £20.

■ Doctor Who Up Close Exhibition, Cardiff

New props on display include an Ood Elder from ‘The End of Time’, a fly-headed ‘Tritovore’ and Lady Christina De Souza’s costume from ‘The Planet of the Dead’, plus Tarak costumes from ‘The Waters of Mars’. There is also a special display from the team behind the show’s monsters, Millennium FX, showing the production process behind creating an Ood.

INFO: doctorwhoexhibitions.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 59 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: Adult £6.50, child £5, family £20

■ Cadbury World

FOURTEEN chocolate-themed zones combine to create a fantastic chocolately day out. From the history of everybody’s favourite treat to hands-on activities and a glimpse of how it all gets made ... as well as the chance to try some, Cadbury World is a sure-fire hit.

INFO: cadburyworld.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 54 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: From £10.10 per child to £49 family (2+3).

■ Dudley Zoo and Castle

HOME to some of the world’s biggest, rarest and most exotic animals. See some of the endangered species Dudley Zoo is helping to save including Asiatic lions, Sumtran tigers, lemurs and penguins. Then visit historic Dudley Castle and learn about its eventful past.

INFO: dudleyzoo.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 57 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: Adult £11.90, children £7.90, under-threes free. Plus £3 parking.

■ National Sealife Centre, Birmingham

SEE a wealth of marine life up close in a range of spectacular displays, from touch pools to walkthrough underwater tunnels providing close encounters with everything from humble shrimps and starfish to seahorses, sharks and rays.

INFO: sealifeeurope.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 56 miles, 1hr.

15min. PRICE: Adult £14.50, child £11 (online booking.

■ Warwick Castle

WATCH the jousting, see the guests at a Royal Weekend House Party at the castle, Join Richard Neville, Kingmaker and Earl of Warwick as he prepares his extensive household for the Battle of Barnet in 1471 and see what medieval life was really like.

INFO: warwick-castle.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 67 miles, 1hr 20min. PRICE: Family (2+2) £55 booked in advance online, £48 on the day.

With dungeons, £71/£80.

■ Cardiff Castle

YOU’LL find Cardiff Castle right in the heart of the city, a stunning reminder of the past set in the middle of a thriving retail centre (allowing you to mix it up with a bit of history and a bit of shopping on your day out). There was originally a Norman keep on the site, but Cardiff Castle is remarkable now for its extravagant transformation by architect William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Each magnificent room has its own special theme, including Mediterranean gardens, Italian and Arabian decorations. Visit the new Interpretation Centre to complete your Cardiff Castle experience.

INFO: cardiffcastle.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 58 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: Adult £10.50, child £7.95

■ Berkeley Castle

BERKELEY in Gloucestershire is a castle with a very special atmosphere, a Norman fortress built and enlarged through the middle ages and beyond to become a substantial home. See the King’s Gallery with the dungeons where King Edward II was imprisoned and murdered. The gardens were planted with the help of the renowned garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll, at the turn of the last century and the grounds also include a butterfly house with hundreds of butterflies in a peaceful indoor garden.

INFO: berkeley-castle.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 57 miles, 1hr 20min. PRICE: adult £7.50, child £4.50, family (2+2) £21

■ Castell Coch

WALES’S fairytale castle, Castell Coch is another Burges/ Marquess of Bute collaboration, the result of a unique combination of eccentric architect and untold wealth. Designed by the Marquess as a country residence to complement his main home in Cardiff, Castell Coch, built on medieval remains, is a remarkable monument to a Victorian flight of fancy, lavishly decorated and furnished and unlike any other castle in the country.

INFO: cadw.wales.gov.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 59 miles, 1hr 10min. PRICE: Adult £3.60, child £3.20.

■ SS Great Britain

AN AWARD-winning attraction in the heart of Bristol, step on board the SS Great Britain and you’ll step back in time and discover the true stories behind the ship that changed the world and ocean voyages for ever when she was launched in 1843. A revolutionary design by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel saw the ship breaking the previous transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage.

Embark to experience the sights, sounds and smells of life on board for Victorian passengers and crew.

INFO: ssgreatbritain.org.

FROM HEREFORD:68 miles, 1 hr 25min.

PRICE: Adult £11.95, child £5.95, family (2+3) £32, mini family (1+3) £21, grandparent family (2+3) £30, or 2+1, £19.50.

■ Cheddar Gorge

TOUR Gough’s Cave, the largest of the illuminated caves at Cheddar Gorge, to be reminded of just how old the earth is, the caverns having been carved out of the rock by the meltwaters of the last Ice Age. Cox’s Cave is home to Crystal Quest, “a dark-walk fantasy world of elven magic and bold adventure”. Add in the climb up Jacob’s Ladder to the top of the Gorge and a three mile clifftop walk, and you’ve got a full day out.

INFO: cheddarcaves.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 93 miles, 1hr 50min. PRICE: adults, £17, children £11, family (2+3) £45.

■ National Waterways Museum, Gloucester Docks

FIND out what it would have been like to live and work on Britain’s inland waterways and visit the new Ecology Gallery to learn about the wildlife that can be found alongside them. You’ll also be able to discover how canals were built and how locks work, and interactive exhibits and displays add to a fascinating day trip.

INFO: nwm.org.uk/gloucester.

FROM HEREFORD: 34 miles, 54 minutes. PRICE: adult, £4.25, child £3.25, family (2+2) £12.50.

■ Follow a Treasure Trail

Pick up your trail booklet at your local Tourist Information Centre and discover a fun, healthy and (even in the holidays) education way to get out and about. Choose from a murder mystery trail in Hay, Hereford, Ledbury, Leominster or Ross, or look for lost treasure in Weobley, with plenty of others close at home and further afield to choose from. Take the whole family for a great day out. At just £5 per trail, you’ll enjoy a real value-for-money day out with cash to spare for ice-creams.

Details: treasuretrails.co.uk, local Tourist Information Centres, and selected retail outlets, youth hostels and B&Bs.

■ The Cider Museum

Learn about the history of cider making – how the apples were milled and pressed and how the resulting juice was fermented to produce cider. Set in a former cider making factory, visitors can explore original cider champagne cellars and view cidermaking equipment, a cooper’s workshop and a vat house.

Details: 01432 354207 or visit cidermuseum.co.uk

■ Broomy Hill Miniature Railway

The Hereford Society of Model Engineers run ‘steaming’ days regularly through the summer holidays, allowing visits to see the steam locomotives and take a short ride. Details: 01432 270143.

■ Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean

Walk through eerie caverns and tunnels following the footsteps of generations of miners that cut their livelihood from the rock in these atmospheric ancient iron workings with an exciting and intriguing past.

Details: 01594 832535 or visit clearwellcaves.com £5.80, £3.80, family £17.30

■ Puzzlewood

A unique attraction, where visitors can explore meandering pathways through beautiful ancient woodland. The mile of paths wind through gulleys and moss covered rocks, over bridges and through fantastic tree and rock formations.

Puzzlewood has recently been used as a film location for both Merlin and Doctor Who. Combine your visit with a trip to Clearwell Caves or Perrygrove Railway.

Details: 01594 833187 or visit puzzlewood.net. £5, £3.50, £16.

■ Weston’s Cider Visitor Centre and Rare Breeds Farm Park

Take a guided tour and then visit the farm park, which also has a tractor pad with children’s John Deere pedal tractors and a children’s play farm house.

Details: 01531 660223 or visit westons-cider.co.uk

■ Perrygrove Railway

A steam railway incorporating a treasure hunt, with stations to hop off at and explore your surroundings. Also features woodland walks, houses in the trees, an indoor village and undercover play at Foxy Hollow.

Details: perrygrove.co.uk. Price: adults, £5.50, children £4.10.

■ St Fagan’s, Cardiff

More than 40 original buildings from different historical periods have been rebuilt in 100 acres of parkland. Among them are houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and the splendid Workmen’s Institute, not to mention a stone pig-sty. There are also workshops where craftsmen demonstrate their traditional skills ... and bread is baked daily at the Derwen Bake House, while the Gwalia Stores, above which is a 1920s style tearoom, sells fine Welsh foods.

Details: museumwales.ac.uk. Price: free