Best Days Out in Devon — 12 Places Worth the Drive

Devon punches well above its weight for days out. You've got two coastlines, a national park, and enough farm parks and steam railways to fill a summer. Here's our honest shortlist — the places we'd actually drive an hour for.

1. Crealy Theme Park & Resort, Exeter

The big one for families with under-12s. Queues stay manageable outside school holidays, and the indoor sections rescue a rainy day. Book ahead online — gate prices sting.

Check Crealy ticket prices →

2. Dartmoor — Haytor and Hound Tor

Free, wild, and the best picnic view in the county. Park at the Haytor visitor centre, walk up to the rocks (20 minutes, pushchair-hostile but toddler-possible), then drive on to Hound Tor for the legendary food truck.

3. Paignton Zoo

One of the UK's better zoos — spacious, conservation-led, and genuinely a full day. The train link from Exeter makes it an easy car-free trip.

4. Babbacombe Model Village

An hour of pure charm, and the gardens alone justify the ticket. Combine with the cliff railway down to Oddicombe beach.

5. Exmouth — Orcombe Point to the Beach

Two miles of proper sand, a flat prom for scooters, and the start of the Jurassic Coast. Go at low tide, bring a kite.

The rest of the twelve

6. South Devon Railway — steam trains along the Dart, pair with Buckfast Abbey next door.
7. The Milky Way Adventure Park — the wildcard: indoor rollercoasters on a Clovelly farm.
8. Woodlands Family Theme Park — Devon's biggest, best value in shoulder season.
9. Buckland Abbey (National Trust) — Drake's house, great for a slower day.
10. Blackpool Sands — the prettiest beach in the county (private, so arrive early).
11. Canonteign Falls — England's highest man-made waterfall, an easy family walk.
12. Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium — the UK's largest, and a solid wet-weather banker.

However you plan it, book tickets online before you travel — nearly every paid venue here discounts advance bookings.