Photo: Ianmacm at English Wikipedia (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Paignton
Wondering what to do in Paignton? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip.
Showing museums, aquariums and attractions with indoor areas — the ones that work whatever the forecast.
🎟️ This weekend near Paignton
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 19:00
Greenish Day - A Tribute to Green Day - Torquay
The Foundry Torquay, Torquay · 2.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:30
Forbidden Nights
Babbacombe Theatre, Torquay · 3.7 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 22:00
A.M.C + PHANTOM, GINO + more | 13.11.26 | Move Exeter
Move Exeter, Exeter · 19.6 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 19:00
Greenish Day
The Foundry Torquay, Torquay · 2.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Aquariums
25.5 mi from Paignton
National Marine Aquarium
The National Marine Aquarium is the UK's National Aquarium, located in Plymouth and home to the Ocean Conservation Trust charity. Inside you'll find over 5,000 marine animals, the...
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Museums & Galleries
2.5 mi from Paignton
Dinosaur World
Dinosaur World is an indoor exhibition in Torquay harbour where you can walk among life-size dinosaurs such as a Triceratops and Dimetrodon, explore scaled scenes, dig for fossils...
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2.7 mi from Paignton
Torquay Museum
Torquay Museum tells the story of 400 million years of Torbay's heritage through hands-on, family-friendly exhibitions, including a popular Agatha Christie display with original co...
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5.5 mi from Paignton
Britannia Museum
Britannia Museum sits within Britannia Royal Naval College, telling the story of officer training at Dartmouth since 1863. Exhibits include a fine collection of French prisoner of...
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5.5 mi from Paignton
Totnes Museum
Totnes Museum is a local museum in the town of Totnes, south Devon, in southwest England. — Wikipedia
5.8 mi from Paignton
Dartmouth Museum
Dartmouth Museum occupies part of the historic Butterwalk, a terrace of merchants' houses built around 1640, and offers a small but wide-ranging collection covering the town's mari...
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6.8 mi from Paignton
Newton Abbot Museum
Newton Abbot Museum sits in a restored Victorian church, Newton's Place, and tells the story of the town through more than 17,000 collected items, from prehistoric finds to railway...
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8.2 mi from Paignton
Bishopsteignton Museum
Bishopsteignton Museum, run by Bishopsteignton Heritage, is a small local history resource in Bishopsteignton, Teignbridge, Devon, where you can search an archive of stories about...
9.8 mi from Paignton
Pengelly Trust Museum
The William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust runs a small museum and study centre at Higher Kiln Quarry, Buckfastleigh, within Dartmoor National Park. Founded in 1962, the volunteer-run...
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9.9 mi from Paignton
The Valliant Soldier Museum & Heritage Centre
The Valiant Soldier Museum & Heritage Centre is a small heritage attraction in Buckfastleigh, Devon, open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 3.30pm. Inside you'll find a Visitor Ce...
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10.1 mi from Paignton
St. Lawrence Chapel
St Lawrence Chapel is a historic 14th-century former chapel in Ashburton, now run as a community venue and heritage centre by the Guild of St Lawrence. You can attend a varied prog...
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12 mi from Paignton
Bovey Tracey Heritage Centre
Housed in a restored old railway station, Bovey Tracey Heritage Centre tells the story of the town from medieval times to the present. You'll find archive material, photographs and...
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Theme Parks
7.3 mi from Paignton
Woodlands Family Theme Park
Woodlands Family Theme Park is Devon's largest theme park, offering water rides, a zoo farm with reptiles, meerkats and parrots, and one of the South West's largest indoor play are...
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19.6 mi from Paignton
Crealy Adventure Park
Crealy Theme Park & Resort is a family theme park near Exeter in Farringdon, East Devon, with over 60 rides and attractions, including the South West's only inverted ride and the S...
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Zoos & Wildlife
1 mi from Paignton
Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo is an 80-acre zoological park in Torbay, Devon, home to more than 1,800 animals including Sumatran tigers, western lowland gorillas, Bornean orangutans and Rothschild'...
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9.3 mi from Paignton
Theden Animal Park
Trago Mills is a chain of four department stores in south Cornwall, south Devon in England, and south Wales. It owns a site with an amusement park and some independent businesses,... — Wikipedia
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Where to stay near Paignton
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Paignton
Itineraries
- A weekend in Paignton: an accessible itinerary · 2 days
- A weekend in Paignton with the kids · 2 days
- A weekend in Paignton · 2 days
Haunted Britain
Paignton makes an easy base for a few days out. You've got a major zoo on the doorstep, a scattering of castles and National Trust houses within reach, and enough small museums and indoor attractions to see you through a wet morning without anyone sulking. Here's how to put it together.
Best for families
Paignton Zoo is the obvious anchor and it's worth giving most of a day to rather than trying to squeeze it round something else. If you've got children who'd rather be strapped into something, Woodlands Family Theme Park is the other big hitter, and again it rewards a full day rather than a quick look.
Smaller animal attractions suit younger children better. Shaldon Zoo (Shaldon Wildlife Trust), over at Dawlish, is compact enough for little legs, and The Tamar Valley Donkey Park at Looe is the kind of place where a two-hour visit feels complete. Mansell Raceway at Sidmouth is a good shout for older children and teenagers who've had their fill of heritage.
Rainy day options
Devon weather being what it is, it pays to keep a couple of indoor ideas in your back pocket:
- Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum — reliably charming across generations, and grandparents often enjoy it more than the children.
- Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth — the sensible answer when the forecast has written off the beach entirely.
- Exmouth Museum and the Mayflower Museum at Looe — both good for an hour or two out of the rain.
- Cookworthy Museum and Overbeck's House at Salcombe — a pair that works well together if you're heading that way.
- Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum and Brixham Battery, both in Paignton itself, for a local history fix without a long drive.
Plym Valley Railway at Salcombe is another fallback — railway attractions tend to cope with drizzle better than most.
Heritage and houses
Dartmouth Castle is the standout for anyone who likes their history with a sea view, and Compton Castle is the other heritage name to know. The National Trust properties give you four more: Coleton Fishacre, Greenway House, Bradley Manor and Overbeck's House. If you're a member, that alone can shape a whole short break — and if you're not, it's worth working out whether joining pays for itself over three or four days.
For quieter, smaller-scale history there's St. Lawrence Chapel, Church House, the Monastic Way Exhibition and Rora House, all in Devon. None of these will fill a day on their own, which is precisely why they're useful — they slot neatly into the gap between lunch and heading back.
Grouping it into a sensible day
The mistake most people make is stacking two big attractions into one day and enjoying neither. A better shape:
- Big-ticket day: Paignton Zoo or Woodlands Family Theme Park, all day, nothing else planned.
- Heritage day: one house or castle in the morning — say Coleton Fishacre or Greenway House — a proper lunch, then something small like Church House or the Monastic Way Exhibition.
- Wet-weather day: Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth in the morning, Exmouth Museum after, so you're not driving between towns in the rain.
- Pottering day: Brixham Battery and the Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum close to base, with time left over.
If you're heading to one of the further-flung attractions — Tinside Lido at Looe, for instance, or the Salcombe cluster — treat it as the day's main event rather than an add-on.
Where to eat
For breakfast or a mid-morning stop, Alf Resco is a tea room worth planning around. Krispies handles the fish and chips side of things, which you'll want at least once. For a sit-down meal, Waterside Bistro, The Ship Inn and The Salterton Arms all hold five-star hygiene ratings — reassuring when you're feeding children after a long day out.
Making it a short break
Three or four nights is the sweet spot. That gives you one big family day, one heritage day, one flexible day shaped by the forecast, and a morning spare. There are 311 places to stay in the region on BritStays, so you've room to choose between something central for easy evenings out and something quieter if you're planning long drives anyway.
Practical notes
Check opening days before you set off — smaller museums and chapels often run limited hours, and the seasonal pattern varies a lot between attractions. Book the big two ahead in school holidays. Keep one day deliberately unplanned so you can swap the beach for the Indoor Fun Pool without feeling you've wasted a booking. And if you're relying on a car, pick your eating stops before you leave the house rather than circling at half past one with hungry passengers.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main family attractions in and around Paignton?
Paignton Zoo is the big one in the town itself. Woodlands Family Theme Park is the other major family day out in the region. For younger children, Shaldon Zoo (Shaldon Wildlife Trust) at Dawlish and The Tamar Valley Donkey Park at Looe are smaller and easier to manage, while Mansell Raceway at Sidmouth suits older children and teenagers.
What can you do in Paignton when it rains?
The Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth is the most weather-proof option. There are also plenty of indoor museums: the Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum, Exmouth Museum, the Mayflower Museum at Looe, Cookworthy Museum and Overbeck's House at Salcombe, and closer to base, the Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum and Brixham Battery in Paignton.
Are there National Trust properties near Paignton?
Yes, four in the region: Coleton Fishacre, Greenway House, Bradley Manor and Overbeck's House. If you're planning several days out, it's worth checking whether National Trust membership would pay for itself across those four.
What castles and heritage sites can you visit?
Dartmouth Castle and Compton Castle are the two castle and heritage sites in the region. For smaller-scale history there's also St. Lawrence Chapel, Church House, the Monastic Way Exhibition and Rora House, all in Devon, plus Brixham Battery in Paignton.
Where can you eat with confidence in the Paignton area?
Waterside Bistro, The Ship Inn and The Salterton Arms are all pubs and inns with five-star hygiene ratings. Alf Resco is a tea room, good for breakfast or a mid-morning stop, and Krispies covers fish and chips.
How long should a short break in Paignton be?
Three or four nights works well. That allows one full day at a big attraction such as Paignton Zoo or Woodlands Family Theme Park, one heritage day, one flexible day decided by the weather, and a spare morning. There are 311 places to stay in the region on BritStays.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Paignton.