Top 10 Rainy Day Ideas on the English Riviera

On the rare occasion when the sun hasn't got his hat on, the English Riviera has an endless amount of undercover fun to be enjoyed by all the family.   

1. Torre Abbey Museum, Torquay

Explore 800 years of history at this popular museum attraction housed within an ancient scheduled monument, considered to be the English Riviera’s jewel in the crown. The beautifully presented heritage rooms, art galleries, exhibitions, and state-of-the-art interactive displays include a hologram talking knight and dinner plates! It’s open daily including bank holidays and kids and teens go free while entry tickets for adults are valid for two days, so you can explore the tranquil, award winning gardens on the following day - when it's bound to be sunny.  

There’s lots of family friendly activities including house trails, explorer packs and a children’s dressing up corner with medieval costumes, as well as some great ‘crafty’ events in the Abbey’s learning lab, such as building robots from scrapstore materials.

There’s plenty to explore within this fine example of a medieval monastery for adults too. It’s steeped in local history with clear displays explaining the story of the Abbey’s ruins, archaeology and links to catholicism. Wandering through the remarkable undercrofts, the exquisite chapel and the Spanish Barn, one of only five early medieval tithe barns in the country, you’ll be taken on a fascinating historical journey.

Fine Art lovers will be in their element as there are over 600 works of art held within the Abbey’s splendid collection, with pieces by Pre-Raphaelite artists Holman Hunt and Burne-Jones, as well as works by William Blake and Victorian sculptor Frederick Thrupp on permanent display. There’s also some fascinating present day works to savour within the temporary gallery exhibitions.

The Abbey’s quaint tea room is also worth a visit on a rainy day to sample some homemade cakes, savoury delights and hot drinks.

There’s so much to take in here that one day simply isn’t enough!

2. Kent’s Cavern, Torquay

People have been taking shelter in Kent’s Cavern for thousands of years, although these days it’s more likely to be from the rain rather than cave bears, mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers. This fine heritage attraction has won many quality tourism awards and offers the perfect mix of education and subterranean fun for the whole family.

It’s considered to be one of the English Riviera’s oldest tourist attractions and Europe’s top prehistoric Stone Age caves. This iconic site, formed around 2 million years ago, is the gateway to the area’s world famous UNESCO Global Geopark and by visiting you’ll be helping to support the important conservation work and archaeological investigations that’s carried out there.

You’ll be following in the footsteps of many famous visitors who have explored the caves including King George V, Beatrix Potter, Charles Darwin and Agatha Christie, whose father supported Torquay Natural History Society founder, William Pengelly’s 15 year long excavations onsite.  

Accompanied by a Cave Guide you’ll be taken through the extensive treasure trove of caves surrounded by 400 million year old rocks, amazing stalagmites and stalactites. The Great Chamber exhibition is dedicated to the Stone Age and Victorian excavators who discovered many artefacts including a human skull and the oldest human jawbone found in North West Europe.  

There are lots of indoor activities to keep the children entertained on a rainy day including fun digs, cave and tribal face wall painting, brass rubbing and Stone Age trails for young explorers. The recently refurbished Firestone Kitchen offers tasty themed meals such as Stone Age pizzas or wild boar burgers to whet everyone’s appetite.

3. Waves Leisure Pool, Torquay

If it’s too wet to hit the beach, head for Waves Leisure Pool at the Riviera International Centre instead. There’s plenty of water based fun to be had on the water flume and water-play activity centre and toddler slide, with its water jets, fill ’n’ spill buckets, hand and water wheels. Best of all, it’s heated to an almost tropical 30°C.  

It’s great value for money too as under 3’s can enter for free. Under 8’s and non-swimmers under 11 years have to be accompanied in the water by an adult with lifeguards on duty to give some added peace of mind.

The wave machine is a great feature with the waves coming on for 5 minutes every half hour, plus the water flume runs daily during the school holidays. The swim shop sells a range of items including armbands, inflatable ride ons, swimming goggles and costumes so don’t worry if you forget something, all your water based needs are catered for here.

Make a day of it by trying a special offer Dip ‘n’ Dine, available for adults and children in the Aqua Lounge.  There’s a great kids menu offering a range of snacks including fish fingers, burgers, pasta and lunch boxes plus there’s a colourful pirate themed soft play area, with hanging snakes, a slide and ball swamp to amuse the little ones.

Adults only sessions, Aqua Aerobic classes and swimming lessons take place at scheduled times throughout the week so best to check the website before visiting.

4. Living Coasts, Torquay

This very popular all weather attraction lets you get up close to wildlife as you mingle with the penguins, otters and seals in their fascinating habitats. This family favourite tourist destination offers daily talks and entertaining feeding sessions so you can learn more about these delightful creatures and the Trust’s conservation work.

The coastal zoo and aquarium has specially designed enclosures on land and underwater showcasing a variety of marine species from all around the world. Take an umbrella along so that you can walk amongst the African and Macaroni Penguins in the outdoor Penguin Beach, not to be missed, and then take in the panoramic underwater viewing areas and tanks to see the common octopus, playful seals, lionfish and sea anemones. Children will have lots of fun playing on the climbing wall where they can ‘stick like a limpet’ and scramble through the Crawl Tank to see the exposed magical underwater world.  

Living Coasts Terrace Cafe Bar offers plenty of family friendly space to enjoy the local food and drink with unrivalled sea views of the Bay. Try one of the specially blended, locally roasted coffees, perfect for a rainy day. Tradewinds Gift Shop has a large range of toy animals, games, books, clothing and confectionary so you can pick up some last minute gifts and souvenirs to remind of your time on the English Riviera.

5. Torquay Museum, Torquay

Leave your umbrellas at the door and prepare to explore a fascinating collection of artefacts spanning some 400 million years within Devon’s oldest museum.

Shortlisted for the Kids in Museums, 2018 Family Friendly Museum award there’s lots of fun things to do here including weekly storytelling sessions, interactive games, brass rubbings, gallery trails to encourage learning and discovery, junior explorer backpacks and an annual summer blockbuster exhibition curated specifically with family audiences in mind.

This grand Victorian building, within a short walking distance of Torquay harbour, houses an impressive collection of artefacts including the Quaternary Cave Collections and Archive for which it received the Designated Outstanding Collection status.

Highlights not to miss include the human jawbone, the oldest fragment of modern human in Europe discovered through cave archaeology at nearby Kents Cavern and the Explorers and Ancient Egyptian gallery with over 400 precious artefacts including a 2,500 year old mummy boy in a sarcophagus.

It would be a crime to miss the country’s only dedicated Agatha Christie Gallery, where you can exercise your little grey cells by stepping into Poirot’s study and admire the furniture sets, outfits and props used in the television adaptations. The Museum gift shop has the largest collection of new and secondhand Christie novels on sale in the English Riviera.

Family and smaller family tickets are available plus your ticket allows unlimited entry for a whole year so you can return as many times as you like, providing great value for money!

6. Bygones, St. Marychurch

Bygones is an eccentric treasure trove of nostalgic treats, housed in a former cinema in St. Marychurch, Torquay. There’s three floors of fun to explore with 100 years of history, interactive displays and unique curiosities on display. A stroll down a Victorian street, a visit to a First World War trench and a vintage amusement arcade are just a few of the wonderful highlights which will appeal to all ages.

This is a great educational experience for children and young people as they discover unique reconstructions of British life from Victorian times through World War 2 to the fabulous fifties. The older generation will enjoy playing ‘spot the brands of the past’ with OXO, Cadburys, Bovril and many other family favourite products exhibited in the life sized Victorian shopping arcade with its vast array of shops and period rooms.

The whole family will be truly immersed in the past with a visit to the charming Station Cafe which offers a range of sumptuous handmade cakes, refreshments and high teas surrounded by original station signs, retro posters and railway memorabilia.

Well behaved dogs are welcome throughout this very popular tourist attraction so there’s no need to leave the beloved family pooch behind.

7. Paignton Pier, Paignton

If it’s too wet and windy to enjoy the many rides, slides, games and attractions out on the end of this fine pleasure pier, there are more than 300 amusement machines inside. From the traditional arcade delights to the very latest video games there really is something for everyone to enjoy and it’s free to enter too.  Look out for the little room that houses a selection of traditional coin push, toy grabber and fruit machines from yesteryear.

This iconic Paignton landmark stands proudly in the centre of the resort’s beach promenade attracting many thousands of visitors each year.  It’s open all year round, making it a firm favourite with all generations of the family from grandparents taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the tiny tots enjoying the many coin-operated fun rides.

A day out at the seaside isn’t complete without sampling the tasty local fish and chips served at the recently refurbished Paignton Pier Chippy Co., ideally located at the entrance to the pier with some impressive views across the Bay. Offering great value for money, the best quality ingredients are sourced and a warm welcome awaits you.

8. Vue Cinema, Paignton

There’s no better way to while away your time on a rainy afternoon by watching a good movie indoors. Conveniently located on Paignton seafront, this state-of-the-art multiplex boasts Sony 4K digital projectors, Dolby Atmos surround and 9 cinema screens.

Look out for some great offers including Family Tickets, Super Mondays and Parent and Baby Screenings. Mini Mornings offer small people big experiences, with adult and child tickets available at very small prices. These run every Saturday and Sunday morning as well as during the school holidays. With adventure packed movies and hilarious animations be prepared for a fun filled few hours.

Booking is always recommended as this mainstream movie theatre is a very popular local attraction with multiple daily screenings of the very latest blockbusters.  With 2D or 3D viewing options and extra comfy seats available to book online, you can really immerse yourself in the full cinematic experience.

Next door is The Harvester Paignton where you can grab a reasonably priced bite to eat after the film.  There’s an unlimited salad bar as well as an extensive menu catering for kids, vegetarian and vegan diets, plus the desserts and freakshakes are an added treat definitely worth trying.  

9. Dinosaur World, Torquay

Take your little monsters to meet the big monsters at this fun, interactive exhibition that brings the world of dinosaurs to life. See life-size dinosaurs, discover incredible fossils, take part in the Family Explorer Quiz and you can even sit on a deadly dino.

Centrally located on Torquay harbour, this family friendly attraction received the Tripadvisor 2018 Certificate of Excellence award. Adults pay the same price as children over 3 years so it’s great value for money, plus if you’re planning to visit the English Riviera again soon the ‘Paleo Pass’ entitles you to free unlimited re-entry for up to 3 months. Before you visit download a free exhibition map and a souvenir museum leaflet from the website.

Young explorers will be captivated by the range of Dinosaurs displayed in their realistic, natural habitats and there’s plenty to keep those active brains stimulated within this fun and vibrant learning environment. Highlights include discovering the dinosaur teeth, bones and claws in the excavation sites and seeing the fossilized skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex from millions of years ago.

The Gift Shop has a great range of dinosaur models, real fossils and themed merchandise at very affordable prices starting from 99p for any spare holiday pocket money.

10. Theatrical Fun

Theatre lovers will be spoilt for choice on the English Riviera with a range of first class venues providing matinee and evening productions, perfect for those occasional rainy days and nights!

The Princess Theatre is located on Torquay seafront and welcomes top-class national touring productions, well known showbiz names and the cream of local talent throughout the year.

Babbacombe Theatre, also in Torquay, is set amidst the delightful Babbacombe Downs and steeped in entertainment history with famous artistes such as Bruce Fawcett and Rod Hudd having trodden the boards there. Some of today’s finest comedians including Tim Vine and Henning Wehn regularly visit and there are some superb summer season family variety showstoppers not to be missed.

The Little Theatre is housed within a converted church in the delightful area of Meadfoot, Torquay.  It’s the home of TOADS Theatre Company who have been entertaining audiences with their extensive repertoire of well-known classics, thrillers and comedies since the 1980’s. Entirely run by a team of dedicated volunteers there’s also a quaint tea room and licenced bar.

Another fantastic venue across the bay to check out is the English Riviera’s oldest venue, the Palace Theatre ,Paignton. Within a short distance of the town centre this little gem provides an all year round programme of live events ranging from amateur dramatic plays, an eclectic mix of professional dance and music productions and the very popular Christmas panto. Bijou Theatre Productions puts on four productions a year including the much acclaimed Agatha Christie season each summer which is definitely worth looking out for.