Devon’s best family days out according to reviews

Devon is a great place to live or to visit with children. With plenty of family-friendly beaches, adventure parks and outdoor activities, there’s something for everyone. To help families choose some destinations to visit this summer, local travel experts at Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays have revealed the five best attractions for families in Devon.

The family holiday cottages company analysed Tripadvisor reviews to find the most popular places to visit according to the percentage of five star reviews.

Here are the results and what Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays has to say about the places:

1. Devon Activity Centre

Taking the top spot is Devon Activity Centre, an outdoor experience located near Exeter which has 96% of reviewers giving it five stars. With a range of outdoor activities to suit everyone, families can enjoy go karting and scenic segway trails to target activities and assault courses, perfect for an action-packed day out.

2. The Milky Way Adventure Park

Placing second is The Milky Way Adventure Park, an amusement park located in North Devon. Named ‘Devon's Large Attraction of the Year’ by Visit Devon in 2023/24 and gaining five stars in 85% of its reviews on TripAdvisor, it has fun indoor activities and acres of outdoor activities, making it great for an all-weather family experience.

3. Tree Surfers

Taking third is Tree Surfers with 85% of TripAdvisor reviews gaining five stars. Families can enjoy tree top activities suitable for all ages located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the Tamar Valley, near Gulworthy. With cross rope bridges, zip lines, walkways and Tarzan swings, as well as archery sessions and mountain bike trails, the whole family can have an exciting adventure together.

4. Barricane Beach

A secluded beach located at the far northern end of Woolacombe, Barricane Beach gets its name from the range of shells found on its sands. Great for rock pooling and surfing, the beach is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, although families should be aware there is a lack of lifeguards at any time throughout the year.

5. Bear Town

A unique role-play experience for children aged 1-7, Bear Town is set in an immersive town setting. Located between Exeter and Cullompton, there are 12 different role-play areas that encourage children to learn through play.

How the places have been ranked:

• A list of 80 popular places in Devon was compiled from a range of articles

• Using Tripadvisor reviews, the study analysed reviews for each place using the ‘family’ type of visit filter, only looking at those with more than 100 reviews to find the percentage of parents who rated the place five stars out of all family reviews

• These were then ranked from highest to lowest to reveal the best for families