With a heatwave on its way to Burton and South Derbyshire, many families will be looking for fun days out or attractions to visit as temperatures rocket to 22C this Bank Holiday weekend.
For an action-packed few days, often there's no need to break the bank when there are a wide variety of activities right on the doorstep.
Burton, South Derbyshire and surrounding areas have endless amounts of attractions suitable for all ages - especially when the weather is nice. We've rounded up a list of the very best below.
National Brewery Centre
The National Brewery Centre has become synonymous with Burton throughout the years, sitting close to the centre of the town in Horninglow Street.
Exhibits show the various brewing techniques employed throughout the year, a complete history of the town, a collection of historic vehicles, a micro-brewery and a Shire horse collection.
Full information about what is on at the National Brewery Centre can be found online.
Prices: Adults cost £9.95, child are £5.95 and concessions are £8.95.
Opening times: Open all week, 10am until 4pm.
Ages: All ages appropriate.
National Adventure Farm
The National Forest Adventure Farm at Tatenhill offers exciting indoor fun, outdoor adventure and farm animals - perfect for a day trip out with the kids.
The farm hosts many events throughout the year including Easter Activities, huge summer Maize Maze, spooky Halloween daytime fun, scary night time Halloween Screamfest and Christmas celebrations.
Prices: £9 for an adult, £9 for a child aged two to 15, £7.20 for concessions and under twos are free.
Opening times: Open all week, 10am until 6pm.
Ages: All ages appropriate.
Conkers
Conkers, near Ashby, is a perfect mix of fun and outdoor relaxation.
Sitting in the National Forest, near Moira in North West Leicestershire, Conkers is a family-orientated centre, with play areas and discovery zones.
Included is 120 acres of woodlands, lakes, ponds and play areas to explore, so if you think you have seen it all, you must have spent a large amount of time here.
The centre's 18-stage activity trail challenge and the high and low ropes adventure is enough to get anyone's heart pumping.
Even on a rainy day in the summer, Conkers has a solution, with a brand new 4D cinema, indoor play zones and more than 100 indoor interactive exhibits, split into four seasonal areas.
Prices – Adult tickets costs £9.95 or £8.95 for a child.
Opening times - Open all week, from 10am until 6pm.
Ages - All ages appropriate.
National Memorial Arboretum
The National Memorial Arboretum, in Alrewas, is an attraction of intrigue for people across the county, with visitors travelling from all over the UK.
Memorials are scattered throughout the area, which acts as a place to honour the fallen and recognise those who have served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice.
Prices - Free to visit, donations are welcome however.
Opening times - Open all week, from 9am until 5pm.
Ages - The whole family.
Intu Derby
Less than half an hour away from Burton is the Intu shopping centre in Derby, which offers far more than just shopping.
The recently opened golf and bowling complex brings together an American-themed arcade and restaurant, with 36 holes of mini-golf and a multi-lane bowling alley.
The Showcase cinema in the centre is displaying all of the country’s newest films, with wartime thriller Dunkirk perfect for an older audience and the Emoji Movie for the younger ones.
The centre itself has a shop for everyone, from toy shops like the Entertainer for the younger ones, and a range of top designer shops like Next, New Look and River Island for men and women.
Restaurants like Wagamama, TGI Fridays and Nando's are all available along with a whole host of others to make sure that you can eat whatever you fancy.
Information about what is available is online and can be viewed here. Just don't spend too much!
Prices – Varies.
Opening times - Monday until Wednesday, 9am until 6pm. Thursday and Friday, 9am until 8pm, Saturday, 9am until 7pm and Sunday 10.30am until 4.30pm. Limited access after-hours for some services.
Ages - Activities available for all ages.
Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor theme park, near Tamworth in Staffordshire, is a fantastic day out for the whole family.
Do you dare take on thrilling rides like England's only stand up rollercoaster, Shockwave? Or do you prefer the easy, more relaxing life chugging along with Thomas and friends at Thomas Land.
Drayton Manor, has around 40 rides in total, ranging from rollercoasters and tower drops for thrill-seekers to the 4D cinema, where audiences are really plunged into the film with interactive and immersive techniques for an unforgettable film experience.
If you're not too fond of fast, blood-pumping rides, then there is still something for you, with animal adventures at the park's very own zoo. From owls and meerkats to tigers and kangaroos, the park is teeming with wildlife which is more than eager to say hello.
Full information about Drayton Manor's rides and events can be found online.
Prices - Pre-booked tickets are always cheaper, and cost £25 for those between the ages of 12 and 58, £20 for young ones between the age of four and 11 and also for visitors older than 60.
Opening times - 9.30am until 5pm.
Ages - Activities available for the whole family.
Twycross Zoo
Open 364 days a year, Twycross Zoo is set amongst the beautiful rural countryside in the heart of England.
Right on the Leicestershire / Warwickshire border, Twycross Zoo is a conservation charity and fun for all the family.
The zoo offers indoor and outdoor enclosures, interactive experiences and fun, exciting encounters with over 500 animals, from over 100 different species.
Prices - £17.22 for an adult, £12.90 for a child, £15.20 for a concession and free for under twos.
Opening times - 10am until 6pm.
Ages - Activities available for the whole family.
National Space Centre
Only a 50-minute drive from Burton, the National Space Centre has everything to entertain any budding astronaut or rocket scientist.
With six interactive galleries, the UK's largest planetarium, and a 42m high Rocket Tower, the award-winning National Space Centre is an out of this world experience.
Prices: £14 for an adult and £11 for a child.
Opening times: Monday to Friday: 10am to 4pm. Saturday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Ages: Activities appropriate for the whole family.
Moira Furnace
The Moira Furnace Museum showcases the history of one of the most important blast furnaces of the Industrial Revolution. The museum runs alongside Ashby Canal, and throughout summer guests can enjoy boat trips on the Joseph Wilkes narrow boat.
The site, in Furnace Lane, Moira, houses a children’s play area, ancient woodland, lime kilns and a craft village and tea room.
Further information about visiting Moira Furnace is online and can be accessed via their website here.
Prices - Free, must pay for parking.
Opening times - Open between Tuesday and Sunday, from 11am until 4pm.
Ages - Appropriate for all ages.
Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre
Ever wanted to learn how to ski or snowboard? Perhaps you and the family already know how to and just fancy having some fun on an open practice session.
At Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre visitors can book a lesson to get the kids started properly or even just a slot for open practice to make sure they are ready when you hit the slopes.
Prices - For open practice sessions an adult is £15.50 and a child aged four to 15 is £11.50.
Opening times - Open 10am to 5pm Sunday and Monday, and 11am to 9pm Tuesday to Friday. The centre is open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Ages - There is a minimum age limit of 4 years for skiing.
Foremark Reservoir
The reservoir in South Derbyshire is surrounded by areas of woodlands just waiting to be explored. There is also a Jack and Jill willow sculpture and varied wildlife to see plus great views of the Carvers Rocks Site.
The reservoir, located in Repton Road outside of Ticknall, also features a refreshment kiosk that opens in the summer months.
Prices – Free.
Opening times – There are no opening times for the reservoir.
Ages – Appropriate for all ages.
Mercia Marina
Mercia Marina in Willington not only offers terrific views of the water, boats and wildlife, there are also walking guides, cycling routes and boat rides to enjoy.
There is also a range of boutique shops, art galleries, tea rooms and restaurants for the family to enjoy.
Prices – Free.
Opening times – There are no opening times for the marina.
Ages – Appropriate for all ages.
Calke Abbey
Calke Abbey, near Ticknall in Derbyshire is a classic English country house and part of the National Trust.
The building had stood untouched for more than 100 years when the trust took it over in 1985.
The interior design of the building is almost identical to the standard it would have been when it was taken into the Trust's hands in 1985.
The house was owned by the Harpur family for nearly 300 years until it was passed to the Trust in 1985 in lieu of death duties.
Now, visitors are welcome to see the decaying structure of the building has been paused, with many of the rooms deliberately displayed in the state of decline in which the house was handed to the trust.
Price – Adult tickets cost £14.50 and children go for £7.50.
Opening times – Opening times are between 7am until 7.30pm.
Ages – Appropriate for the whole family.
