I was really surprised with the Red Lodge. From the name I half expected it to be a pub on…read moreAmsterdam's 'dodgy district' but it's really really not! Located half way between the Christmas Steps and Park Road, it's definitely walkable for most tourists and even locals alike. The house itself is really impressive and there are lots of little places to go and explore in. The best part is the Tudor garden, which in Springtime would be magnificent I'm sure. As it's free I would 100% recommend a visit.

The Red Lodge is a museum in the same style as the Georgian house on Brandon Hill. It has a…read morevariety of rooms in Elizabethan, Georgian and Stuart styles, giving a cross section of the many histories of the house. It was originally built in 1580 as a lodge for a grand manor house that stood on the site of Colston Hall, back when Bristol was clearly a very different city. It's got some really interesting rooms including a 'Great Oak Room', which is quite impressive. You really don't expect a place like this to be in the centre of Bristol. My favourite bit is the garden - its got a grand Tudor style knotted garden which is magnificent. In the garden there's also a large building which houses a slightly secret art society called the Bristol Savages, who invest in local art. You can get in there on Open Doors Day, and it's well worth a visit - the walls are full of art and strange paraphernalia. You can't get in on a normal visit to the Red Lodge so make sure you look out for the right day. The lodge itself is free to get in all year round, so go take a look.

Abergavenny Castle is home to the Museum set in a fantastic Normal Castle (dates back to c. 1087AD)…read moreset on the banks of the River Gavenny it provides an ideal location to stroll around or eat you picnic. Abergavenny has phenomenal weather for this area of Wales as it lies in a Rain Shadow - fabulously sunny days can be had beneath the Sugar loaf Mountain when all around are donning their rain coats. The Museum was formerly a hunting lodge and now houses a mock 18th century kitchen, grocers and other fascinating artefacts. Situated in a beautiful town this is certainly worth a visit ad with FREE admission and a home made picnic, your children will have a fab day for the cost of a home-made sandwich - beats any Theme park I know! Also host many events including key parts of the famous Abergavenny food festival!

A beautiful place to walk up and around the remaining walls of the castle. Picturesque against the…read morefoggy mountains. The staff in the museum was welcoming, the quaint exhibits were catered towards children and adults. Worth a visit!

Clevedon Court is a lovely old National Trust property located near to Clevedon. It is quite small…read moreand wouldn't really make for a whole day out although it is good for an afternoon visit. The gardens are lovely with a steep hill that local children love to roll down. Refreshments are sold in the carpark in the Summer but are not generally available. It makes for a good day out when combined with nearby Tyntersfield in Wraxall, another National Trust property.

Clevedon Court is a lovely National trust property located on the outskirts of Vlevedon…read more Parts of the building are quite old and there are rooms dedicated to collections of glass and pottery. Some of the artwork is quite beautiful. The grounds are lovely, with loads of trees and flowers, though the gardens are small compared to many other properties in the National Trust. They have a small tea/food area located by the parking section. It's well worth a visit if you would like a nice afternoon out.

Bristol's beautiful old buildings can be seen all over the north of the city, primarily in the…read moreClifton and Cotham areas - it's part of why I love the city so much - and in this little old museum just off Park Street, reisdents and visitors alike get to see what it was once like. It's not all flowers and sunshine; this house was built for a merchant of the slave trade, but provides a very interesting insight into 18th century life.

Bristol is full of beautiful Georgian architecture. A stroll round Clifton takes in elegant…read morecrescents and grand townhouses. At the Georgian House you can see one of these buildings restored to the way it would have been during this time (rather than divided up into several student flats as they all seem to be these days). Owned by a slave plantation owner (much of Bristol wealth at this time came from slavery), this museum aims to document the lives of the servants and a slave that was kept as well that of the family that live there. This means that as well as restoring the 'upstairs' - the various bedrooms library and other formal rooms, the 'downstairs' - the kitchen and servants quarters can also be seen. The attention to detail is fantastic and I think this is great way to learn a bit about how people lived in this period and the realities of the slave trade. I would say that you feel as if you're in the 18th century but there were a few too many fellow visitors when I went for that. I should add that it's free entry. The Georgian House offers a more visceral experience than Bristol's other museums and gives some context to some of the various old buildings around Bristol.

Great place to find out some of Chepstow's history. It was initially build as a chemist, but…read moretranform into a surgery and then a hospital. These days it stands for some important developments throughout history out and inside. You will find reminders of Chepstow being a busy port and market town and the roles and developments of the castle. It also displays some early pictures of Chepstow and the Wye valley. Also it tells the story of the Chepstow bridges. If you want some cultural experience or just a little inside into history, this will be the right place for you. And for local residents the entry is free!

After Gord and I checked out the Caerleon Roman Baths on Sunday, the next stop was the National…read moreRoman Legion Museum, which was free and full of Roman artifacts, armour and exhibits.

We were driving from Cardiff to London, and made a detour here (because it was on my list of places…read moreto visit). There is a very nice collection of artefacts from the time the legion was here. The building a rather small, but since there was barely a handful of visitors (rain might have played a part in that), there was no fear of bumping into other people. This museum is a treasure trove of Roman history, and the visit doesn't take long at all, maybe an hour.

This is a beautiful old house just outside Newport, very easy to get to from the motorway, and well…read moreworth a visit. For anyone who's a fan of BBC costume dramas, then this is the type of house that would make any Jane Austen heroine fall in love with even the most ruthless and cutthroat of villainous rich men. It packs quite a punch. Sitting in 90 acres of surrounding parkland, this is a lovely oasis of tranquillity. The house and gardens are open to the public during the summer months, and there are also countless festivals and seasonal events happening throughout the rest of the year. There is also a short avenue of arts and crafts shops which are open throughout the year. Here you'll find Busy Bees Patchwork and many other pottery, art and smithies. Pop along for a cultural afternoon.

Tanya is right on the money when she says this park is straight out of a BBC costume drama (don't…read moreeven get me started on their version of Pride and Prejudice - I know the whole damn thing by heart and that series is most likely the reason I moved to the UK in the first place). I used to work at the government building that's right around the corner, so a few lunch hours were spent walking around this park's stunning grounds. The park and woodland walk is open from 9 am to dusk. The House is open from Easter to the end of September, with house tours from Wednesday - Sunday. Tours last a little over an hour starting at 11am, then run hourly until 4pm. Events are held year round, and more information can be found on their website. Tredegar House is licensed for weddings and caters for conferences, although I'm happy just meandering around the park with the grand house serving as part of the background. If you're not a driver, you can get here via the number 30 and 36 Cardiff Bus, which I'd recommend instead of taking the train, as Newport Railway Station is a fair bit away.

What a fantastic day out. This place offers a lot for family's…read more Great value for £8 per adult and £5 for children over two, under twos are free ! The grounds are fantastic lots of open space for the children to wonder and explore and also paths that follow through the trees and gardens. There's a big adventure playground full of lots to explore, zip wire, slide climbing frame etc. There were also blow up slides and a paddling pool. There was a separate area with Wendy houses, trampolines and a climbing frame for the smaller children which was in a really nice relaxing area. You can get up close with pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens in Pet's Corner. There is 66 acres of beautiful gardens and woodland walks, the views across the River Severn and Wales and spectacular ! There's also a cafe and shop. The cafe is really nice I had a caramel latte with a cheese and chutney sandwich came to £5.50 wich Is good value. Plenty of parking available. Overall a fantastic day out which was really enjoyed by all.

Old Down Country Park is not your typical stately home. It is a farm/zoo/park/house. Great for the…read morewhole family too. They have large lawn areas for picnics, a café for those who didn't pre-prepare food, and lots and ltos of animals. Expect to find your typical farm animals. Goats? Check. Pigs? Check. Sheep? Check. Ponies? Check. Wallabies????check!!! Entry is only a fiver and you can spend the whole day there (weather permitting) walking along the Victorian walls and cooing at all the cute animals.