100 Family Friendly Places to Visit in South and West Wales

If your planning a visit to Wales then this guide is for you! Here I’m going to list 100 of the top Family Friendly places to visit in South Wales and West Wales. Although Wales is a pretty small country I think you’ll find it is bursting with amazing historic Castles, stunning award winning beaches and acres of beautiful nature reserves, as well as plenty of fun attractions to entertain the kids too! Actually getting it down to just 100 was a challenge.

I’ve lived in Wales all my life. Mostly in my home town of Neath, with a 7 year gap (uni and stuff!) in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. Although I have been lucky enough to holiday in some amazing countries (China, California, Canada, Barcelona, Venice, Copenhagen, etc) there is still nothing quite like coming home to Wales.

Even though I have lived here all my life I still haven’t managed to visit a lot of the major sights and attractions South Wales has to offer. But having worked for Cardiff Tourist Board for 4 years I think I am in a pretty good position to write this guide on places to visit in South Wales. I did give a little call out to some friends for some extra ideas and they came up with lots of great places to visit in West Wales which I had never heard of.

1. Cardiff Castle (Check their website for upcoming events)

2. Brecon Beacons National Park (Find unto date info and walking routes here)

3. St Fagans Museum of Welsh Life (See whats on here)

4. Waterfall Country (Here you’ll find lots of info on the different falls and routes)

5. Big Pit National Coal Museum (Check for opening times and ticket info here)

6. Cardiff Bay (so much to see and do here)

7. Rhonnda Heritage Park (find opening times here)

8. Llancaiach Fawr Manor (See the history of the Manor here)

9. National Waterfront Museum (Check out upcoming events)

10. National Museum Cardiff (See whats on in the galleries)

11. Oystermouth Castle (Find all the info here)

12. Worm’s Head (Check the Explore Gower Website for details)

13. Langland Bay (Stunning beach and perfect for surfers)

14. Llanelli Wetlands (Great for the kids!)

15. Three Cliffs Beach (Stunning bay in Swansea)

16. Tredegar House (Stunning 17th Century House and Gardens)

17. Rhosili Bay (Stunning beach and coast line)

18. Dan yr Ogof Caves (Stunning caves and Dinosaurs!)

19. Llangenith Beach (A beautiful beach on the Gower Peninsula)

20. Mumbles Pier (Perfect Day out for all the family)

21. Weobly Castle (Find all the info on their website)

22. Gower Heritage Centre (Find out whats going on here)

23. Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths (check the Cadw site for info)

24. Margam Country Park (Country Park, Castle and Childrens Park)

25. Dunraven Bay and Walled Gardens (Perfect place for a walk and a picnic)

26. Bryngarw House and Country Park (Find lots of info here)

27. Cosmeston Lakes and Medieval Village (Find out all about the wildlife and history here)

28. Penllegar Valley Woods (12 square miles of beautiful woodland, walks and waterfalls)

29. Pembrey Country Park (There is so much to do at Pembrey, check their website here)

30. Afan Forest Park (beautiful forestry and bike trails)

31. Nash Point Lighthouse (Check out the visitor centre here)

32. Barry Island (Beach, fairground and home of Gavin and Stacey!)

33. Hay-on-Wye (World renowned for books and bookshops)

34. Dyffryn Garden (Opening times and tickets)

35. Llandeilo (A picturesque welsh market town)

36. Mountain View Ranch (Go see the Gruffalo)

37. Castell Coch (See the stunning fairytale castle)

38. Cardiff Bay Barrage (Find out all about it here)

39. Bute Park Animal Wall (Check out the history of the wall here)

40. National Assembly Buildings (Visiting the Senedd)

41. Fotogallery (Check out upcoming exhibitions)

42. Wales Millennium Center (Check out what shows are on)

43. Clyne Gardens (Beautiful place for a walk)

44. Go Ape (Find info for the Margam one here)

45. Cefn Mably Farm (Take a peek at their gallery to see whats there)

46. Bridgend Miniature Railway (You’ll find all the info here)

47. Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (See what’s on at the gallery)

48. Newport Transporter Bridge (Opening times and info here)

49. Carreg Cennen Castle (History and opening times)

50. Singleton Park (Check out their website for info)

51. Walk the Taff Trail (you’ll find route info here)

52. Caerphilly Castle (Check out upcoming events)

53. Blaenavon Iron Works (Find opening times here)

54. Neath Abbey Ruins (check out the history here)

55. Brecon Mountain Railway (Timetable can be found here)

56. Lido Ponty (National Lido of Wales)

57. Penderyn Distillery (Book yourself a tour)

58. The Royal Mint (book tickets and check opening times)

59. Bike Park Wales (A must for any avid cyclist)

60. Llandaff Cathedral (You’ll find upcoming events here)

61. Aberdulais Waterfalls and Tin Works (History and opening times)

62. Folly Farm (see our Folly Farm vlog)

63. Tenby Dinosaur Park (Great day out for all the family)

64. Tenby (Visitor Centre website for lots of info)

65. Manor Wildlife Park and Zoo (Check out all the animals here)

66. Oakwood Theme Park (Wales’s own theme park)

67. Aberglasny Gardens (Stunning gardens and mansion house)

68. Heatherton (World of activities, a whole day of outdoor fun)

69. Techniquest (Science museum for kids of all ages)

70. Gwili Steam Railway (Historic steam railway kids will love)

71. Dyfed Shire Horse Farm (Great place for any horse fan)

72. Blackpill lido (Perfect place to spend a sunny day)

73. Freshwater East (Stunning beaches and village in Pembrokeshire)

74. Abereiddy and The Blue Lagoon (One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited)

75. Dilocothi Gold Mines (Opening times and Info)

78. National Botanic Gardens of Wales (Find out whats happening this month at the gardens)

79. Dylan Thomas Boat House (Now a tea room and Gallery)

80. Welsh Ape and Monkey Sanctuary (Find info on the website)

81. Skomer Island (An Island Nature reserve bursting with birds and wildlife)

82. Dinefwr Park and Castle (see whats on offer here)

83. Cantref Adventure Farm (Lots to do for all the kids)

84. Carew Castle and Tidal Mill (Check out my last visit or their website)

85. St Davids Cathedral (See more info here)

86. Red Kite Feeding Station (See Red Kites up close)

87. Barafundle Bay (Named one of the best beaches in the world)

88. Oxwich Bay and Nature Reserve (Stunning award winning beach in the Gower)

89. Mwnt (Perfect place for spotting dolphins and seals)

90. Cilgerran Castle (Read about its history here)

91. Tintern Abbey (Amazing Cistercian Abbey Remains)

92. Pembroke Castle (Check out upcoming events here)

93. St Davids (Here are the top things to do in St David’s)

94. Saint Govan’s Chapel (Check the country file walk here)

95. Devil’s Bridge and Hafod Estate (Find lots of info on the Hafod Conservation Partnership Website)

96. Laugharne Castle (Picturesque castle in Carmarthenshire)

97. Paxton’s Tower (Check out reviews from visitors here)

98. The Welsh Wildlife Centre (So much nature to see and explore)

99. Tenby Museum and Art Gallery (Check out upcoming talks and exhibitions)

100. Picton Castle (The largest collection of owls in Wales)

 

That’s a wrap guys!

So that is our 100 places to visit in South Wales and West Wales! As you can see there are just so many awesome attractions in Wales that are great for all the family. I could easily have written a list of 200 places to visit in South Wales as there are still lots of others I haven’t included! Please do leave me a comment if you have a different favourite place to visit in South Wales as I am always looking for others I may not know of, or any hidden gems!

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