Every year in September, Heritage Open Days offers the public the opportunity to visit hundreds of attractions, castles, churches, theatres, town halls, museums and more.  And the best bit is that most tours, guided walks and open days are FREE of charge!

In 2024, the event runs between Friday 6th – Sunday 15th September however you will need to check with each location which dates their offer applies.

Below are just a few attractions and places of interest that you can visit in Dorset.

 

• Kingston Lacy
Address: Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4EA

• Museum of East Dorset
Address: Museum of East Dorset, 23-29 High St, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1HR

• Wimborne Minster Guided Tours
Address: Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 1HT

• Wimborne Model Museum
Address: Wimborne Model Museum, King Street, Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 1DY

• White Mill
Address: White Mill, Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 4BX

• Russell-Cotes Museum
Address: Russell-Cotes Museum, East Cliff Promenade, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 3AA

• Bournemouth Natural Science Society Tour
Address: Bournemouth Natural Science Society, 39 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 3NS

• Christchurch Priory Church Tours
Address: Christchurch Priory, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 1BU

• Highcliffe Castle
Address: Highcliffe Castle, Rothesay Drive, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 4LE

• Upton House Tours
Address, Upton House, Poole Road, Upton, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7BJ

• Blandford Fashion Museum
Address: Blandford Fashion Museum, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 7AA

• Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust Museum
Address: Sturminster Newton Museum, Market Cross House, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 1AN

• Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Museum
Address: Sherborne Steam & Waterwheel Centre, Oborne Road, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3RX

• Clavell Tower
Address: Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge Bay, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5PE

• Lulworth Castle & Park
Address: Lulworth Castle, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QS

• Hardy Monument
Address: Hardy Monument, Black Down, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 9HY

• The Keep Military Museum
Address: Barrack Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1RN

• Dorset Museum & Art Gallery Tours
Address: 66 High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XA

• Shire Hall Museum
Address: Shire Hall Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1UY

• Nothe Fort
Address: Nothe Fort, Barrack Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8UF

• Tout Quarry, Children’s Stone Carving Workshop
Address: Tout Quarry Sculpture Park & Nature Reserve, Tradecroft, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2LN

There are so many more places of interest to explore in Dorset and beyond so please visit Heritage Open Days for further information on specific dates and to book if required.

Nothe Fort in Weymouth is a brilliant family day out whatever the weather.  We visited in the summer and the kids and had a great time exploring the indoor and outdoor areas, and meandering through the underground tunnels.

Nothe Fort sits right at the end of the Nothe Peninsula with stunning view across the harbour and out to sea.  There’s a large car park with reasonable prices for the day or it’s only a 10 minute walk from the harbour if you’re visiting via public transport.  The history of the Nothe Fort spans over 160 years, from Victorian coastal defence to Local Authority nuclear bunker and is now a museum.

We arrived just before lunch time and grabbed some drinks from the Fort View Café to enjoy with our picnic and went to the upper level to find a bench and take in the views.  We spent a good hour on the upper level looking at the large guns which are high on the ramparts and finished up in a control tower where the kids had the chance to look out of the telescope.

On the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month you can watch the Nothe Fort Artillery displays which includes musketry and cannon firing drills.  I’d definitely recommend catching it if you can and if little one’s have sensitive ears then you can pick up some ear defenders as the bangs might make them jump.

Before we went exploring in the underground passages I explained to the kids that we needed to find and count all of the little Nothe Fort mice that were hidden around.  My son just wanted to explore but my daughter loves a challenge and whilst I know we didn’t find them all I think we did pretty good.

The tunnels and ground level rooms are amazing, there’s so much to see and do.  We found tons of interactive buttons to press, films to see and informative boards to read (that’s my husband’s job while I concentrate on not losing the kids).  The children really enjoyed learning how to send morse code and exploring the tunnels, nuclear bunker and rooms full of history and displays.  The funniest though was the dark Ghost Passage which my son quickly went through a few times but my daughter was too scared so she would go round.

 

When we came out of the tunnels it was time for a nice cold drink and a treat.  The café has hot and cold lunches, sandwiches, soup, snacks, kids meals, ice cream and homemade cake, all at very reasonable prices.  When we finished our drinks and cakes, my daughter wanted to do some crafts and my son wanted to go back up to the ramparts so we split up for our final bit of fun.

 

Before we left, we told the staff how many mice we counted and my daughter received a certificate and we bought a souvenir mouse to paint at home.

Good to know:

• Toilets and baby change facilities are located near the cafe.

• There is lift access for the upper and lower level.

• Dogs are welcomed but must be kept on short leads.

• If the little darlings aren’t quite exhausted when you leave then there’s a lovely play area and nature trail in the gardens.

Nothe Fort has lots of exciting child friendly events during half terms and there are also special events on selected weekends.  For more information and ticket prices, please visit Nothe Fort.

I thoroughly recommend a day trip to Nothe Fort, there’s so much to see and do and the views are just incredible.  Possibly the best part though is that your day ticket becomes an annual pass which means you can go back again and again for a whole year!

If you need more ideas on places to visit in Dorset then please take a look at some of our other blog posts below.

Where to see Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Free and Low Cost Places to go in Dorset with Kids

Crazy Golf Courses in Dorset

Tout Quarry Sculpture Park in Portland

High Angle Battery in Portland

A Family Stay at the Penn Estate

Abbotsbury Swannery

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre & Beach

SandWorld

Church Ope Cove, Rufus Castle & Pirate Graves Walk

 

For further ideas on places to visit in Dorset then please take a look at our list of Attractions in Dorset.