What to do in Gloucestershire on a rainy day

If you’re planning a day out, darkening skies can quickly darken your mood. Cheer up though! We’ve picked a great range of sheltered attractions for you to choose from when you’re wondering what to do in Gloucestershire on a rainy day.

Gloucestershire’s museums are a sure bet for rainy day entertainment

You don’t need to be a petrolhead to have fun at the Cotswold Motoring Museum in Bourton on the Water. This engaging museum will get excitement levels revving thanks to its enticing collection of classic and antique cars, motoring memorabilia, and even a toy collection. In addition, the Cotswold Motoring Museum is home to Brum, the famous heroic car that is a children’s TV star in its own right.

For something completely different head to Dr Jenner’s House which is a museum celebrating the life and work of Dr Edward Jenner, one of the most important figures in medicine. He pioneered the process of vaccination against smallpox and the Science of Immunology stemmed from his research. Dr Jenner lived and worked in the house which contains the museum and some of his personal belongings are within the collection. Visitors will also be able to view an exhibition on immunology as well as find out more about Dr Jenner’s less well-known research.

Keeping the kids happy

The Cattle Country Adventure Park has not one but two massive indoor playbarns containing the likes of slides and a squishy assault course as well as play areas dedicated to very young children. Kids can also enjoy the delights of digging away in a sheltered beach courtesy of the beach barn. If you don’t mind braving the wet weather there is an abundance of outdoor attractions for kids to enjoy, as well as the chance to see the cute animal residents, but the great indoor play areas by themselves will leave kids more than satisfied with a visit here.

If being able to create wonderful works of art that can be cherished for years to come sounds like an enticing way to enjoy rainy weather then potter over to the Paint It Yourself Pottery Company in Cheltenham. Painting pottery is a fun activity that kids and adults can get involved in together (plus you don’t need to be a great artist!) and a wide choice of pottery items are available for painting. Afterwards the pieces are glazed and fired and are ready to collect within a few days (though an overnight service is also available).

Walk in the footsteps of history

The time of the ancient Romans is long gone but that doesn’t mean you can’t experience a part of it today. All you need to do is visit Chedworth Roman Villa where you can see the ruins of one of Britain’s biggest Romano-British villas. One of the highlights of a visit is being able to get close to the in-situ Roman mosaics courtesy of suspended walkways. The museum also contains a variety of intriguing artefacts that were excavated at the Chedworth site.

Gloucester Cathedral is a stunning piece of architecture that features beautiful stained glass windows and impressive sculptures. The cathedral can be explored through a variety of guided tours where visitors can venture into the crypt, see the key architectural highlights, take in the fantastic views from the roof or even discover which parts of the cathedral were used for filming the first two Harry Potter films.

Something a little different

The magnificent Clearwell Caves are natural caves that were used for mining iron ore and today visitors can discover nine intriguing caverns with informative displays located throughout their explorations. Other enticing attractions within this mining museum include a blacksmith’s workshop and underground musical instruments made from scrapped mining equipment (and if the caves look familiar, that’s because you may have seen them on TV in the likes of Dr Who or Merlin!).

Staying inside doesn’t mean you can’t get active and the Far Peak Climbing Centre offers the chance to experience new heights of indoor entertainment. The centre offers indoor climbing and bouldering that is suitable for kids and adults, with courses as well as Pay & Play sessions. The centre caters to novices and experienced climbers alike so anyone can have an exciting day here.

Rainy days rock in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire has far too many indoor attractions to let a rainy day go to waste. With its fantastic museums, amazing historical buildings and fun things for all the family to do together, there is definitely no need for rain to stop play in this county.