Showing 1–5 of 5 free attractions in Exeter
MuseumsThe Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery
SightseeingExeter Woollen Trail
MuseumsSt Nicholas Priory
MuseumsBill Douglas Centre - History of Cinema
Parks and PlaygroundsExeter Sculpture Walk
Free Family Days Out in Exeter
Museums and walks, in roughly equal measure. Exeter has five free entries: St Nicholas Priory, The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery and Bill Douglas Centre - History of Cinema are the three indoor collections, and the other two, Exeter Woollen Trail and Exeter Sculpture Walk, are routes through the city rather than places you arrive at. That balance means a dry day and a wet one both have an answer here, which a five-entry list does not always manage.
The two trails are the underused half of this list. They turn a walk around town into something with a purpose, which is the difference between a child walking and a child complaining.
Free days out in Exeter: FAQs
How do the trails work?
Exeter Woollen Trail and Exeter Sculpture Walk are marked routes rather than venues, so you follow them at your own pace and there is nothing to book and nothing to open. The practical consequence is that they need dry weather and a plan for where to stop, since there is no building to shelter in. As a way of getting children around a city without them noticing they are walking, they work well.
Which museum should we choose?
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery is the largest and the most likely to hold a mixed group for a decent stretch. St Nicholas Priory is a small historic building and works as a short, specific visit. Bill Douglas Centre - History of Cinema is a specialist collection about film that lands very well with an older child who is already interested and less well with anyone who is not.
Could we combine several of these in a day?
Yes, and Exeter is compact enough to make that genuinely easy rather than theoretically possible. A trail between two of the museums gives the day a rhythm of walking and stopping that suits children better than a long stretch in one building. Doing the outdoor part first and keeping a museum in reserve also protects the plan if the weather turns partway through.