Top 16 things to do and attractions in Bridgwater

Arrived to an unfriendly sign that said no photography is allowed, but you could ask for permission to take photos of individual objects. I said I might, therefore, consistently have to return to the desk! Spoke to manager who has some outdated view about photography in museums and art galleries. I told him that I had not come across this policy for years and that most museums now welcome photography and indeed ask you to post your pics online. (I should have mentioned that's what I had been told only the day before at the nearby Wells & Mendip Museum.) He did concede that I could take photos if I wished, but I replied I would now feel uncomfortable doing so after having had to argue for it. And if they have any objects gifted by the Art Fund, then the public have every right to take photos of what is theirs. The museum is now only open on Saturdays and even then only between 11:00 and 15:00. Perhaps they could do with more people taking pics and posting them online for the publicity! 0/10.

A great, FREE, little museum voluntarily run by lovely people. I only hope the Council funds this place to enable its long term survival!

Very informative - I am new to the area and I learnt a lot from this superb museum.

Fantastic museum! A really friendly welcome from the people looking after the museum. Couldn't do enough for us. Interesting exhibits in themed rooms. I thought it was great. Gave my granddaughter a little quiz to complete and also there is a find the mouse game. Really was a great experience.

Interesting museum about Robert Blake, his connection with Bridgewater and its history, small cafe, entrance is free

This small museum is a must for anyone who is interested in Admiral Robert Blake, an amazing Admiral of the Fleet during the Commonwealth period.

This is a great museum with a variety of displays to see, plenty of local history, well worth a visit

We had a fantastic visit and have to say it’s definitely well worth a visit. Free entry but donations are welcome. The staff were amazing and very friendly with a lot of knowledge and the history of the museum.

A small but well presented museum. I thought of tiles like the ones on my kitchen wall, but I should have remembered the tiles on the roof of my Victorian house. Silly me! Lots of fascinating examples and clearly presented history and explanations. A walk inside the genuine firing kiln was great. Well done.

Loved our experience here so far with many pottery sessions. Heading back to do another pottery session soon for the kids and eager to do the walk around too. Lovely staff and volunteers giving up their time and giving you tips and help at your pace. Thank you. X

Wonderful visit today. The ladies were so interesting and full of the local knowledge about the area. Great place to visit.

Went on a pre booked tour, learnt so much about brick making and Bridgwater tiles, fascinating buildings and exhibits

Only open on a Tuesday when we visited. Small but interesting place. Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteer guided us through the place. Enjoyed this window on the industrial heritage of Bridgewater. Disabled access and disabled toilet facilities.

A small but very interesting Museum, with lots if history about Somerset bricks and tiles.

Lovely gardens, different styles of history, designed by the college and the monks of previous centuries, nice plants for sale, lovely cafe,

Just a lovely place to visit and spend a few hours. Beautiful gardens, topped off with plant sales and a reasonably priced tea room with excellent cakes.

The beautiful Walled Gardens of Cannington in Somerset, were officially opened in 2009 by the then HRH the Earl of Wessex (now Duke of Edinburgh). We visited in May 2023 and it was a sunny and warm day which made visiting the gardens an extra special experience. Lots of wonderful and exotic plants to see, enjoy and photograph, if that takes your fancy. The blue garden is a lovely feature and the cacti house full of interesting specimens loads more than that with a wonderful lawn in the centre. Very relaxing too.

Cannington Walled Gardens Whilst they are small but well looked after. The greenhouses all way seem to have something new to look at. I've been here several times in the past each time yhe Gardens look more and more like a well established garden that you or I would do but with finesse. Parking could be a problem 😒 The cafe needs managing. Great morning out as a stop.

This is a lovely garden (£6 per adult if not a RHS member), dogs on a lead welcomed with a biscuit. Detailed signs explaining each part of the garden and it's design were very helpful. They have plants for sale, clean toilets, a tea room and even a dragon. Car parking is free if you can find a spot and the site is disabled friendly.

Wonderful visit today to Cannington to visit tea room to meet friends . Garden was closed but fab location , staff wonderful and dahlias and bumbles are a wow and plants n roses for sale . Will be back

Beautifully maintained and interesting Gardens

Quite tricky to find but well worth it. No charge except for the car park (free to NT members). There are a number of well defined largely woodland walks to explore. The cafe is small but first rate with the usual spread of offerings you expect from the NT. Friendly people and good service. Unfortunately only outside seating (and picnic tables) and when we went there were a lot of wasps (not Fyne Courts fault of course). There are some activities for children including archery in what was the walled garden (plans to restore).

Delightful visit, even on showery day! Small second hand bookshop, lovely cafe with good range of vegan options. Lovely walk around the grounds, longer and shorter routes. A couple of follies to see. Walled garden under renovation but beautifully managed due biodiversity.

First time visit and was a really good walk. On this particular visit chose the Pink route but next time looking at purple route. All start and end at the courtyard where you can get refreshments. There are a couple of steep sections and even though paths are gravelled can still be a bit difficult with a pushchair but not impossible. Definitely be visiting again.

A lovely place to walk around. There are games laid out gor children including archery, giant domino's and connect four. There's a nice cafe here too.

Beautiful national trust property - much more wild than a lot of other places, but also with potential for different activities that I didn't personally see - there's a café, a second hand bookshop and apparently workshops go on there but not while I visited. The old walled garden is currently a beautiful wild flower/grasses area which is great for biodiversity but didn't seem to be making the most of the space. It seems you can get in free - we just walked in on a footpath and the wildness of it is the real charm. I'm not sure how they make money though - nothing was open! (Including, unfortunately, the toilets...)

What a wonderful place to visit and explore. There is no longer a court but the woodland walks are magical. It's a great place to take the kids - there are plenty of games for them to play in the cafe courtyard. Fyne is definitely a worth a visit for all the family 😍

There's no house here (ravaged by fire many years ago) and the gardens are being left to nature and the ponds too . A few woodland walks and an activity space for little ones. Small toilet and refreshment kiosk on site

This place is like a gamers heaven. Upstairs is full of games consoles both new and old. Downstairs is full of arcade games, and with them being on "free vend" once you've paid a reasonable entry fee, you can actually complete some of these games without breaking the bank each time you die in game!! A cracking little hideaway and easy to spend hours and hours in here.

Fantastic spot ! You could spend the entire 8 hours here easily and still have to come back to play more games, great selection of different genres, eras and even consoles and pool tables, There's a bar of snacks and teas and coffees so you don't have to leave.

Second visit to this arcade. Relaxed atmosphere, low lighting, worn in places but clean throughout. Downstairs hosts the more robust units whilst upstairs is generally smaller and newer consoles, along with more space given over to couches offering a slower pace. Considering the age of the cabinets and the sheer number, don't remember seeing anything 'out-of-order'.

Visited last month for a works team event. Great fun! Had an absolutely brilliant time playing all the various games. Certainly hope to be back real soon.

A trip down memory lane for everyone of all generations. So many machines and game consoles. Over two floors. They’re currently expanding the top floor to include a cafe and more games so it’s effective doubling the floor space. A really great place. For the price, it is unbeatable value. The owner is really nice too, they’ve been here for 9 years he told me and I can see them being there for many to come!

Had a great time. Downstairs is your more conventional arcade games and upstairs is essentially console heaven. Didn’t get to try everything so will definitely be coming back.

A retro arcade gamer's dream! Plenty of original cabinets to choose from, not all were working but you can tell they fix and rotate the games here. An absolute bargain at £8 for the evening, there is even an upstairs with console games and sofas, and even more arcade cabinets. I will definitely be back!

Excellent shower block, lots of showers and toilets no queuing. Loads of parking no need to worry about a space. Showers and hot meal included in price. Very friendly staff. Restaurant is very good as far as truck stops go this is worth stopping at. Added benefit pubs and shops in walking distance

Great venue & fabulous cafeteria/restaurant. Lovely fresh 'proper' sandwiches served daily, which we had on our first day. Second day opted for a substantial full English breakfast which was wonderful & the coffee was lush. Great staff, all lovely friendly & helpful. See you next year. Definitely recommend.

Don't know what has gone on at this place used to be one of the best good voucher good facilities. The food is now terrible. 4th time recently my food has been cold ..air conditioning blasting in the middle of winter might not help .and the middle of the night last time I woke up being sick ..go back to the old time guys a shame what your doing

Market breakfast £6 , with tea £8.20 🤔😅 expensive water. free facilities , doesn't say if it free 2 hours parking

One best truckstop I’ve been to.. food very good plus £11 voucher on snap get good meal and pint..shower good quite once good to kip back in wagon staff great plus pub near buy always try stay here when in area all in all good place to park

Showers are hot but stay on for 3 seconds what a pile of crap turn the things upto at least 60-90 seconds. Food only good thing is the bread is fresh fish and chips frozen chips frozen fish , we get enough crap on the roads without getting it from folk who should be looking after us as it does say truck stop . Parking is cool loads of space so bring your own food park up and use your voucher for ket or beer if they will accept it

One of the best, good food, staff and toilets.After 2 years I stop there again and same review, snap park id 11 pounds voucher and nice and clean toilets and lovely staff id a nice mix grill to finish the day

We went to a show. Small theatre, holds less than 200, so got a great view. Staff/volunteers were very friendly and helpful. Small bar and coffee/tea area. Really enjoyed myself.

A great little place, it was the very first art centre to receive funding from The Arts Council around 1946... But if visiting you'll need to check opening times, as over the years clientele has dwindled and the centre is now mainly run by volunteers... but, despite Covid, things are picking up 😎

Went there for a quiz night. Lovely place, friendly place. The bar staff were friendly and welcoming

I went on a Pin hole photography workshop with Marko Dutka at Steart Marshes, arranged by Bridgwater Arts Centre. Marko is a talented photographer and a good tutor, being patient and helpful. A great deal was learned about this technique. An enjoyable day in all. H Giles

It was our first visit to Bridgwater Arts Centre and we were impressed with the venue and beautiful old building. A welcoming atmosphere staffed with enthusiastic people. Tin Giants were amazing, please have them back soon!!

Amazing, intimate venue. A gem in Bridgwater. High quality performance. Packed house. Great night out

Lovely community-run small venue. They have a bar area for drinks, lobby and courtyard for intermissions. Tickets are very reasonable and parking at North Gate Car Park meant we only paid for one hour of parking. The theatre has a balcony and probably seats 300 people. I had a great time seeing the monks from Tashi Lhunpo monastery.

We took college students on a team building afternoon. The outdoor facilities are brilliant and the instructors are very good. The inside structure needs work and could have a lot of potential

Dangerous and avoid at all costs. I was dropped by one of the instructors even when i asked to be slowly let down. I free falled 15ft and had to be rushed to hospital. I am currently in court proceedings with them. I had serious injuries from the accident and it affected my life. Don't risk it.

Lots to do, very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Great for groups and team building.

I go to this college. my first day was amazing

Good place to let steam off and enjoy yourself

Standing on a beer crate 20 feet in the air has never been so much fun.

Good day out with well trained staff

Martin & Kevin did a brilliant job on our pond very professional, Thank you very much

Excellent service and very friendly and knowledgeable, helped us out in an emergency water loss. Recommend highly. Creech St Michael Somerset

A very well designed and informative website

Excellent mound with a church ruin atop. A satisfying steep incline to get the heart pumping. Fantastic views could clearly see Glastonbury Tor on this clear day. Nit busy wonderful 360 views and serene. The Michael line both male and female telluric energy lines cross here. Peace.

A great place to start a walk. The views from the top are brilliant you can see as far as Glastonbury Tor (if you have really good eyesight) and off across the Levels. The sheep are fun so keep your dog on a lead. The car park is better signposted if you are coming from Taunton but it is plenty big enough. There is a pub close by although there is no footpath for the short walk along the road.

Not bad for a little walk. Sheep can get startled easy so be aware of them and not get so close or make loud noises. It is a steep hill to get to the top and lots of poo so make sure you have proper shoes

Very steep and I imagine very slippy if wet, so take decent shoes with you. They're were sheep about and lots of sheep droppings on the top. Worth it for the views. Utterly stunning!

There is some evidence of Roman visitation, the first fortification of the site was the construction of a Norman motte. A medieval church was built on the hill in the 15th century. The current ruined church on top of the hill was built in 1793. The land and ruin were donated to the National Trust in 1946 as a war memorial. A great little walk to it (15 min) from the free car park, some great views, if you want to read more about it visit the National Trust site, they have a lot more information.

It's an odd place to review as there's not much here apart from the ruins and sheep. The view is great, especially at sunset so it's worth a quick trip for that.

I've spent a few nights there with my camera enjoying the peace and quiet and I've been treated with beautiful sunsets/sunrises. Don't go there though because I do like to have the place to myself 😁

Staff are friendly, though some could do with showering and washing clothes more often. Could be cleaner floors are pretty gross given the number of families in and out this is to be expected. The play area and parent seating is too tightly packed, kids running between tables or down the sides of tables to get to inflatable play zones, quite low lighting can be pretty dark in there in some areas.

I purchased a one-year membership from here. I’m staying at the hotel, and this is the only place where I can spend time with my baby. Since my child has sensory sensitivities, they require extra playtime and support. I really love this place. My baby enjoys the toys. The only thing that bothers me is when the staff takes and puts away the toys while my baby is playing. It feels like we’ve overstayed our time, and I get a sense of 'it’s time to leave.' Maybe the rules are different, but I just wanted to say that I really love your place and will be coming here every day. 🙏🏻

Great food, attentive staff, lots for kids to do. Was about dark as per other comments, but not a deal breaker. Easy access from M5 too; we stopped here to avoid a massive traffic jam, and found this place to be great

This soft play could be so good but many things let it down. £11.70 for one adult and one child is extortionate! £2.50 for an adult to accompany a child is a rip off! I think they can take advantage as there is very little competition for now - although hoping that changes. I haven’t been here for about 2 years as I have 3 children and it is too expensive! The food is also very over priced so I didn’t eat here. You can’t get tap water unless you order a meal or you pay for it. Mug of tea cost £2.85, coffee was similar price. Burger and chips was £8.10! If I didn’t have to pay so much for entry I probably would have spent more at the cafe and stayed for lunch but felt it was a rip off just for entry so spent little while there - friends also did the same. We went on a Friday morning due to being a school day and it was relatively quiet had the children who had an inset day not been there it would have been a ghost town. Probably due to entry price. Unlikely to return.

Facility could use an upgrade or remodel: floors redone to withstand heavy children's traffic. For fixtures to remain in place, it would serve for better access and accommodate all, if space were expanded significantly. As it stands today, the facility is cramped and ill-suited for private parties.

Extremely over priced for a small climbing area and a few bouncy castles!! £9.50 for kids and £2.50 for adults. Hate it when they charge for adults, who are just sitting. Makes me not buy a coffee. Will not be returning, not worth the ridiculously high price, disgusted. RESPONSE TO OWNER - you need to look at all of your bad reviews and do something about it, rather than taking a swipe at me lol! If mine was a one off bad review people might believe it was just me moaning. £2.50 to use facilities....what the toilet! Charge less for kids and limit to two hours. Charge, £1 for adults. Improve the quality of your food and drinks. You'll then get repeat visitors and gain good reviews. I can see from your responses to other reviews that you tell people they are reviewing the wrong place which is a laughable attempt brush away people telling the truth about your business and that they should say something on the day (they probably did). Take responsibility rather than having a pop at the people leaving an honest review. Look at your reviews and make changes! LOOK MAMBOS CARDIFF AND TAKE NOTE. That is massive and worth the money

Go here regularly with my 6 and 4 year old. Nice to see they've got a play gym now as well as numerous bouncy castles. The baby zone is nicely secured by a fence. They have good child safety systems where you can only leave by showing staff matching wrist bands. The food is delicious - especially the quiche! Best to go as soon as it opens as it gets busy quickly!

A great afternoon seeing all the working steam engines. Staff incredibly knowledgeable.

Quaint, out-of-the -way, eccentric, ramshackle - but ever so English, this lovely museum tells the obscure story of how the marriage of early Industrial Revolution Britain with the landscape changed the countryside for ever. Best to visit on an Open Day, there's tiny trains to ride, ancient machines to watch, and so much to learn. Lovely helpful staff, a pleasant cafe and plenty of parking - it's an oddball but a definite to visit!

Such a hard place to find, my Sat Nav in my car said it was there but very lost, even though we had the correct postcode, so resorted to Google maps on auto android, l can't believe hardly any signage, l we almost gave up. The railway is very tiny and basically for kids, the industrial museum was very interesting and l have an engineering type background and the machines and lathes were a dream come true, they even had a hand driven polishing mop, these tiny details, made our search worthwhile. Dog friendly and there is a Café too. £12 on special days the train ride is £1.50 for as many goes as you want.

Large variety of steam engines, rail, traction, pumps etc. Most of them under steam. A vintage show of vehicles in a nearby field. Great day out, and excellent cakes in the cafe.

Great historical location. Full of information Into the Pumping of the levels at Somerset. The industrial railway items and various pumps add to the visit. Check the opening times before travelling.

Excellent volunteer run pumping station with a range of engines to view. The steam up open days are well worth a visit - they often have stalls and extra things to view such as stationary engines and travellers wagons. Tea room with home made cake (rather slow service and not a huge amount of tables). Small train ride which was fun. Disability access possible depending on disability. Set in natural grounds so uneven with occasional steps. Disused railway track (small) may cause a hazard to persons with visual impairment. Parking available including disabled parking. Toilets next to tea room. Underwhelming shop with extremely limited souvenirs.

A fantastic opportunity to see some beautiful and historic engines restored to working order - all the better to see it on a steam day, and with the sun out! Plenty of knowledgeable enthusiasts to chat to - and some fascinating anecdotes to hear. Parking is on grass, which could get a little interesting after heavy rain. Tea and cakes were excellent, with a nice seating area (inside and out), and there are very decent and clean toilets (not the one in the leaning brick-outhouse!). Worthwhile visit, and I do hope they can restore the original boiler to working condition - a mammoth task.

Went to see our grandson in a show. Really nice theatre, I especially like the height of the tiers. As a short person I always seem to find myself behind someone who's 6ft 6". I don't think that would be a problem here. There is a proper barrier queuing system for the bar that works really well. Seats were comfortable with generous space in front. Staff were friendly as well. Enjoyed ourselves so much we are now looking at other shows there.

Amazing theatre especially if you have children. They have low sinks and toilets, booster seats for the theatre seats and the staff are so so lovely. We've been a couple of times to see different shows and every time it's been brilliant. Highly recommend.

The McMillan Theatre is a delight to visit. I travelled from Weston to a show here (well, a comedian) and I was envious. It's the theatre Weston deserves to have. It's modern, comfortable and spacious. Thoroughly recommended. Great disabled access.

Lovely theatre, reasonable priced drinks and food, staff were all helpful and friendly! I also recently saw Susie ruffell here and that was an amazing show, very reasonable priced tickets as well. My only thing is the seats are abit small here but if the shows good you don't tend to notice!

A fantastic Theatre, I’ve been several times. From comedy nights to my Niece’s School performance… lovely staff and facilities!

The McMillan Theatre located in Bridgwater is an amazing venue to see plays, pantos, magic shows, comedy and many music events. We recently saw legendary Motown act, The Drifters, as well as The Ultimate Magic and Illusion Show (Matricks Illusion with Reimagined!) and previously seen Magical Bones. The facility has loads of parking, and is always well attended. There is a bar and plenty of choices on offer, including coffee. Check out their website for more info on upcoming events. The seats are super comfortable. The prices are fair. You won't be disappointed.

What a nice modern theatre. A good front of house foyer, a good place meet and start the excitement of the evening. Such a nice night out. The lighting and sound perfect. Always worth a visit. I've seen a few shows here, and have never been disappointed.

A birthday present for my son. This was a lo key experience. Sue was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about her animals including rare breed sheep and chickens. She told us lots about all of them. They're obviously well loved and cared for. The Alpacas were funny things humming away and keen to get out for their walk. Would definitely recommend they experience and would sign up again for next birthday treat. Cost was very reasonable too. Nice little cafe on site as well for coffee cake and pizza.

We have had a lovely experience with the Alpaca's. Sue was lovely, very knowledgeable, and it was clear how well loved her animals are. It wasn't rushed, and we spent time with the sheep, chickens, goats, and pig. I would highly recommend this. Its suitable for all ages and abilities. It's good for the mind, body, and soul. J's Bistro on site offers great food also.

We had an amazing time meeting and learning about all the animals during the experience. Sue was very knowledgeable and has such a passion for her animals. We loved walking our alpacas Casper and Barney (even Guinness tried to join in). Would highly recommend!

Been and walked alpacas a couple of times with Sue and can't rate her enough and would tell anyone to take a trip if they haven't already.

Well worth a visit, but you have to book in advance 😃Had a great time 😊. Myself and family had a meet and greet, with the Alpacas, the Sheep's 🐑 + Chickens 🐔+ beautiful horses/ ponies 🐎. Sue (owner) was so friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. Also ,Sue has B&B accommodation there, which is lovely.

We had such a great morning here! Sue was really friendly and lovely. Loved getting to know the alpacas and their individual personalities 😃 and taking George & Beau out was so cute. We would recommend highly 🦙🤎

We had a great time here. The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. She obviously cares a great deal about the animals. Would recommend.

I went in for a nose (while car was being cleaned) Entrance ideal (ramp providing access for wheelchairs) I was met with smiles & a free cup of coffee! I was also very impressed following being shown around the place with a great array of paintings & sculptures + wildlife friendly gardens Oh the toilet- plush! Accessible too! lol Many thanks & very pleased to have met the three of you. Dave

Visted this gallery last week and was very impressed with the artwork displayed. The garden is peaceful with beautiful animal sculptures and garden features. The long-gallery has a diverse range of artists. Bridget is the wonderful owner and is very passionate with her work and her gallery. Very welcoming atmosphere highly recommend visiting

Very friendly. As you walk in you can see all the beautiful photos of different artists, i love the layout of how everything is in the inside. definitely would recommend it mostly if you love art

Very friendly, amazing artwork on display. Lovely garden. Very welcoming and great resource for the community.

First time seen this place such a beautiful place with lots of interesting items.Very interesting items thank you Bridgett,for showing us round.Next time we will have coffee thank you.

A little gem hidden in Bridgwater, love it. Must visit

Really great place to visit with lots of very interesting art work by the gallery owner, Bridget, and local artists too. The current exhibition ‘Around Bridgwater’ was fantastic and a real eye opener. Will visit again.