Haynes Motor Museum, Yeovil

We have visited Haynes Motor Museum loads of times, both before and since having children. For our car mad 5 year old, Dad and Grandad, this place is just wonderful. The highlight for our son is the 'Red Room' - stuffed full of old Ferarris, Masaratis, Alfas and so on. The first time we took him as a toddler we videoed his reaction as he came in, and the look on his face was memorable. Last time we went we paid extra for him to sit and have his picture taken in Michael Schumacher's F1 car, both him and Daddy loved this. The mix of classic racing, American and English road cars keeps most people entertained, and the place is very buggy friendly. Outside there are things to play on such as coin operated go-karts and JCB diggers which you can move sand around. Again, very popular with the boys! There's also a wooden play area and (I think, although we've never used it) an old bus converted into a soft play area. The gift shop is great, we always come away with the grandparents having bought something for our kids. The restaurant is brilliant too - not the cheapest and always very busy - try to get in early. We usually go to Haynes in the morning and move onto Fleet Air Museum a few miles down the road after lunch at Haynes' restaurant.

This is a cool museum if you like cars. There are loads to see here but probably more suited to the older ones. My children were quite interested in the history of the car and seeing how the shapes changed over the years. They also enjoyed the arcade games area and the karts outside (though you didn’t get very long on these). We tried to get into the soft play bus but they were too tall which was a shame. You are probably OK up to about age 6. We didn’t think much of the restaurant so decided to eat elsewhere.

Inside the Haynes Museum there is an extensive array of cars from early models to very impressive contemporary models. The sheer number of cars can be somewhat overwhelming to smaller children, but there is a play room in the larger area where children can colour pictures and stick them on the wall. Outside there is a little race track that kids can race around on in little electric cars. We also loved the kid-size digger machines that allow children to operate mechanical arms to pick up and drop sand. We were impressed with the food in the café here.

The Haynes Museum is a lovely outing for families. Even our little ones who were not that interested in cars had fun here, running about and looking at all the different, shiny models. We enjoyed the quiz trail – looking for the answers really engages children with the information on the cars and the kids get a small prize for completing it. There are some interesting older models and a few fun ones – the Ghostbusters vehicle that plays the theme tune and lights up, and a Mini styled as the Scooby Doo Mystery Van. Outside the Haynes Museum has a nice play area and shop.

We visited the museum during the summer holidays and were pleased to find it wasn’t too busy. It’s a day out that can be enjoyed by all the family (especially the dads!) and there is something for everyone to do. My son (7yrs) enjoyed looking round the cars. When we were there they had the Ghostbusters ambulance and also a mini converted in to the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. He also enjoyed the Top Trumps trail where you have to spot certain cars and then answer questions about them. For the younger children there was brass rubbing around the museum of various cars, and an activity centre with colourings and puzzles. Outside there is a small play area and picnic benches. There is also a restaurant serving hot food and drinks. For a small charge you can have a go on the kiddies race-track, or try out the electric diggers. There is also a soft play area inside a double decker bus, which was great fun (height restrictions apply). A good family day out where the kids get a chance to learn something too.