Derby Museum & Art Gallery

The Derby Museum & Art Gallery sits right in the town centre, and it's one of those places that punches well above its weight. Walk in expecting a regional museum, leave having spent three hours you didn't plan to lose. The art collection is genuinely strong - there's proper work by Turner and Wright of Derby, the local lad who basically invented the Industrial Revolution on canvas. The natural history section won't bore you stiff either; the stuffed animals have that Victorian authenticity that makes kids lean in rather than scroll past.

History buffs will camp out in the Roman section. Derby's connection to the legions is better displayed here than anywhere else in the Midlands, and the artefacts tell a real story rather than just sitting in cases. The decorative arts collection has some cracking ceramics and furniture if that's your thing.

It's completely free, which seems mad for the quality on offer. You can knock it over in 90 minutes if you're rushing, but give yourself two hours minimum to actually absorb things. Families with children aged six upwards will find it engaging - younger kids might get restless. It's brilliant on a rainy afternoon, which you'll likely get in Derbyshire.

If you're based at Hill Farm Camping & Caravan Park just outside town, it's a straightforward drive in. Combine it with a walk along the Derwent or a pint in one of Derby's decent pubs, and you've got yourself a solid day. Worth the trip on its own? Not quite. As part of a Derbyshire holiday? Absolutely.