Henley-in-Arden Heritage Centre

The Heritage Centre occupies a converted Tudor building right in the heart of Henley-in-Arden's high street - you can't miss the timber-framed frontage. Inside, it's a modest but genuine local museum run by volunteers who actually know the town's story and will chat your ear off if you let them, which is rather lovely. The displays cover everything from medieval market town life through to the Victorian era, with old photographs, artefacts and documents that tell you how this place evolved from a proper trading hub to the rather sleepy, attractive town it is today.

You'll spend perhaps an hour here, maybe ninety minutes if you're the type to read every label. Families with young children might find it a bit dry - there's no interactive nonsense - but if you've got older kids interested in local history or you're the sort who enjoys unpicking how a place came to be what it is, it's absolutely worth the detour. Free admission helps, obviously.

It's only open Tuesday to Friday from noon until four, plus weekends from two to four, so plan accordingly. If you're camping at Wootton Park Glamping Pods just two miles away or any of the other sites dotted around the area, this makes a solid rainy-day option or a quick cultural interlude between exploring Stratford-upon-Avon and the Forest of Arden walks. The high street itself is worth a proper wander afterwards - independent shops, a decent pub or two.