Rotunda Museum

Scarborough's eye-catching geological museum – known as the Rotunda – is a perfect rainy-day attraction for children, and adults will learn a fair bit too. A rather lovely restoration and re-imagining of what started out as a very traditional museum hones in on what the local coast is best known for – dinosaurs, particularly Scarborough's Jurassic-era finds, which stand up against the best discovered anywhere in the UK. Some pretty snappy new interpretations let you in on the work of actual geologists and present some wonderful fossils to pore over. Add in 11,000-year-old stone age artefacts from Star Carr, and a beautiful upper gallery that tells the story of the museum and its collections, and you have a place where time flits by quite happily. It's worth knowing that Scarborough Museums and Galleries is also responsible for the nearby Art Gallery – if you buy the 'Annual Pass' ticket you can visit both as many times as you like over a year, and gain access to all the special exhibitions and family events.