Hello! The summer holidays are officially here, and the first weekend has come out swinging: a free 40th birthday bash at the leisure centre, a LEGO show ten minutes from town, and an entire seaside town turning itself into a nature festival.
Four of the five picks below are free or close to it, which feels like the right way to start six weeks of holidays. Here's what's caught the eye.
This Weekend's Pick
Riverside turns 40 (free)
Riverside Leisure Centre on Cowick Street turns 40 on Saturday and is throwing a free open day to celebrate, 80s theme and all. The family draws are an inflatable assault course in the sports hall (12pm session for ages 9 to 12, 1pm for ages 4 to 9) and family swim sessions in the pools at 2pm and 3pm.
Every activity is free, but you need a free pay-as-you-go account and to book each session through the Exeter Leisure app or website. Realistically it's a free soft play hour or a free swim hour, and it will probably get busy as the week goes on. As of Wednesday night there was still space in every session, so book now and you're in.
Five minutes from the city centre, and there's parking on site.
| When: | Saturday 25 July. Inflatables 12pm (9-12s) and 1pm (4-9s), family swims 2pm and 3pm. |
| Where: | Riverside Leisure Centre, Cowick Street, Exeter EX4 1AF |
| Cost: | Free. Book each session via the Exeter Leisure app or website. |
More Good Stuff
Natural Seaton Festival (free, Saturday)
On Saturday the whole of Seaton turns into a nature festival, 10am to 5pm: alpacas and reptile handling at the Amphitheatre, dolphin rescue demonstrations on the beach, crabbing at Axmouth Harbour, and a tram running out to the wetlands all day.
Entry is free, with tram tickets and animal handling the only paid extras. It's about 45 minutes from Exeter, but there's nothing else like it on this weekend and it earns the drive.
| When: | Saturday 25 July, 10am to 5pm |
| Where: | Across Seaton, East Devon (about 45 minutes from Exeter) |
| Cost: | Free entry. Tram rides and animal handling priced separately. |
National Brick Events LEGO show (Saturday)
A travelling LEGO show lands at the Matford Centre, 10am to 4pm: huge fan-built displays, traders selling rare and retired sets, and brick pits for kids to dig into. There's a calmer quiet time session at 3pm if that suits better.
Entry is £9 from 11am onwards (£12.25 for the 10am early bird), a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children aged 5 to 12 is £26.50, and under-5s go free. The organiser is also running a 50% discount code, SPECIAL50, which brings that family ticket down to £13.25. Ten minutes from the city centre with parking on site.
| When: | Saturday 25 July, 10am to 4pm (quiet time session 3pm) |
| Where: | The Matford Centre, Matford Park Road, Exeter EX2 8FD (about 10 minutes from the centre) |
| Cost: | £9 entry from 11am, £12.25 early bird at 10am, family ticket £26.50, under-5s free. Code SPECIAL50 for 50% off. |
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Little City: Blue Pup City (Saturday)
One for the younger ones. Little City builds its miniature role-play town at Broadclyst Victory Hall on Saturday, with one-hour sessions at 9:30 and 11:30. It's designed for children aged 6 and under, so ideal if you've got littler ones (or little siblings) in tow, and everyone leaves with a sticker.
Tickets are £8 to £22 depending on how many you're bringing, with non-walking baby siblings free. Sunday's sessions have already sold out, so if Saturday suits, book quickly.
| When: | Saturday 25 July, sessions 9:30-11:00 and 11:30-13:00 |
| Where: | Broadclyst Victory Hall, Broadclyst, Exeter EX5 3EE |
| Cost: | £8 to £22. Non-walking baby siblings free. |
One free thing
Time Odyssey at RAMM
RAMM's brand new Time Odyssey quest launches on Friday: an augmented reality adventure on museum tablets where 7 to 11 year olds meet a viking, a Roman leader, an Egyptian tomb painter and an Ancient Chinese scribe, and work through quests to open a time portal.
It runs all summer, both weekend days, and it's free with a refundable £9.50 deposit. One catch: there are only around 10 bookings available per day, so this is a book-the-moment-you-read-this one.
| When: | All summer from Friday 24 July. Start between 10:30am and 2:30pm, allow 60-90 minutes. |
| Where: | Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3RX |
| Cost: | Free, with a refundable £9.50 deposit. Around 10 bookings per day. |
That's the lot. If you end up at any of these, a quick reply with a photo is always welcome, it comes straight to the inbox. Have a good weekend, and hope the weather plays along.
Details change. Check each venue's website before setting off, especially for timed entry or one-off events.
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