If you’re planning days out with kids in Pembrokeshire, Tenby itself will happily fill a few days on its own — we’ve covered everything worth doing there separately. But when the beach isn’t calling, or you’ve got a full week and want variety, there’s a genuine cluster of proper family attractions within about ten minutes of Apple Camping — animals, dinosaurs, deer, and indoor adventure, without a long drive between any of them.
Here’s the honest, detailed guide to what’s actually nearby, what to expect at each one, and how to plan a day that doesn’t end in a meltdown in the car park.
Manor Wildlife Park
One of the best days out with kids in Pembrokeshire starts here — Wales’s only walking safari, with five walkthrough exhibits where you’re genuinely in among the animals rather than looking at them through bars.. The headline draws are the lemur and wallaby walk-throughs, where the animals roam freely around the path you’re walking, plus a gibbon enclosure (the Valley of the Apes) and a walk-through African village with pygmy goats and tortoises you can get right up to. There are also bigger, more traditional enclosures, including tigers among the endangered species on site.
What to expect: it’s a compact park. Most families cover it properly in two to three hours, less if moving quickly. Reviews since a change in ownership have been mixed — some visitors love the up-close animal encounters, while others feel the site has thinned out compared to a few years ago and prefer Folly Farm for scale. Go in expecting a focused, animal-encounter-led half-day rather than a huge sprawling park, and it holds up well.
Good for: younger children especially — the walk-through format means genuinely close animal encounters without the walking distances of a bigger zoo.
On site: café, gift shop, play areas.
Where: St Florence, near Tenby, SA70 8RJ — about 10 minutes from Apple Camping. Official site →
Great Wedlock Farm & Deer Park
A proper hidden gem, and noticeably cheaper than the bigger attractions nearby. Red, white and fallow deer roam freely across roughly 175 acres of grassland, gorseland and woodland rather than being kept in enclosures — the animals choose when to be seen, so no two visits are quite the same.
What to expect: a two-mile walking trail loops the park on foot (uneven, grass, some steep sections — not buggy or wheelchair friendly on foot). If walking two miles with children sounds ambitious, you can instead book a self-drive electric buggy safari (typically priced per group rather than per head) or a guided ranger-led safari trek, both of which get you properly close to the deer without the walk. There’s also an easy-access wheelchair trailer available, towed behind a guide’s buggy. Deer food is sold on-site for a small charge if you want to hand-feed. Safaris run at set times through the day (commonly around 11am, 1pm and 3pm) and have limited spaces, so it’s worth booking ahead in peak season.
Good for: all ages, and a genuinely different kind of encounter from a conventional zoo — this is wild-in-a-huge-space rather than enclosure-based.
On site: a good café, clean facilities including baby changing, a playground and outdoor gym at the start of the walk, and a Makers Market Barn selling local crafts most weekends.
Where: Gumfreston, near Tenby, SA70 8RB — about 10 minutes from Apple Camping, right next to the Dinosaur Park. Official site →
The Dinosaur Park
A mile-long trail through the woods and boardwalks over swamps, with over 30 life-size dinosaurs waiting among the trees. Beyond the trail itself there’s a genuinely large activity offering: free 18-hole and frisbee golf, a giant slide, orbiter cars, disco boats, a 4×4 off-roader circuit, fossil hunting, trampolines, and indoor adventure play (both soft and hard play) for when the weather turns.
What to expect: enough here to fill a full afternoon on its own, especially with the indoor play area as a fallback. Good value relative to the bigger attractions, and the indoor component makes it a genuine wet-weather option too, not just a fair-weather trail.
Good for: dinosaur-obsessed kids obviously, but the sheer range of activities (golf, slides, off-roaders) means it holds appeal well beyond the trail itself.
Where: Gumfreston, near Tenby, SA70 8RB — right next door to Great Wedlock Farm & Deer Park, making the two an easy combined day. Official site →
Heatherton World of Adventure
About 4 minutes from Apple Camping and a genuine all-rounder: go-karts, laser tag, soft play, archery and more, spread across indoor and outdoor space. Pay-when-you-play across most activities rather than a single upfront ticket, so the day flexes to however much time and energy is left — useful with a mix of ages or attention spans.
What to expect: enough indoor space to make this the reliable answer on a genuinely wet day, since a lot of the activity offering doesn’t depend on weather.
Good for: mixed-age groups and rainy days specifically.
Where: Broadmoor, Narberth Road, SA70 8RJ — the closest attraction to Apple Camping on this whole list. Official site →
Folly Farm — The Big One, Its Own Guide Coming
At 22.2K searches a month, Folly Farm is the giant of Pembrokeshire family attractions and genuinely deserves a full guide of its own rather than a paragraph here — indoor and outdoor zoo areas, a large fairground component, and consistently strong reviews across the board. It’s a proper full-day destination rather than a half-day add-on.
We’ll cover Folly Farm properly in a dedicated post, coming soon. For now, know that it’s within easy reach of Apple Camping and worth budgeting a full day for, not a half.
Planning Your Days Out With Kids in Pembrokeshire
The natural pairing: The natural pairing for a great day out with kids in Pembrokeshire: Great Wedlock Farm & Deer Park and The Dinosaur Park sit right next to each other on the same site — this is the easiest, most efficient combination on this whole list. Deer in the morning, dinosaurs after lunch (or the other way round), no driving between them.
If you’re short on time: pick one attraction and do it properly rather than rushing two. Manor Wildlife Park and Great Wedlock are both compact enough to combine with a Tenby beach morning or afternoon on the same day.
If it’s raining: Heatherton or The Dinosaur Park’s indoor play area are the two with genuine indoor fallback space. Both work as a full wet-weather plan, not just a stopgap.
If you’ve got a full week: spread these across different days rather than attraction-hopping — Manor Wildlife Park one day, Great Wedlock + Dinosaur Park together another day, Folly Farm as its own full day, Heatherton on the day it’s raining.
What to Bring
A little planning makes any of these days out with kids in Pembrokeshire run smoother — here’s what’s worth packing.
Cash or card for extras — buggy safaris, deer food, arcade credits and café visits at most of these are separate from any entry fee.
A picnic if budget matters — on-site cafés are fine but not cheap, and several of these attractions (Great Wedlock especially) have proper picnic space.
Sturdy shoes for Great Wedlock — the deer park walking trail is grass, uneven and has steep sections.
Suncream and a spare layer regardless of forecast — Pembrokeshire weather changes fast, and several of these are substantially outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best family attractions near Tenby?
Manor Wildlife Park, Great Wedlock Farm & Deer Park, The Dinosaur Park and Heatherton World of Adventure are all within about ten minutes of Tenby and Apple Camping — a great starting point for days out with kids in Pembrokeshire. Folly Farm is a little further but the biggest of the group.
Is Manor Wildlife Park good for young children?
Yes — the walkthrough exhibits (lemurs, wallabies, a walk-through African village) are designed for close, safe animal encounters, and the site is compact enough to manage in two to three hours.
Can you see wild deer near Tenby?
Yes — Great Wedlock Farm & Deer Park has red, white and fallow deer roaming freely across around 175 acres, viewable on foot, by self-drive buggy, or on a guided ranger safari.
Is there an indoor option for a rainy day near Tenby?
Heatherton World of Adventure has substantial indoor activity space, and The Dinosaur Park also has indoor soft and hard play alongside its outdoor trail.
Can you combine more than one attraction in a day?
Yes — Great Wedlock Farm & Deer Park and The Dinosaur Park sit on the same site, making them the easiest and most efficient pairing. Manor Wildlife Park and Heatherton both combine well with a half-day at the beach.
Is Oakwood Theme Park still open?
No — Oakwood closed permanently in March 2025. It’s no longer a day-out option in the area.
Stay in the Middle of It All
Every attraction above is a short drive from Apple Camping, making it the perfect base for days out with kids in Pembrokeshire — book a stay and make a real week of it.
