The best things to do in Lyme Regis with kids

My daughter has long been fascinated by the story of Mary Anning, so as we headed from Devon to Dorset on our half-term holiday, I wasn’t going to miss the chance to explore her home town and discover what there was to do in Lyme Regis with kids.

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The short answer. A lot! Even on a drizzly October day, we packed our time full – but whether you’re visiting in summer or exploring Dorset in the rain, there’s everything from fossils on the beach to museums and aquarium.

But our first stop, at the ammonite pavement, has to top my list of things to do in Lyme Regis with kids.

The ammonite pavement

Walking along Monmouth Beach away from Lyme Regis town centre (you can also park just off the beach), the pebbles quickly turned into larger stones as we headed to a very unusual sight.

The whole area is known for its fossils – it’s here that local girl Mary Anning found the first ever ichthyosaur aged 12 and inspired the rhyme as she sold her seashells on the seashore in the 19th century – and we spotted plenty of people hunting for their own finds.

To read more about Mary Anning, check out Dinosaur Lady and Mary Anning: Little People, Big Dreams (for younger kids) and Mary Anning: History VIP (for tweens and teens)

With limited time and limited experience hunting fossils (though we did find a dinosaur bone on the Isle of Wight), I wanted to guarantee success – but even I hadn’t realised quite how rich a hunting ground this would be.

You don’t have to wander far before you start to see ammonites patterned across the rocks, much to my daughter’s delight, swirls of pale against the darker stone.

But if you keep clambering, the rocks begin to turn into a strange undulating slab, formed millennia ago, with ammonite fossils galore.

And unlike other spots, where you might find a single fossil, there are dozens of impressions left here, curls and circles and unexpectedly detailed shapes dotted against the grey.

Also known as the ammonite graveyard, it’s a fascinating spot – unexpectedly beautiful, and so unusual to see.

Tempting though it was to investigate every one, the tide was starting to come in – watch out to make sure you aren’t trapped by the water, as well as keeping a safe distance from the crumbling cliffs at the back of the beach.

If you do want to find your own fossils to take home, as well as ensuring you stay safe, you can take a guided fossil walk from the Lyme Regis Museum.

So we headed back towards the town to investigate a few more of the things to do in Lyme Regis with kids.

The Cobb

Our plan had been to walk out along the Cobb – the famous curving harbour wall has been protecting ships from the force of the sea for centuries.

Immortalised in The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Persuasion, you can still follow in those literary footsteps and stroll to the end, as well as getting better views from the high wall.

It’s definitely not something to do when the weather’s bad though, and waves were crashing right over the top during our visit, leaving some very wet sightseers and a distinctly slippery surface.

On a sunny day, I can’t think of anything lovelier than to wander along to gaze out to sea, along the Jurassic coast and back to Lyme Regis.

Lyme Regis aquarium

As those waves crashed right over the sea wall, we scampered through, dodging the spray to wait out the drizzly weather with the fish.

The Lyme Regis aquarium might be small – it’s only a few rooms – but it’s still a fun option, especially on a rainy day in Dorset.

Entry costs £10 for adults, £8 for children, and you can buy tickets online which are valid for one entry within 12 months

In the first room, you can feed grey mullet, a swirling mass of silver bodies which converge on every flake thrown in – my daughter’s delighted look was worth the small extra fee.

On the other side sit the first of the tanks, with more in the second room showing the marine life of Lyme Bay and the local area: we spotted crabs, lobster, colourful wrasse, watched blennies peek out of the rocks and you can sometimes hold a starfish too.

In the final room, there are videos to watch, including one of the dreadful 2014 storms which battered the coast: the waves deluging the Cobb back then put our occasional breakers into perspective!

We also visited the aquarium in Bournemouth during our stay in Dorset – check out my Bournemouth Oceanarium review here

Lyme Regis beaches

There are four different beaches in Lyme Regis, so whether you’re paddling and building sandcastles or going for a walk by the sea, there’s a stretch to suit.

Town Beach is the best with kids: there’s sand (imported from France) along with the pebbles and it’s more sheltered than the others. There’s also a string of stands selling ice creams, drinks, fish and chips and more, plus restaurants.

Poco Pizza is a great option for families, or Swim – with burgers and crab sandwiches on the menu – for a bit of a treat.

Lined with bright beach huts (which you can hire) and quirky ammonite streetlamps, it’s a lovely place to stroll along the promenade if the weather isn’t good enough for swimming and sunbathing. In the summer months, there are lifeguards on duty here as well.

Dogs are not allowed on the beach from May to September but are welcome on the other three beaches in Lyme Regis.

Pebbly Monmouth beach, on the other side of the Cobb, stretches for almost a kilometre, lined with boat sheds and chalets for part of the way. It’s here that you’ll walk if you’re heading to the ammonite pavement.

It’s named for the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, who landed here in 1685 during his ill-fated rebellion against King James II, claiming to be the true heir to the throne.

On the other side of the town lie Church Cliff Beach and East Cliff – at low tide, the former is covered with hundreds of rockpools, while at high tide, the beach disappears completely.

And if you’re hunting for fossils, East Cliff beach is another great option, although it comes with a few warnings: there are over 100 steps from the car park on Charmouth Road, and the beach can become cut off at high tide, so always check the tide times if you’re planning to visit. The cliffs here are unstable too.

More things to do in Lyme Regis with kids

Lyme Regis Museum

When Sir David Attenborough calls a museum “delightful… a gem’, you know it should be on your list. Tracing 185 million years of history, the site was expanded in 2017, and the fossil collection makes it a great place to explore before heading out to see the ammonites.

With activities and quizzes for kids, as well as enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff on hand, it’s also fantastic if you’re visiting Lyme Regis in the rain.

Beyond the fossils, there are exhibits on Lyme’s literary history, including Jane Austen and John Fowles, himself once the curator, as well as Tracy Chevalier. A family ticket to the Lyme Regis Museum costs from £18.45.

Dinosaurland Fossil Museum

Set inside Mary Anning’s old church, the Dinosaurland Fossil Museum has its own big collection, with thousands of exhibits ranging from tiny microfossils to part of an ichthyosaur, found in the local area.

And along with fossils galore, crystals, dinosaurs and the natural history room, there’s also a clever Time Line running up the stairs, a great way to get a sense of the immensity of geological time (and humanity’s tiny place within it). A family ticket costs £22, or £7.50 for adults, £5.50 for children aged 5-16.

Lyme Regis boat tours

Stuart Line Cruises run special boat tours from Lyme Regis, called the Jurassic Coast Cruise – they don’t run all year, but it’s worth keeping an eye out to see the Jurassic Coast from the water.

For a more adrenaline-fuelled boat trip from Lyme Regis, check out Lyme Rib Rides.

Departing from the end of the Cobb between April and October, the trips last from 30 minutes up, and are suitable for children (although not for toddlers and babies).

The Undercliffs reserve

The Undercliffs National Nature Reserve has been called the closest thing you’ll get to a rainforest in the UK, so it’s a great place to see some unusual wildlife.

Stretching for seven miles between Lyme Regis and Axmouth in East Devon, the South West Coast path runs through the area, so if you’re looking for a walk with a difference near Lyme Regis with kids, this is one to consider.

The Undercliffs were formed thanks to sandstone and chalk slipping over clay and limestone, so it’s a challenging stroll (and there’s no option to stop part-way, so you need to walk the lot or retrace your steps) but for keen young hikers, it’s hard to beat.

Charmouth

A short drive from Lyme Regis – or a walk along the clifftops or beach if you’re feeling energetic – Charmouth is a great place for a day trip from Lyme Regis with kids.

The beach here is another fantastic spot to find fossils, one of the best in Dorset with guided walks from the Charmouth Coast Heritage Centre, which also runs rock pool rambles.

Entry to the visitor centre is free and there’s a collection of fossils to look at, including an ichthyosaur, along with the Seashore code and Fossil Collecting code, to keep your adventures safe and sustainable.

For more ideas of things to do in Dorset with kids, check out my top picks

*First published 2021, last updated 2025*

PIN FOR LATER: THINGS TO DO IN LYME REGIS WITH KIDS

Lyme Regis sea view/Charmouth fossil images courtesy of Depositphotos, all other images copyright MummyTravels

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