If you’re looking for a family friendly attraction close to Dartmouth head over to Babbacombe Model Village in Torquay. Come rain or shine this fantastic attraction is suitable for all ages, from toddlers to grandparents, it’s full of nostalgia and magic to leave you all with gleaming smiles and cherished memories.
We paid Babbacombe Model Village a visit last week and in typical British fashion, the first day of the summer holidays bought cloud and rain to Devon, but that didn’t stop us from eagerly jumping in the car and heading to the English Riviera for an exciting day out. You can reach Torquay one of two ways from Dartmouth via car – you can hop on the car ferry from Dartmouth to Kingswear and then onwards through Brixham and Paignton, or you can follow the river upwards to Totnes and then join the Devon Expressway to Torquay. For a car-free adventure you can join the Dartmouth Steam Railway to Paignton after catching the passenger ferry to Kingswear and then hop on a bus or train to get to Torquay.
The grey and damp weather didn’t stop other families from venturing out to Babbacombe Model Village either, the attraction was bustling with people, young and old. Even in the rain the 4-acre garden looked utterly beautiful engulfed by green trees and wild flowers, with over 400 miniature models dotted in between. If you want to see Stonehenge, the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Statue of Liberty, Bath Crescent and Smeaton’s tower in one day, just head to Babbacombe Model Village! They have a huge variety of unique models of iconic monuments and historic scenes which depict comical and satirical scenes of typical British culture. Plus, they even have a fire-breathing dragon! What more could you want?!
The main reason for our trip to Babbacombe Model Village was to check out their brand new feature which opened just in time for the school holidays. The Mythical Kingdom is an indoor exhibit of miniature whimsical characters and creatures, magically animated to bring them to life. All the scenes have been created by hand with amazing attention to detail and plenty of hidden humour, including snoring trolls and goblins sat next to a bucket of fried chicken!
Walking through the exhibit is reminiscent to an indoor feature you might find at the zoo where you can walk up to the glass and sneakily gaze upon amphibians or nocturnal creatures munching on food or taking a kip. But instead of frogs, lizards and bats, you’ll find pixies, fairies, leprechauns, goblins, imps and plenty more. It’s not just the creatures that have been attentively decorated, the scenes behind the glass are phenomenal, you genuinely feel like you’re looking into a gateway to another world – a world of magical forests, enchanted swamps and craggy mines where fabled friends live and work.
There’s still more to come in the Mythical Kingdom with phase two set to be complete soon. Whilst we were visiting, we got a glimpse of one of the fantastic model builders setting up a new scene; it was fascinating to see how much precision goes into creating these intricate models.
Aside from the new exhibit, Babbacombe Model Village have a number of other indoor features. You can visit the ‘Little Enders’ soap set or become a nosy neighbour and voyeur inside the model home to watch the miniature folk go about their daily lives, although you might see more than you bargained for! The other indoor exhibit is the ‘World of Movie Miniatures’ which feature some miniature versions of classic film sets such as The Empire Strikes Back, The Matrix and Jurassic Park, plus lots of figurines of iconic British and American TV and movie characters such as Wallace and Gromit, Harry Potter, Spiderman and even Mr Blobby!
As well as perusing the indoor features, model village and beautiful garden, you can also play a round of crazy golf! Get competitive and see who wins – kiddies can play to win the title of ‘ultimate crazy golf champion’, or parents can compete against each other to decide who pays for lunch! Babbacombe Model Village also have a café, gift shop and picnic area on site so you can spend the whole morning or afternoon here.
If you’d like to find out more about Babbacombe Model Village you can check out their website here.
If you pay Babbacombe Model Village this summer please share your photos with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by tagging @DiscoverDartmouth in your posts. We’d love to see your smiling faces and happy memories! Hopefully the sun will be out when you go, but remember to bring your raincoats and brollies just in case!
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