The Isle of Wight is famed for its stunning scenery, beautiful beaches and traditional charm, but it is also home to a wide range of attractions the whole family will enjoy. Located just off the south coast of Hampshire and only a short ferry ride from Portsmouth or Lymington, the Isle of Wight is a perfect destination for those who don’t want to stray too far from home.

Holiday cottage specialists Blue Chip Holidays has created this handy little guide for attractions to explore on the Isle of Wight that the whole family will love, check them out below:

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

A must for any train enthusiast is the chance to ride on a steam locomotive and with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway you can do just that. Experience a bygone age of travel on one of the fully restored carriages all while taking in the spectacular scenery of the Isle of Wight.

Passengers can get on and off at any of the four stops along the five mile route to explore the surrounding area or just to watch these majestic trains as they pass by.

Amazon World Zoo

Amazon World Zoo is a great place to visit for the whole family to learn about conservation and the rainforests while getting up close with some of the world’s most unusual and endangered animals.

There are a wide range of animals on show including an array of exotic and interesting birds, Tapir’s and Meerkats. Visitors IndoPools can meet some of the animals up close and feed or groom them making this an unforgettable experience for everyone.

Blackgang Chine Theme Park

Whether your little ones dream of being a pirate, cowboy or fairy, Blackgang Chine is the place to imagine and explore. Famous for being the UK’s oldest amusement park, Blackgang Chine has a range of different worlds to explore from the Underwater Kingdom to the Pirates Cove and even a full size Cowboy Town.

Come face to face with life-size moving Dinosaurs in Restricted Area 5 or explore the enchanted land of the fairies filled with magical houses and a fairy castle complete with turrets and walkways to discover.

Dinosaur Isle

For those who are interested in all things dinosaur related, Dinosaur Isle is a great day out. With a host of life size dinosaur sculptures and interactive activities to explore this is the number one place to visit to find out about this magnificent time in history.

The site has a great collection of dinosaur fossils, and you can also visit some of the dig sites where many of these fossils were found and watch the archaeological digs as they happen. The highly knowledgeable staff can really take you back in time and there are also curators on hand that can identify any fossils you may have found whilst exploring.