Poole's attractions are spread between the water, the gardens and the old streets behind the Quay, and most of them are within a few miles of each other.
On the water
Brownsea Island is the headline: 500 acres of woodland, heath and lagoon in the middle of the harbour, with red squirrels, peacocks and a place in Scouting history. Boats run from Poole Quay and from Sandbanks.
Gardens and parks
Compton Acres at Canford Cliffs is a sequence of themed gardens, Italian and Japanese among them, laid out above the harbour. Poole Park is the Victorian one, built around a saltwater lake, with a miniature railway. Upton Country Park adds parkland, a Georgian house and a stretch of harbour shoreline.
History and museums
Poole Museum on the Quay tells the town's maritime story and holds the Iron Age Poole Logboat. The Old Town around it is an attraction in itself, with the Guildhall, Scaplen's Court and the Cockle Trail linking them.
See also family fun, wet weather ideas and history and culture.
