The 10 Best Things to Do in Ventnor, United Kingdom (UK)

Steephill cove is a beautiful Hidden gem. With its ever changing beach of sand, shingle and fantastic rock pools it is no wonder that families return here year after year. Over the years Steephill has become a hot spot to eat as well. With The Boathouse Seafood Restaurant serving wonderful freshly caught Crab and Lobster and The Crab Shed serving fresh crab pasties and to add to that compliment there is Cove Coffee Shop with home made cakes, ice cream and gorgeous goodies to buy along with Hopes Happy Hut for children and The Beach Shack serving fare (all only open during the daytime hours). Steephill can only be reached by foot which adds to its safety and pure Charm... A true gem of old fashioned English seaside. A must visit for anyone on the island!

In a quiet corner of Ventnors award-winning park is an 18 hole putting green. This well loved green is visited by locals and visitors. Dogs especially welcomed. There is also a table tennis table, giant connect 4, football table, giant Lego. Something for everyone. Refreshments are available, a slice of homemade cake or maybe just an ice cream. Take a stroll round this beautiful park, feed the ducks, use the outdoor gym. Sunday afternoon sees the bandstand being used for Concerts through the summer months.

Blackgang Chine is a park and Gardens themed with a wide range of fantasy attractions as well as heritage Exhibitions and adventure play. Children can enjoy playing in Cowboy Town, Pirate Cove, Fairyland or Dinosaurland - fantasy play areas to encourage imaginative play, parents can relax or join in the fun! Opened in 1843 Blackgang Chine is still owned and run by the family of the founder and now also run a sister park, Robin Hill, near Newport on the Isle of Wight.

Set in the heart of the Ventnor Undercliff on the Isle of Wight, explore 22 acres of sub-tropical Gardens with over 6000 species of plants, shrubs a champion trees. With it's magnificent location on the Island's Channel coast, the unique sub-tropical micro-climate ensures one of the longest growing in the whole of the UK. It's no wonder Ventnor Botanic Garden is such a popular destination for garden enthusiasts. Visit the Garden Hub a fascinating insight in to the world of running a Botanic Garden in the 21st Century, plus enjoy the Victorian Heritage Centre where you can find out about the sites use as a Victorian Hospital. Look out for Kids Discovery Days in the school holidays with hands on gardening and craft activities. Visitors can also enjoy daily tours of the secret garden tunnel and the underground mushroom fruiting chamber, so it's perfect for wet days as well as dry sunny ones. The stunning Festival of Flower Fireworks takes place each June, where hundreds of giant echium plants create a mesmerizing display for a month while in full flower. Later in August, Giant Amazonian waterlilies can be seen in the Tropical house, as featured on BBC2 in 2015. The garden takes it's growing very seriously and supplies lots of ultra-fresh produce to it's popular edulis restaurant where visitors can sample the delights of the season. Of particular note are the incredible salads where tasty, colourful micro-leaves are cut hourly from the green houses and served direct to plates for visitors to enjoy with other garden grown or Island produce like fresh Ventnor crab or Shorwell lamb. Look out for a number of special evening openings in the late spring and summer with garden and geographical themed offerings to tempt the taste buds of the most discerning diners. Craft beers are all the rage these days, so don't miss the chance to enjoy one of the Garden's two real ales over lunch or dinner. Botanic Ale, the Garden's signature golden beer, is brewed using it's own hops, grown on the cliff top facing the English Channel, the only commercial hop yard on the Isle of Wight. A new special edition Botanic Pale Ale has also been released for 2016 and is already proving popular with its 7.5% alcohol content and set to win prizes in the local craft beer world. Ventnor Botanic Garden also produces a range of delicious jams, chutneys and preserves which make great gifts to take home after a visit. More specialist produce like exotic shitake & oyster mushrooms are grown in the garden's underground mushroom fruiting chamber. These can be seen and sampled as part of daily guided tour of the facility. You can even take away dried mushrooms for cooking at home from the gift shop. The Garden also makes a fabulous pit stop at the end of a long drive, with the tranquil Plantation Room café available to all serving delightful home-made cakes and fair trade teas and barista coffee every day between 10am and 5pm. It's the perfect place to treat visiting friends and family any time of the year.