Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre

4.3/5 based on 238 reviews
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We always enjoy the Discovery Centre, we take the children walking and they can bring along scooters etc. Good for buggies too. The shop is lovely as well as the cafe. We also like to visit the pub next door called 'Stokesay Inn' for lunch as easier to keep the kids under control and away from all the lovely displays just waiting to be knocked over at the Discovery Centre!
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Had lunch here as the nearby pub seemed more of a bar than a restaurant. Very good value, fairly friendly service, though the tables could have been cleared quicker
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We dropped in for a Sunday lunch to see what was on offer.
Limited choice with regard to the traditional lunch and it was a late lunch so we opted for the Fish and Chips.
The fish batter was crisp and the chips too were crispy and soft centre.
Well priced and quickly served.
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As a walking group,we have often started walks from the Discovery Centre. The knowledge that we can return for a well deserved cup of tea & cake is a good incentive to to visit the Centre afterwards.
There are a good range of walks starting from here with well written leaflets to guide you on a good choice of walks of varying length.
Having also sampled the Sunday lunches, I can thoroughly recommend booking a table for the treat as a reasonably priced lunch with enough choices to suit everyone.
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We visited for lunch and it was very good and reasonably priced. There is an exhibition/museum which there is a charge for and we didn't visit. Outside, there is a nice area to walk around and play for the kids. Worth a visit.
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Byways and paths go explore for kids and adults with dogs. Plenty of dog bins, so walking the dog is a pleisure.
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Run by a charity the centre has a shop with gifts and books as well as a restaurant.
We did not stop for food or drink but the place seemed popular.
Free parking and facilities.
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We were only on a flying visit here so didn't pay the £5 entrance fee to go into the exhibition the see the woolly mammoth but we did have a nice walk around the lovely outside trails.

Inside, as well as the exhibition part of the building, there is a nice gift shop she on the day we visited there was a Christmas craft fayre on which was very nice.
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Though we have often had midday meals at the Secret Hill’s this was our first experience of Sunday lunch our table was reserved and well laid out the pork dinner was nicely cooked with more than an ample selection of side vegetables the afters of apple pic and custard was delicious. All in all a good meal served by pleasant staff.
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We purchased a map of the walks and followed a short walk along the river. We were delighted to see a couple of bats flying low and darting around over the water obviously after small flying insects. A kingfisher darted across heading upstream and we also saw some ducks and a Robin sang for us. The cafe was standard for a visitor centre and provided welcome refreshments after our walk.
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The exhibition, including seeing the mammoth, costs £5. This is not mentioned on the Home, Visitor Information or Mammoth pages of the website, or the leaflet that is downloadable from the website, so I hadn't realised and we didn't go in. There is not much else to do - we did attempt one of the walks from the centre but mistakenly followed the wrong one and had to double back as we realised we wouldn't have time to complete it. This was our own fault but we got the names of the walks confused. Finally I was hoping this was the place to pick up some postcards, leaflets for tourist attractions and maps for walks in the area and was disappointed with the limited range on offer. However there seemed to be plenty of locals enjoying a coffee and a read of the papers or heading out on walks from the centre.
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Saw an advert for Sunday lunch and decided to give it a try. Must say it was a pleasant surprise when the food arrived as having seen some plates coming out did not look much for £9.99.
However when the vedge came along and on the plate it was nice and warm and plenty of it.
The place was very busy and was very clean and the staff very polite and helpful.
Would recommend it if you want a tidy lunch with plenty to see in the centre it's self.
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Friendly and helpful staff.
Nice centre with good facilities and has some great ideas for walks.
Nice to do the different walks and well signposted as well
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Spent an enjoyable time here. We did one of the short walks, then had a meal in the cafe, another lovely walk by the river where we sat and watched dippers! then we visited the museum side which was interesting and theaerial film show was good to watch. This is a very accessible place for wheelchair users.
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This is my second visit here. This time coffee and lunch break before visiting our first National Trust building of the weekend.

The first time i visited i went round the museum. As i am a Shropshire girl at heart. I was very interested to learn a few things. I really enjoyed my first visit. I even went for a walk in the fields and orchards. It was a beautiful day.

This visit, we arrived before 12 noon which is when they start their mid day meals. They had a specials board. Two of us had Lasagne chips and veg, the other person in our party had cauliflower cheese, veg and salad. One filter coffee, one latte and a pot of tea for one. Coffee is really nice. They do have a drinks license because you could have cider, beer or lager. Very spacious eating area. They also have their own Cookery School with many courses taking place. The carparking is free.
The shop is very good with local books, maps etc. Cards and calendars and an assortment of gifts for all ages. A welcome stop and i definitely will be back.
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Stopped here expecting great things but afraid they didn't deliver. It is interesting and a great place to visit with children but a little lacking something for my 92 year old mother and me
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The centre itself is pretty average. It offers some attractions for children and a good start to find out about the area. A little drab in appearance inside. However the cafe is really good. Managed to get a breakfast even though 15 minutes outside of their scheduled time. It was well cooked and tasty and not expensive. Good and welcoming staff. Will not revisit the centre but will return to the cafe.
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Really lovely walks here, and a large lake (I'm sure this is not the professional term for it) in the centre which you can access to. You can also make dens as you walk further on past the lake, which goes into a stream, making it a really picturesque picnic area.
My 4 year old loves coming here, and we have been out here a couple of times since bringing friends with us. There is a small park here too, but the main attraction is the open space, and lovely setting 😊
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Even though the Discovery Centre is very local to us, we often have walks around the meadows or further afield.
They've got a great cafe and shop with some interesting products and the staff are really friendly and helpful. Also, the new feature show in the display area is great!
They now have maps and guides for some lovely walks in the beautiful Shropshire Hills.
It's right on our doorstep but well worth a visit if you're passing through or visiting the area.
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Visited the Discovery Centre recently during a visit to the local area and cannot speak highly enough of the venue as a destination for families with children.

The Centre is operated as a charity and does well to offer the scope of what it currently provides to visitors - and our recent visit certainly made the best of what is does offer.

The Centre is housed in a funky looking building fronted by a decent sized car park. Externally, it has a meadow based trail which the family enjoyed strolling through. Internally, as well as the usual shop and cafe at these sorts of facilities, there was a really well set up interactive historical exhibition that the children were really occupied by. This learning exhibit led them through the local area by highlighting various periods of history in each place and was really well put together. The internal exhibition concluded with an absolutely fantastic film that included some breathtaking overhead location photography, shown on a huge panoramic screen in a specially set up auditorium.

In summary, we were so impressed by the whole thing and would not hesitate in recommending it to others as a good activity based venue for both good and bad weather days. The staff that we spoke to were spot on and the building cafe served up a good range of cooked food. Definitely impressed!
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Just on the side of the A49, this is the perfect place to take a break from travelling, if you are just calling by or if you have more time to explore the area.
The food in the café is fantastic and the meadows out the back are lovely for walking. Dogs are allowed and there is play equipment at different points for the kids to enjoy.
Lots of information on the area and plenty of leaflets for local attractions.
The centre is spotless and a real gem to find. A must visit when in the area.
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The Visitor Centre is nice and the cafe is brilliant. Lovely place to take a break. Lovely home cooked food. Puddings to die for. And inexpensive.
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Pleasant place with some children's activities. Lovely place to walk around and it has a cafeteria. Free to walk around the grounds and there are free doggy bags around the site.
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Have a perfect family day out. Go to Shropshire Hills, have a lovely cup of coffee and a scrumptions cake , go see the mammoth, let the kids dress up as Saxons. Watch the wide screen video of the history of area. Let the kids play games and join in with the activities. Go outside and wander round the nature trails. Then in the afternoon pop across the road to beautiful Stokesay Castle. Children and adults catered for, perfect.
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We visited with friends on Sunday 7th May and enjoyed a beautiful circular walk guided walk led by Keith Pybus through the Woods to see the bluebells and wonderful countryside . The centre itself is well appointed with a good shop and with helpful staff
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