Your summer, sorted

Picture this: you've spent the morning lounging on Cornwall's Porthmeor Beach after a dip in the sea. Chips in one hand, a 99p flake in the other; you're looking to escape the heat for the afternoon. Top tip: lots of museums and galleries have air conditioning (mainly to protect the art, but we won't bore you with the technicalities). You stroll over to Tate St Ives with your pass in hand, getting you half-price tickets to the fascinating Casablanca Art School exhibition, about the Moroccan avant-garde art scene during the 1950s and 60s. Your cultural thirst has been successfully quenched!

Dunham Massey is a beautiful Georgian estate set in the Cheshire countryside that offers a fantastic day out for families, especially during the summer season. Boasting extensive gardens, a 300-acre deer park, several walking trails and creative activities for kids over the summer, it's the perfect summer's day out for adults and little ones alike.

Nestled in the picturesque seaside town of Eastbourne, a popular tourist destination with its stunning beaches, seafront restaurants and traditional amusement arcades, Towner Eastbourne has been collecting modern and contemporary art for 100 years. With an exciting programme of exhibitions, talks and creative activities, it maintains its founding principle: to create an art gallery 'for the people'.

Whether you're one of Edinburgh's city-dwellers or visiting the Scottish capital for an urban retreat, escape the hustle and bustle of the city to spend some time at sculpture park Jupiter Artland. Across 100 acres of meadow and woodland, you can marvel at more than 30 permanent and site-specific sculptures from some of the biggest names in contemporary art, including Anish Kapoor, Cornelia Parker and Antony Gormley.

Hastings Contemporary is a must-visit destination during the summer, located in the historic fishing town of Hastings. After you've checked out their current exhibitions, Soutine | Kossoff and Yun Hyong-Keun, grab a refreshing drink or snack in the gallery's café, which boasts stunning sea views and a terrace so that you can soak up the sun.

Experiencing art in the great outdoors, especially when the sun is shining, is the ultimate combination for a perfect day in our opinion. Set within the Bretton Estate's 500 acres, Yorkshire Sculpture Park offers just that: you can marvel at the 100 sculptures and installations on display while you're soaking up the sun. Stunning.

Margate is the perfect place to indulge in some childhood nostalgia. With its long sandy beach, vintage amusement park, retro arcades and mini-golf course, it promises a lively day out. Once you've filled up on hot sugary doughnuts, retreat for some tranquillity to Turner Contemporary, whose iconic building can be seen piercing the sky from Margate's railway station.

Originally built as King George IV's seaside pleasure palace, Brighton's Royal Pavilion & Garden promises an opulent day out fit for a king – and all the family. The decadence of the Regency era runs throughout the building and its surrounding gardens, while the architecture also nods to Chinese and Indian influences. Less than 10 minutes' walk from Brighton's beachfront, it's the perfect pitstop before or after a stroll by the sea.