William Lever built Port Sunlight in the 1880s so his soap factory workers could live somewhere decent, and the whole garden village still stands: cottages, greens, fountains and an improbable amount of topiary. The small museum tells that story, and the same ticket gets you into a preserved worker's cottage across the way. Open daily 10am to 4.30pm, kids £5.50, under-5s free, and the ticket keeps working for a year.
Be honest with yourself about the audience. The museum alone would hold most primary-age children for under an hour, so lean on the extras: the £2 Mabel's Wash Day trail sends them hunting for miniatures hidden among the displays, and there is a design-your-own Port Sunlight house activity area. Then make the village itself the second half, with a picnic on the green and free parking opposite, and it is a proper cheap half day.
The village is flat, quiet and absurdly photogenic, which means grown-ups dawdle. Build in ice cream leverage.
What it costs: Adult £8, concession £7, child (5 to 16) £5.50, family (2+2) £24, under-5s free with no ticket needed. The ticket covers the museum and the Worker's Cottage and stays valid for 12 months. Open daily 10am to 4.30pm; closed 24 to 26 December. Mabel's Wash Day trail £2 each.
Worth knowing: Best from about 5, though under-5s go free.
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