Whether you're entertaining the children outside or in, South Wales can offer family fun all year round. Not only are there the traditional destinations of beaches and country parks, but you'll also find a whole host of exciting attractions dotted around the area.

Here's a guide to the obvious and not-so-obvious ones.

You can't get much more exciting than Oakwood Park near Tenby. This is now home to Europe's largest wooden roller coaster - Megafobia. The coaster, which cost £1.7 million, is 3,000ft long with a top speed of 55 miles per hour and is the result of two years' planning and construction. Coaster enthusiasts say that the wooden ride gives a more exciting ride as it changes with the weather conditions.

Other rides include Europe's first ever water coaster - Snake River Falls, the Bobsleigh Ride, the Skyleap, the Waterfall Ride, a Boating Lake, Assault Courses, a Pirate Ship, a miniature train, senior and junior Go-Karts and the Treetops Roller Coaster.

Playtown, also at Oakwood, is a themed miniature town for youngsters with traditional rides including Aeroplane and Trucking rides, Willy Digit's Quarry, a Carousel, a Ferris Wheel, a mini Pirate Ship and a playground. The Playtown Farm was especially created for toddlers. You can pat the miniature horses, cows, rabbits, pigs, goats and sheep and there's also a miniature tractor ride.

Who says dinosaurs are extinct? For those who dare, take a trip down to Great Wedlock Dinosaur Experience, Tenby's answer to Jurassic Park. Set in 16 acres of woodland, this exciting development tells the story of these fascinating creatures in the most graphic and realistic detail - see 22 life size dinosaurs on the one mile dino trail. The architecturally unique visitor centre is an extra special feature that makes a visit to Great Wedlock worthwhile by itself and houses an interpretive display that brings this by-gone age to life.

Dinosaurs can also be found at Dan Yr Ogof Showcaves of Wales at Abercraf in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Here, children can learn all about these fascinating creatures in the award-winning dinosaur park. They can also find out what it was like to live on an Iron Age Farm. A great day's entertainment for all the family includes three award-winning showcaves, the most spectacular in Western Europe, where you can see stalactites and stalagmites.

At the Shire Horse Centre, Twm the 'talking' sheepdog will take you on a fascinating journey back in time to when Shire Horses reigned supreme at Dan Yr Ogof Farm. The centre has its own craftshop, video centre, recreated blacksmith shop and a replica of the Morgan Brothers' 19th-century kitchen. The complex also boasts a dry ski slope and a pony trekking centre.

If you want to show the kids that learning can be fun before going back to school in September, come down to Techniquest in Cardiff Bay. This is a science museum with a difference, an exciting place where you can touch and play with the exhibits and experience scientific effects and phenomena for yourself. You can find out how bridges are made by building one yourself, why some people can roll their tongue and others can't, and see what it's like to be a real newsreader. This is just a small selection of the exciting things you can do at this innovative and educational attraction.

The Roman Goldmines of Dolaucothi, in the care of the National Trust, are set amid wooded hillsides overlooking the beautiful Cothi Valley on the Dolaucothi Estate. They were first exploited by the Romans some 2000 years ago and were last worked in 1938.

The Trust's Exhibition Centre and Miners' Way vividly illustrate the ancient and modern mine workings. In summer, there are underground guided tours with miners' helmets and lamps to give an authentic feeling to this exciting visit. There are also Roman tours and the opportunity to do some gold panning.

Take a nostalgic trip into the past with a visit to the Gwili Steam Railway, near Carmarthen - a full-sized living reminder of a Great Western country branch line. As you settle into your seat you'll soon hear the engine steaming along while the driver and fireman pile on more coal. As the train progresses past fields on one side and the meandering River Gwili on the other, a steward will serve you with refreshments. You might even catch a glimpse of some of the riverbank wildlife, such as the big, grey Heron. At the journey's end, there's a wooded picnic area and the chance of another train ride - this time on a miniature railway which runs through a smoky tunnel.

Special attractions at Gwili include the Taff Vale Coach, built in 1891 at the Cathays Works of the Taff Vale Railway which spent 50 years sitting in a field in Herefordshire before being discovered and preserved by members of the Gwili Railway Presentation Society; the Bronwydd Arms Signal Box which houses levers, a fireplace and all the necessary instruments restored to their 'age of steam' condition and Llwyfan Cerrig Station, built in 1911 and furnished in 1950s period style with all the apporpriate fittings.

Gwili Steam Railway opened in 1860 and eventually became the property of British Railways. The Gwili Railway Company was set up in 1975 and in 1978 a section of line was reopened, run by volunteers. The railway currently runs over 1.6 miles from its southern terminus at Bronwydd Arms to a riverside station at Llwyfan Cerrig.

If you want a traditional day out, look no further than Barry Island. In this bright, bustling and cheerful resort you'll find an exceptional range of attractions. Barry Island Pleasure Park holds a whole host of exhilarating rides and attractions including the famous Log Flume.