Things to do in St Ives in Wet Weather

Indoor Attractions

West Cornwall may be famous for its beautiful coastline and rugged landscape; however, there are also plenty of indoor attractions in and around St Ives.

Tate St Ives is the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon. As well as permanent and visiting exhibitions, the gallery also hosts family-friendly sessions and there’s a welcoming cafe with stunning views across Porthmeor Beach. For a hands-on approach to art, reserve your place in a workshop at the Leach Pottery in St Ives, which has sessions for all ages and abilities. You can also join a class at the St Ives School of Painting, which is near the Tate, and again offers a range of options.

Drive a few miles west from St Ives, and you’ll reach Geevor Tin Mine Museum in Pendeen. The industrial museum shows the mine as it was at the time of its closure (1990), and there’s also the option to tour an older mine underground (that’ll keep the rain off…). Or, head east to Paradise Park in Hayle. Wildlife parks aren’t always ideal in wet weather; however Paradise Park has a large indoor play centre, the Jungle Barn (note for parents: there’s coffee and Wi-Fi).

A Traditional Seaside Rainy Day

There’s something very British about a rainy day at a seaside resort. Collect up your loose change and spend a nostalgic hour at the amusements on the front, before enjoying an ice-cream beneath the shelter of your brolly. 

Take the opportunity for a long and lazy rainy-day lunch. St Ives is blessed with a choice of welcoming pubs and restaurants where you can either cosy up by the fire or pick a window seat for a spot of wave-watching. Pick up a novel from the Harbour Bookshop or go very traditional and play a board game with the kids.

St Ives has a cinema, the Royal, which is the perfect way to entertain the family on a wet day. If you want to extend your time in the dry comfort of the cinema, the Royal’s sister screens in Penzance and Redruth have restaurants. Prefer to watch a live performance? Try to catch a matinee at St Ives’ Kidz R Us theatre. This exceptional youth theatre puts on some show-stopping performances.

It’s Only Rain…

Of course, you don’t have to shelter from the rain. Experience Cornwall’s full range of weather in all its glory by heading for the beach anyway. It’ll certainly be quiet, and the sea takes on a special beauty on a grey or rainy day. In St Ives, the gold and turquoise tones shine through however dull the weather, and it’s on days like this that you truly appreciate why artists love this town.

You’ll notice that many local families don their wetsuits and get in the water anyway (you can hire wetsuits at many Cornish beaches), and the surf schools continue their classes unless the sea becomes too rough. Younger children are famously rain-proof, and your toddler will merrily continue to build sandcastles and dig holes whatever the weather is doing. Join in, while looking forward to that warming coffee or cosy pub lunch later…

Your dog will also be perfectly happy in a downpour. However, if you want to stay vaguely dry yourselves, there are some lovely walks under the leafy canopy of Steeple Woods. If the forecast has caught you unawares, there’s a branch of Mountain Warehouse in St Ives so you can stock up on wet-weather gear.

Swimming Pools

Don’t feel that you have to embrace wild swimming on a rainy day! Enjoy a warmer dip in the swimming pool at St Ives Leisure Centre, or treat the family to a day pass for Una Spa in Carbis Bay, which has a lovely indoor pool as well as a sauna, steam room and lido.

As a compromise, book your place in the warm waters of the geothermal pool in Penzance lido. Jubilee Pool is a beautiful Art Deco, sea-fed lido, with a large main pool, a baby pool and that wonderfully steamy geothermal pool. Treat yourself to a warming lunch at the lovely poolside cafe.