3 Best Sights in Fowey, The West Country

Spectacularly set in a former china-clay pit, this garden presents the world's major plant systems in microcosm, with more than 70,000 plants—many of them rare or endangered species—from three climate zones. Plants from the temperate zone are outdoors, and those from other zones are housed in hexagonally paneled geodesic domes. In the Mediterranean Biome, olive and citrus groves mix with cacti and warm-climate vegetation. The Rainforest Biome steams with heat, resounds to the gushing of a waterfall, and blooms with exotic flora. For a monkey's-eye view of it all, follow the elevated Canopy Walkway.

The emphasis is on conservation and ecology but is free of any editorializing. Stop at the exhibition in the visitor center for an entertaining introduction to the whole project, and leave time to visit The Core, where the permanent Invisible Worlds exhibition features giant sculptures and other eye-popping wonders that illustrate the invisible forces that shape us and our world—a favorite with children, if you can drag them away from such attractions as England's fastest zip line and the giant swing (both with separate, pricey fees). Visitors with mobility issues can request transportation from the entrance to the bottom of the site on a golf buggy, and there is an elevator. Tickets, which must be bought online for a specific time, are valid for a year.

There are open-air concerts in summer and an ice-skating rink in winter. The Eden Project is 3 miles northeast of Charleston and 5 miles northwest of Fowey. There's frequent bus service from Fowey to St. Austell and from St. Austell train station to Eden. Visitors arriving on foot, by bike, or on public transport can claim a free Eden Guide on presentation of a bus and/or train ticket or bike helmet (one guide per party).

Seven miles west of Fowey, Charlestown has a Georgian harbor so well preserved that it often appears in period film and television productions (antique-looking square-riggers are usually moored here). This port was built by a local merchant in 1791 to export the huge reserves of china clay from nearby St. Austell. It was also one of the ports from which 19th-century emigrants left for North America.

These sprawling grounds have something for all garden lovers, as well as an intriguing history. Begun by the Tremayne family in the late 18th century, they were rediscovered and spruced up in the early 1990s by former rock music producer Tim Smit (the force behind the Eden Project). In Victorian times the gardens displayed plants from around the British Empire. The Jungle area contains surviving plants from this era, including a lone Monterey pine, as well as giant redwood, clumps of bamboo, and a wobbly rope bridge crossing the subtropical valley. The Italian Garden and walled Flower Garden are delightful, but don't overlook the fruit and vegetable gardens or Flora's Green, bordered by a ravine. It's easy to spend half a day here. Guided tours can be arranged for groups. Travel via St. Austell to avoid confusing country lanes, then follow signs to Mevagissey.