Short answer: Overbecks, the National Trust garden above South Sands, has indoor rooms including a Victorian musical box. Coasteering with Adventure South runs whatever the weather and you are getting wet anyway. Otherwise it is a long lunch — the Crab Shed and the Ward Room both have the view.
There is no way round it: Salcombe's appeal is the estuary, the boats and the light on the water, and rain takes most of that away. There is no cinema, no museum of any size, no big indoor attraction. What there is happens to be quite good, and the eating is better than a town this size deserves.
The National Trust garden on the hill above South Sands is subtropical, Japanese-influenced and has one of the best estuary views in Devon — but crucially it also has a house with things inside it, including a Victorian musical box people single out. Parts of the garden are steps-only. Closed Fridays and Saturdays, and the parking at the house is very limited, so check both before setting off.
Coasteering with Adventure South out of South Sands is the highest-rated thing to do in Salcombe, and rain is irrelevant when you are already in the sea. Caves, traverses, cliff jumps and seals, with an entry-level session families have done with children of eight and nine. Instructors take photos and send them on afterwards at no extra cost.
If the plan is to sit it out, do it properly. The Crab Shed is the best meal in Salcombe — whole crab, bouillabaisse, crab linguine, looking out over the creek. Book, because walk-ins get an hour and the whole-crab dish needs the longer slot.
The Ward Room has window tables directly over the estuary and the best view of any café in town. The Ferry Inn's beer garden hangs over the water and is the best drinking spot in Salcombe — go for a pint and the view, and eat elsewhere.
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