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101 Places of interest in Kent, Sussex and London in the school holidays
Posted on 29 Jun, 2017 by Sarah Hart
As both a Kent family photographer and a mum of two children, I’ve visited many, many places of interest in Kent, Sussex and the London area that have made wonderful memories! I’ve put together a comprehensive list of family days out (some more expensive, some requiring few pennies to be spent) – my tip is to print this out and keep it in a Family Days Out folder – if you get some plastic wallets you can add leaflets of further places to visit to add to your folder and see how many fun days out you can tick off this list these summer holidays.
Places of Interest in Kent & Sussex
I’ve tried to compile a list of both the obvious spots to visit, and more unusual places, with both the cheap and more pricey options for things to do! Some places will be a whole day out, others may just help fill an afternoon in the summer holidays. The options in pink are those places that are owned by National Trust, so if you have National Trust membership, entry will be free. Similarly, if you are English Heritage membership, you’ll gain free access to those on the list in red. Most of the places, are within West Kent and just a short drive away, but I’ve also included places that may require a whole day out and a longer car journey.
Parks & Walks
- Haysden Country Park, Tonbridge
- Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells
- Aspens woodlands and Bluebell Cafe, Pembury
- Knole Park, Sevenoaks
- Mote Park, Maidstone
- Buchan Country Park, Crawley, West Sussex
- Teston Bridge Country Park, near Maidstone
- Leybourne Lakes Country Park, near Larkfield
- Pennington Park, Southborough – a favourite of ours when my children were younger, it’s small and enclosed so you can’t loose them easily, but the play equipment is exciting enough to keep them occupied for hours. Don’t forget to take buckets and spades as the park is set in sand.
- Shorne Woods Country Park, near Gravesend
- Brockhill Country Park, near Hythe
- Bedgebury Pinetum, Goudhurst
- Toy’s Hill, Brasted Chart, Kent
- King’s Wood, Challock, Kent
- Grosvenor & Hilbert Park, Tunbridge Wells
- Swanley Park, Swanley
- Foots Cray Meadows, Sidcup
- Danson Park, Bexley
- Emmett’s Gardens, Ide Hill, Sevenoaks
- Bradbourne Lakes, Sevenoaks
- Sheffield Park & Gardens, Uckfield, East Sussex
- Seven Sisters Country Park, near Seaford, East Sussex
- Tilgate Park, near Crawley – our family LOVE this park, it’s huge, beautiful, and you can spend all day there – a walk round the lake, a nature centre, walled garden, great play area and a Go-Ape mean the whole family will enjoy the day out.
Castles
- Leeds Castle, near Maidstone
- Hever Castle, Hever, near Edenbridge
- Canterbury Castle
- Tonbridge Castle
- Walmer Castle – it’s worth doing Walmer and and Deal Castles on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon as we did once when we were trying to make the most of our English Heritage membership a few years ago
- Deal Castle
- Chiddingstone Castle
- Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst
- Dover Castle – although close to Deal and Walmer Castles, this one requires a whole day there – there’s lots to explore including the underground WW2 hospital and the secret wartime tunnels
- Rochester Castle
- Bodium Castle, near Robesrtsbridge, East Sussex
- Sissinghurst Castle, Sissinghurst, Kent
- Upnor Castle, near Rochester
Other Places of interest
- Himalayan Gardens, Riverhill, near Sevenoaks
- Penshurst Place, Penshurst, Kent
- The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood
- Dreamland, Margate
- Tyland Barn, near Maidstone run by the Kent Wildlife Trust
- Kentish Lady River Cruise, Maidstone
- Rare Breeds Centre, near Ashford
- Chartwell, Westerham,
- The Llama Park, Forest Row, East Sussex
- Eagle Heights, Eynsford
- Bewl Water, Lamberhurst
- Battle Abbey, Battle, near Hastings
- Tulley’s Farm, Maze Fun Park, near Crawley, West Sussex
- Drusilla’s Park & Zoo, Alfriston, East Sussex
- Wakehurst Place, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex
- Beaver Water World, Tatsfield – there’s a possibility this place may be likely to close soon as the charity are being evicted from the land, but their website states they are still currently open for business
- Groombridge Place, Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells
- Ightham Mote, Ightham, near Sevenoaks
- Howlett’s Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury
- Teapot Island, near Maidstone
- Spa Valley Railway, Tunbridge Wells
- Sandwich Wildlife Park, Sandwich, Kent
- Blue Reef Aquarium, Hastings
- Ranscombe Farm & nature reserve, Cuxton, near Rochester
- Blackberry Farm, near Lewes, East Sussex
- Port Lympne Reserve, near Hythe, Kent
- Spring Barn Farm Park, Lewes, East Sussex
- Kent Life, Sandling, near Maidstone – it’s easy to spend the whole day here
- Bluebell Railway, East Sussex – a great day out combined with Sheffield Park Gardens (above)
- Mr Mulligan’s Dino Golf, Tonbridge
- Diggerland Kent, Strood, Near Rochester
- Folkestone Ski Centre, Folkestone
- Down House, near Orpington
- Coolings Nature Reserve, Knockholt
- Historic Dockyard, Chatham
- Buckmore Park Karting, between Maidstone and Chatham
- Bough Beech Visitor Centre, Ide Hill
- Christmas Tree Farm, near Bromley
- The Orbservatory Science Centre, Hertsmonceux, East Sussex – such an exciting, hands-on science centre, with lots to do both inside and out in the grounds. We also really enjoyed the telescope talk in one of the observatory domes.
Options for rainy days
- Larkfield Swimming Pool
- Chislehurst Caves, Chislehurst, near Bromley – my children absolutely loved this little find when we visited last year! Only needs a morning or an afternoon, but well worth a visit!
- Chimera Climbing, Tunbridge Wells
- Lullingstone Roman Villa, near Shoreham, Kent – great for when your children are studying Romans at school!
- Tonbridge Swimming Pool
- The Beaney, Canterbury
- The Paperdashery, Otford, Sevenoaks – this gorgeous little cabin hosts really reasonably priced creative workshops, from mindful colouring to oragami, during the school holidays
- The Canterbury Tales, Canterbury
- Minor Mania, Bells Yew Green, near Tunbridge Wells
- Monkey Bizz soft play and rollerskating rink, Rochester
- Hollywood Bowl, Tunbridge Wells
- Silver Blades, ice-skating, Gillingham
- Gymboree, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks – a perfect place for the younger ones this summer. Gymboree holds open drop in sessions throughout the summer, suitable for age 0-5 years. Mon, Tues, Weds and Sat 12:30-1:15, Fri 3:30-4:15
- Heavenly Glaze, East Peckham
- Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery – a really lovely place for children, small enough to get round in a few hours and still have time for a shopping trip in Maidstone town centre and a trip to Creams Cafe for the kids or combine with a visit to Mote Park (above)
- White Oak Leisure Centre, Swanley – with 3 different flumes, this swimming pool is a bit more exciting than ones that may be closer to home.
- Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery
- Ramsgate Tunnels, Ramsgate
- Odeon Cinema, Tunbridge Wells
- Jump In, Tonbridge
- Manic Monster, Edenbridge
Beaches
- St Mildred’s Bay, near Margate
- Royal Parade Beach, Eastbourne
- Ramsgate Main Sands Beach
- St Mary’s Bay, Broadstairs
- Hastings Beach,
- Camber Sands Beach
- Botany Bay, Broadstairs
- Sandwich Bay
- Hythe Beach
- St Leonard’s Beach, near Hastings
Days out in London
A trip up to London is considered a “treat” day out for our family as it usually ends up being expensive when you also factor in trains and restaurants, but there are some great spots that cost little or are even free to help keep the cost down. And don’t forget to look out for the 2 for 1 deals on this website: www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london I’ve just chosen a few ideas here, but London obviously holds untold options for fun things to do!
- Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
- Tower of London
- London Eye
- ZSL London Zoo, Regent’s Park
- Museum of London Docklands (FREE)
- Vistoria & Albert Museum of Childhood (FREE)
- Changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace (FREE)
- National Gallery (FREE)
- Royal College of Music – talented musicians perform free lunchtime concerts across London (FREE)
- Natural History Museum (FREE)
- Science Museum (FREE)
- London Transport Museum
- Shrek’s Adventure Tour
So there you have it! My HUGE list of things to do this summer holidays. It’s taken many hours to compile so it would be great if you could share the page with friends. And if there’s something you feel I’ve missed, let me know so I can add it.
Hope you have fun this summer with your children…..feel free to share any great days out you have from using this list! And don’t forget to take plenty of family photos on your days out to help your children make memories that will last!
Sarah x
PS. If you’d like to book me as a family photographer at one of your days out, send me a message. You can view my family photography work here: Family Photography Sessions
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