Great Family Days Out In Kent & Sussex
Looking for fun days out for the family? Here we've picked some venues locally that will keep the the kids – young and old – entertained!
Top Image Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
Adventure is guaranteed on a trip to The Historic Dockyard Chatham where your voyage of discovery can begin. Visitors can return to the ‘Age of Sail’ when the Dockyard built mighty ships that mastered the world’s oceans. Then you can test your sea legs on HMS Ocelot, a Cold War Submarine; explore HMS Cavalier, a Second World War Destroyer and walk the deck of HMS Gannet, the Victorian Sloop. Next up, watch the Master Ropemakers at work using centuries old techniques on the iconic Ropewalk and explore the Ropery gallery. Plus there are changing exhibitions to be explored too. This February half term, they are holding a CAVALIER Crew Challenge where families are invited to step aboard the Royal Navy Destroyer and embark on a journey to become honorary members of the ship’s crew, offfering the opportunity to learn various skills that were vital to the crew’s daily operations.
• Visit https://thedockyard.co.uk
Fishers Farm Adventure Park, Wisborough Green, Sussex
The perfect day out for families and friends, this award-winning family-run farm park set in the beautiful West Sussex countryside offers a huge selection of indoor soft play, farm animals and exciting rides for the whole family to enjoy. Open 363 days of the year from 10am-5pm, there are live animal encounters, outdoor rides, theatre shows and thrilling attractions – this really is an action-packed day for all ages. Plus, for when you get peckish there are a range of food outlets on offer as well as outdoor picnic areas. All online bookings automatically receive a discounted price.
• Visit https://fishersfarmpark.co.uk
Kent Life, Maidstone, Kent
There is lots to see and do on a family day out at Kent Life Heritage Farm Park. The 28-acre working farm and visitor attraction is situated in Maidstone, Kent on the site of the original Sandling Farm. Open throughout the year, Kent Life tells the Kent farming story and provides a fun family day out discovering more than 200 farmyard animals, indoor and outdoor play areas, and Kentish gardens and orchards. Visitors can step back in time to experience Kent’s farming heritage in the Vintage Village, which is made up of reconstructions of original rural Kent buildings that have been re-built brick by brick. The attraction also hosts a series of seasonal special events throughout the year, so this Easter, celebrate the baby boom that comes with spring. Meet the Kent Life lambs and watch a bottle-feeding demonstration, plus guests can enjoy a fun farm ride and get creative in the Paint A Pot studio, or meet a pony, feed the pigs and watch a majestic owl flying demo.
• Visit https://kentlife.org.uk
Image Kent Life Heritage Farm Park
Godstone Farm, Godstone, Surrey
Just on the border from Kent and Sussex is Godstone Farm. This interactive farm has a range of animal experiences and play areas for youngsters to let off some steam. A great day out for the kids, there are a variety of activities to choose from including the Farm Trail offering a chance to see all the animals, including the main barn, rabbit walk and pond walk, Wiglets Play Village – a fun Ball Zone, The World of Dinosaur Roar! Discovery Trail, and the Play Barn, an indoor area set over four tiers, plus separate areas for both toddlers and babies. The outdoor play areas include a huge adventure playground, sandpits, and ride on toys. For refreshment head to the Courtyard Kitchen cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Animal experiences include, pigs, meerkats, reptiles and goats.
• Visit https://godstonefarm.co.uk
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, New Romney, Kent
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway offers a great day out for all the family while getting to see the beautiful sights Kent has to offer. Known as “Kent’s Mainline in Miniature”, the world famous one-third full size steam and diesel locomotives make their way along 13½ miles of track from the Cinque Port town of Hythe, terminating in the National Nature Reserve in Dungeness. There are four stations in between, offering lots of opportunity to explore this unique corner of Kent and a bonus is that they are all within walking distance of a beach. When you are in need of refreshment there are also catering facilities available at some stations, plus be sure to visit the ever-popular Model Railway Exhibition, use the play parks and pop into the station shops.
• Visit https://www.rhdr.org.uk
Drusillas, Alfriston, Sussex
Widely regarded as the best small zoo in the country, Drusillas has created “an animal and child friendly environment where the focus is always on fun finding out”. And here you can definitely enjoy a great family day out in Sussex. There are a wide variety of animals to meet on your visit including red pandas, giant ant eaters, armadillos, servals, fruit bats, monkeys and of course meerkats, plus so many more. They also have walk-through exhibits including Lemurland, the Sloth and Bat House, Lory Landing with their friendly flock of rainbows lorikeets, plus there are also penguin feeding talks. As well as the animals there is plenty of outdoor fun to be had at this top day out for kids, including Go Wild!, the outdoor adventure play area, the Get Wet! splash pad perfect for cooling off in the sunshine, Go Safari!, The Rainforest Adventure, SPARK (the UK's largest immersive sensory play experience), Amazon Adventure soft play, Mungo's Adventure Maze and lots of children's rides which are all free once you have entered.
• Visit https://www.drusillas.co.uk
Image Jo Lewis
Paradise Park, Newhaven, Sussex
A visit to Paradise Park in Newhaven will not only be an exciting fun-filled day out for all the family but educational too. At the Planet Earth Museum you can “follow the remarkable life story of planet Earth, from its earliest beginnings to the present day” with a unique collection of fossils, minerals and crystals some dating up to 500 million years old. If you head outdoors you will find the Sussex History Trail which winds through the gardens and The Planthouses offering a variety of styles. Kids can let off some steam in the Playzone with indoor and outdoor play areas as well as try out the nine-hole crazy golf course. When you need refreshments, there is a coffee shop as well as a coffee pod within the play zone.
• Visit https://www.paradisepark.co.uk
Rare Breeds Centre, Ashford, Kent
Awarded Tripadvisor's Travelers Choice 2023, The Rare Breeds Centre offers a fun day out for all the family in Kent. Set in 100 acres of countryside there is lots to see and do including the Children’s Barn where they have meet the animals sessions, the aviary, play parks, woodland walk and Discovery Garden. Once you have worked up an appetite, head to the Granary Restaurant. Alternatively, you can get take-away food from the Cabin (open from Easter) or Trailer, or sit back and relax in one of the picnic areas. Its farm animals include turkeys, geese, guinea pigs, goats, horses, cattle, aviary birds and more.
• Visit https://www.rarebreeds.org.uk
Tilgate Park, Crawley, Sussex
At Tilgate Park you will find stunning lakes to go boating on, lawns and gardens where you can sit back and enjoy a picnic and miles of woodland and bridleways to explore. This Green Flag award-winning park is also home to Tilgate Nature Centre where you can all see a variety of animals, a tree trail, walled garden with a fun maze and themed gardens, as well as a variety of restaurants and cafes when you need refreshments. Plus for the more adventurous, walk through the tree tops at its Go Ape! attraction.
• Visit https://crawley.gov.uk/culture/parks-and-open-spaces/gardens-and-parks/tilgate-park
Image Jo Lewis
Knockhatch Adventure Park, Hailsham, Sussex
Knockhatch Adventure Park in Hailsham is the ideal family day out in Sussex come rain or shine! For those who like adventure there are experiences such as Sherlock Holmes, the Wave Runner and the Lost World Playbarn slides. Next up head to The Jungle Splash – a huge wet play area. Then spend some calmer time petting and feeding a variety of farm animals, plus they have daily Owl Displays where the birds swoop over your heads and land on their keeper’s gloves. For those who love being outdoors, head to one of the playgrounds or the boating lake, plus there are more outdoor activities to enjoy. And it doesn’t have to be raining to stop off at one of their large indoor adventure play areas including Froggies Soft Play Area, the Lost World Playbarn, Tommy Tractor Playbarn and the Cannon Arena, as there is fun to be had whatever the weather. New attractions are being added all the time, so there is always something different to explore. There are online discounts when you book in advance.
• Visit https://knockhatch.com
Blackberry Farm Park, Whitesmith, Sussex
Open all year round, Blackberry Farm is a family-run farm park set in the beautiful East Sussex countryside with a huge selection of outdoor play, farm animals and exciting rides for the whole family to enjoy. On exploring the farm you will meet their larger animals including llamas, alpacas, Highland cattle and more, while you can get up close and personal with some of the smaller furry friends in the Small Animal Barn. A must on your list of things to do is head to one of the Animal Handling sessions, where children can cuddle a rabbit or guinea pig, plus the tortoises can be handled upon request. There is much to explore outside including trampolines, swings boats, climbing walls, forts, zip lines, sand pits and more. For indoor play there is Clucky’s Play Barn, while Chirpy’s Play Barn offers a space for the much smaller visitors. When it’s time to refuel there are a range of food outlets where you can buy some treats or take a break at the outdoor picnic areas. Annual Membership is available and allows unlimited visits 361 days of the year. And a handy tip is you can save 50p by pre-booking online.
• Visit https://blackberry-farm.co.uk
Diggerland, Strood, Kent
For an action, fun and a thrill-packed family day out in Kent, head to Diggerland in Strood. There guests of all ages can ride, drive and operate real diggers in a safe and family-friendly setting. Rides and drives include Spindizzy, Mini-Tractors, Groundshuttle and Dig-a-Round, as well as Go-Karts and Dodgems. There is fun to be had whatever the weather, with indoor and outdoor play areas, coin operated rides and more. There is also a cafeteria offering a wide selection of hot and cold snacks, meals and beverages. As well as indoor eating facilities they have an outdoor picnic area. Plus if you pre-book and pre-pay online you can save money on your entry.
• Visit https://www.diggerland.com/days-out-in-kent-diggerland/
Smugglers Adventure, Hastings, Sussex
For both an informative and exciting day out for the family in Sussex, a visit to Smugglers Adventure in Hastings is a must. This underground network of ancient caves and caverns is filled with secret tunnels that were once walked in by the smugglers of Hastings who they say would use these hidden caves and passageways to store and organise illegally traded goods from across the seas. This experience is ideal for rainy days as it is underground and is therefore all undercover, but also great for hotter days if you want to escape the heat of the sun. And at the end of your trip make a visit to the shop where you can take away some smuggling memorabilia with you. If you get a 3-in-1 Combi Ticket then you get access to Smugglers Adventure, as well as Hastings Castle and Hastings Aquarium at a discounted rate. To purchase the 3-in-1 Combi Ticket simply go to the attraction you would like to visit first and purchase it there. You then have seven days to visit the other two attractions with your ticket.
• Visit https://www.smugglersadventure.co.uk
Betteshanger Country Park, Deal, Kent
There is so much to explore on a day out at Betteshanger Country Park’s 250-acre site, comprising woodland, grassland and marshland, that you and you family will be returning again and again to uncover all there is to do. If you are looking for outdoor sporting and adventure activities then this is the place for you. Ideal for families looking to cycle in a safe environment, they have a 3km road cycling track and a further 10km of mountain bike trails. There is also outdoor playpark, military fitness, forest school, archery, den building, fossil hunting and geo-caching, plus a range of exciting seasonal events. And while you are at the park head to the Kent Mining Museum and learn the story of mining in the UK with exhibitions and programmes that will educate, entertain, and engage.
• Visit https://www.betteshanger-park.co.uk
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