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Aylesford Priory

Built during the 13th/14th century, the priory fell into decay after the Reformation, but was reoccupied by Carmelites in 1949. The restored Priory, with its fine cloisters and beautiful gardens, is now a tranquil retreat and place of prayer.

Opening times: all year, daily 9am to dusk
Free Entry - Donations welcome
Location: The Friars, Aylesford ME20 7BX
Tel: 01622 717272 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Bayham Abbey

Visit the picturesque ruins of this romantic abbey, built by French monks in the 13th century, and set in an 18th century landscape.

Opening times: Apr~Sep, daily 11am to 5pm. Admission Charge
Location: Lamberhurst TN3 8DE - Tel: 01892 890381 - Website
Facilities: Parking

Biddenden Vineyard & Cider Works

Established in 1969 the vineyard covers over 20 acres. Visitors are welcome to stroll around the vineyard and to taste the locally produced wines, ciders and juices, before making a purchase at the on site shop.

A number of special events are held in the vineyard each month (Feb to Nov).

Opening times: all year, Shop: Mon-Sat 10am - 5pm , Sun & BH 11am -5pm (closed Xmas hols).
Charge for pre-booked guided tours only
Location: Little Whatmans, Gribble Bridge Lane, Biddenden TN27 8DF - Tel: 01580 291726 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop, wheelchair access.

C M Booth Collection of Historic Cars

The collection includes several early 20th century three-wheel Morgan cars, a rare Humber tri-car, Morris vans, motorcycles, bicycles, plus many other items of interest connected with transport. Exhibits also include toys and model cars.

Opening times: Mon-Sat 10am to 5.30pm (closed Xmas) Admission Charge
Location: Falstaff Antiques, 63 High Street, Rolvenden
TN17 4LP - Tel: 01580 241234 - Website
Facilities: Parking (roadside), shop.

Canterbury Cathedral

This world famous cathedral was founded in AD 597, its magnificent Norman crypt is the largest in the world. Read more...

Opening times: times vary see website for details Admission Charge
Location: City Centre - Tel: 1227 762862 - Website
Facilities: Gift shop.

Crabble Corn Mill

A lovingly restored and fully operational Kentish water, mill dating from 1812. Visitors can see regular demonstrations of flour grinding, driven by the flow of the River Dour. Flour, ground from local organic wheat, can be purchased in the on-site shop.

Opening times: Mar~Sep, Tue-Sun 11am to 5pm (closed Xmas & Jan). Donations welcome
Location: Lower Rd, River, Dover CTl7 OUY - Tel: 01304 823292 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop.

Dickens House Museum

Immortalised by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield as the home of the hero's aunt, Betsy Trotwood, whom Dickens based on the house's then owner 'Miss Mary Pearson Strong'. On display are some of Dickens' letters and possessions, including some local and Dickensian prints, costumes and other general Victoriana.

Opening times: Easter~Oct, daily 2pm to 5pm
Admission Charge
Location: 2 Victoria Parade, Broadstairs CT10 1QS
Tel: 01843 861232 - Website
Facilities: Parking (400 metres, charged), shop.

Diggerland

An adventure park with a difference, where you can experience the thrills of driving real earth moving equipment. Choose from various types of diggers and dumpers ranging from 1 ton to 8.5 tons. Complete the Dumper Truck Challenge or dig for buried treasure supervised by an instructor. Wide variety of rides including: JCB Robots, the Supertrack, Landrover Safari, Spin Dizzy and the Diggerland Tractors. Minimum height limit for participants: 90cms.

Opening times: all year, 10-5, weekends, BHs & school hols only. Admission Charge
Location: Medway Valley Leisure Park, Roman Way, Strood ME2 2NU - Tel: 08700 344437 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, toilets, disabled facilities.

Druidstone Park

A fantasy world set in an idyllic garden with enchanted woodland walks where dwells a sleeping dragon and other mythical creatures. Includes a children's farmyard and play areas.

Opening times: Easter~Nov, daily 10am to 5.30pm. Admission Charge
Location: Honey Hill, Blean CT2 9JR - Tel: 01227 765168 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Eagle Heights

Eagle Heights is wildlife park with an impressive display of birds of prey from all over the world. Many are flown out across the valley on regular flying displays in the summer and at weekends in the winter. Visitors can also meet the owls, pygmy goat and rabbits in the paddock.

Opening times: Mar~Nov daily 10.30am to 5pm. Nov, Jan-Feb weekends only 11am to 4pm (closed Dec).
Admission Charge
Location: Lullingstone Lane, Eynsford DA4 OJB
Tel: 01322 866466 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop, toilets, disabled access and facilities.

Finchcocks Musical Museum

This very fine Georgian house stands in a spacious park surrounded by a beautiful garden. The house hosts an outstanding collection of period keyboard instruments, dating from the 1600s onwards, including some seventy pianos. There is also a collection of harpsichords, clavichords and organs. The largest instrument on display is a magnificent chamber organ, built by the London maker John Byfield, circa 1766. It is one of the best preserved English chamber organs and still in full working order. Many other instruments have been fully restored and are played during musical tours, open days and private visits.

Opening times: Easter~Sep, Sun & BH Mon 2pm to 6pm; Aug Wed, Thu & Sun 2pm to 6pm.
Admission Charge
Location: Goudhurst TN17 1HH - Tel: 01580 211702 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, restaurant, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre

Faversham is one of the gems of north Kent, with its wide streets of beautifully maintained ancient buildings. The history and civic pride of the town is encapsulated in the Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre, situated in restored 16th century high street premises. The story is told through colourful displays, audiovisual presentations, artwork, photographs and local artifacts that paint a vivid picture of life in Faversham through the centuries. Special features include period room settings and a street of oldy-worldy shops, with authentic window displays. During July, the Faversham Open House Scheme, provides public access to over 20 historic properties in the town.

Opening times: all year, Mon-Sat, 10am to 4pm; Sun 10am to 1pm. Admission Charge
Location: 10-13 Preston Street, Faversham ME13 8NS - Tel: 01795 534542 - Website
Facilities: Parking (200 metres), shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Guildhall Museum - Rochester

A diverse arrangement of exhibits from prehistory to the Victorian and Edwardian periods are house in two adjacent buildings, the Guildhall (circa 1687) and the River Medway Conservancy Board Building (1909). The collection covers both local and social history, archaeology and fine and decorative art. There is also a gallery devoted to the prison hulks of the River Medway, including a full-size reconstruction of part of a hulk. A regular programme of changing exhibitions are staged throughout the year.

Opening times: all year, dally 10am to 4.30pm. Free Entry
Location: High Street, Rochester ME1 1PY - Tel: 01634 848717 - Website
Facilities: Parking (250 metres), shop.

Visit our Rochester page for more attractions in Rochester.

Historic Dockyard Chatham

This ancient stretch of riverbank near the mouth of the Medway has been of strategic importance for over 400 years, where the Royal Navy built and serviced vessels from the small wooden warships of Henry VIII to Nelson's Victory and today's nuclear submarines. It is one of England's finest examples of a royal dockyard from the age of sail, and has many interesting ancient buildings and covered slipways where mighty tall ships were once built. Exhibits include the Victorian sloop HMS Gannet, the WWII destroyer HMS Cavalier and the spy sub Ocelot.

Opening times: mid Feb to early Nov, daily 10am to 6pm. Admission Charge
Location: Chatham ME4 4TZ (follow brown anchor signs) - Tel: 01634 823807 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, restaurant, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Hop Farm & Country Park

Conical-roofed oast-houses, topped by white painted cowls and set among acres of hop fields, are surely the most typically Kentish of all England's sights. Nowhere are they seen to better advantage than at Beltring (near Paddock Wood), where the Hop Farm's oasts with their 25 cowls provide the main feature of the landscape. No longer used for drying hops, these 19th century oasts have been converted into a fascinating museum devoted to hop-growing, general agriculture and associated crafts such as coopering. Facilities include indoor and outdoor play areas, an animal farm and shire horses. Special events are held throughout the year including craft shows, motor shows, food and drink festivals and themed holiday weeks.

Opening times: all year from 10am (closed 24-26 Dec, 23 May & 20 June). Admission Charge
Location: Beltring TN12 6PY - Tel: 01622 872068 - Website
Facilities: Facilities Parking, café, restaurant, toilets, shop, disabled facilities.

Howletts The Aspinall Wild Animal Park

Kent’s most successful animal park, Howletts near Canterbury, offers a wild day out, like no other!

After building up a collection of animals from all over the world, John Aspinall opened his Zoo Park in 1975 in the grounds of Howletts, a beautiful 18th century manor house. Many rare and endangered species roam Howletts' ancient parkland, among them the African Wild Dog, Canadian Timber Wolf, Iberian Wolf, Honey Badger and several rare species of monkey such as the Javan Langur. The bigger animals in the collection include the UK's largest group of African elephants, Indian and Siberian tigers and the world's largest group of Western Lowland gorillas.

Today Howletts is dedicated to the welfare and protection of endangered species and have become world leaders in conservation.

There is also an adventure playground for children, Treetop Challenge, Animal Adventure Challenge, woodland walks, picnic areas and a deer park.

Location: Bekesbourne CT4 5EL - Tel: 0870 750 4647
Facilities: Parking, café, restaurant, toilets, shop, garden centre, disabled facilities.
Fees & Opening Times: For information regarding opening times, pricing and membership details, please visit: www.aspinallfoundation.org

Kent & East Sussex Railway

The Kent & East Sussex steam railway line, featured time and again in film and television, winds its way through the superb countryside of the Rother Valley, from Tenterden to Bodiam. For more than 50 years this delightful little single-track railway has carried passengers and freight along the valley, passing through the hop fields and orchards of Kent. Following the Second World War the line became uneconomic and finally closed in 1954, when much of the track was removed. Since the 1960s a group of enthusiasts have restored over 10 miles of the line and run regular steam and heritage diesel train services throughout the year. Trains stop at Tenterden Town, Rolvenden, Wittersham Road, Northiam and Bodiam Castle. Locomotives are stored and repaired at Rolvenden, where a viewing gallery is provided for visitors to see them.

Opening times: all year weekdays & weekends at set times. See website for train timetable and prices.
Location: Station Road, Tenterden TN30 6HE - Tel: 087060 06074
Facilities: Parking, café, restaurant, toilets, disabled facilities.

Kent Battle of Britain Museum

This former RAF airfield at Hawkinge, now houses a museum containing a large collection of artifacts from over 600 Allied and captured German aircraft involved in the Battle of Britain. Hawkinge was in the front line of defence during the Battle of Britain, as it was the RAF fighter station nearest to occupied France. Visitors can see full-size replicas of the Spitfire, Hurricane, Messerschmitt 109 and other props used in WWII films. There is also an Armoury containing a large collection of ground based and airborne weaponry, plus a V-1 Flying Bomb (Doodle Bug) and an Operations Block.

Opening times: Easter~Sep, daily 10am to 5pm; Oct, daily 11am to 4pm. Admission Charge
Location: Aerodrome Road, Hawkinge CT18 7AG - Tel: 01303 893140 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

MacFarlanes Butterfly Centre

A tropical paradise containing scores of colourful butterflies from all over the globe, free-flying among exotic plants and lush foliage. There is also a temperate habitat with many favourite British butterflies and some rarer varieties.

Opening times: Apr~Oct, daily 10am to 5pm. Admission charge to World of Butterflies
Location: MacFarlanes Garden Centre, Swingfield Minnis CT15 7HX - Tel: 01303 844244 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, garden centre, toilets, disabled facilities.

Port Lympne Reserve

Kent’s only authentic safari experience, Port Lympne offers a wild adventure like no other!

One of the main attractions of Port Lympne is its natural feel and habitat, so that a walk round the 600 acre estate combines the pleasures of a day-out in the English countryside with a close-up view of exotic wildlife.

Among the many rare and beautiful animals in the park are giraffes, black rhino, wildebeest, western lowland gorillas, playful primates, elusive small cats and impressive big cats.

The mansion house, designed by Sir Herbert Baker, is surrounded by 15 acres of spectacular gardens. Inside, notable features include the restored Rex Whistler Tent Room, a Moroccan patio, and the hexagonal library where the Treaty of Paris was signed after World War I.

Location: Lympne CT21 4PD - Tel: 0870 750 4647
Facilities: Parking, café, restaurant, garden centre, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.
Fees & Opening Times: For information regarding opening times, pricing and membership details, please visit: www.aspinallfoundation.org

Ramsgate Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum located in the Royal Harbour, Ramsgate, is housed in an early 19th century Clock House. It contains several galleries depicting various aspects of the maritime heritage of the East Kent area.

Opening times: Easter~Sep, Tue-Sun 10am to 5pm. Oct~Easter Thu-Sun 11am to 4.30pm. Admission Charge
Location: Clock House, Pier Yard, Royal Harbour, Ramsgate CT11 8LS - Tel: 01843 570622 - Website
Facilities: Parking, café, restaurant, garden centre, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Roman Painted House

One of Britain's key archaeological sites containing some of the best preserved Roman wall paintings from 1800 years ago. The museum contains the remains of a Roman Hotel, which is the result of a painstaking excavation that began in 1971, during the building of a multi-story car park. The excavations revealed not only the lower walls of a series of rooms in the hotel but also an extensive wealth of Roman finds. Built in 200 AD The hotel was used for official visitors, including the Emperor, as they travelled to and from the continent. The dig uncovered 6 rooms in which the inside walls had been decorated with plaster and brightly coloured paintings - the best preserved outside Rome or Pompey. The museum also provides a series of information panels that show how the hotel looked in Roman times.

Opening times: Apr~Sep, Tue-Sun 10am to 5pm, also BH Mon & Mon Jul & Aug. Admission Charge
Location: New Street, Dover CTl7 9AJ - Tel: 01304 203279 Website
Facilities: Parking, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway provides a nostalgic journey through Romney Marsh's historic past. The track runs for 13 miles, through the meadows of the Marsh, past the back gardens of Dymchurch, St Mary's Bay and New Romney, and over the windswept shingle banks to the foot of the twin lighthouses of Dungeness. The railway began operations in 1927. Built to one-third scale (15 inch gauge), it is now the world's smallest gauge public railway.

Opening times: daily Easter~Sep, also weekends in Mar & Oct. Admission Charge
Location: Hythe TN28 8PL - Tel: 01797 362353 & 363256 Website
Facilities: Parking, café, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Royal Engineers Museum

The museum describes the many diverse and fascinating duties of the Corps of Royal Engineers and Sappers. It has 25 packed galleries that detail numerous military campaigns covering the last 300 years. Exhibits cover a wide range of supporting roles including the first military divers and the work of photographers, aviators, surveyors and bomb disposal. Exhibits include memorabilia relating to General Gordon and Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, Wellington's battle map from Waterloo, a Harrier jump-jet, locomotives, tanks, bridge layer, Combat Engineer Tractor, wire guided torpedo plus numerous models and dioramas. The museum also contains one of the largest and most important military medal collections in the UK, including 26 Victoria Crosses. Special events weekends take place at various times throughout the year.

Opening times: all year, Tue-Fri 9am to 5pm, Sat-Sun & BH Mon 11.30am to 5pm (closed Gd Fri & Xmas). Admission Charge
Location: Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham ME4 4UG - Tel: 01634 822839 Website
Facilities: Parking, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

RSPB Nature Reserve (Dungeness)

This coastal reserve comprises over 2000 acres of shingle beach and flooded pits - a perfect spot to watch breeding terns, gulls, swallows, martins, warblers and many other migrating birds and water fowl. Pathways and nature trails around the site lead to a series of hides where visitors can sit and enjoy the spectacle. The nature reserve's unique location (jutting out into the English Channel) makes this a ideal site to watch for migrant birds arriving or leaving the UK's south coast. Birds of special interest, which may be spotted at the reserve, include: Bittern (shown right), Little ringed plover, Slavonian grebe, Smew and Wheatear.

Opening times: Visitor Centre all year, daily 10am to 4/5pm. Reserve all year, dally 9am to 9pm (or sunset if earlier). Closed Xmas. Admission Charge
Location: Boulderwall Farm, Dungeness Road, Lydd. TN29 9PN
Tel: 01797 320588 Website
Facilities: Parking, shop, toilets, disabled facilities.

Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery

A combined museum and art gallery that tells the story of the borough of Tunbridge Wells. Exhibits include collections of costume, art, dolls, toys and games along with archaeology, local and natural history; including a fine collection of minerals and fossils. There is also a large collection on of Tunbridge ware (intricate marquetry woodware). The art gallery features a changing programme of contemporary and historic art, touring exhibitions and local art.

Opening times: all year, daily 9.30am to 5pm. Sun 10am to 4pm (closed BHs & Easter). Free Entry
Location: Civic Centre, Mount Pleasant, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1JN - Tel: 01892 554171 & 526121 Website
Facilities: Parking, shop.

White Cliffs Visitor Centre

The white cliffs of Dover are an icon of Britain and one of the country's most spectacular natural features, a symbol of hope and freedom for millennia. The first known recorded name for our island is Albion - taken from the Latin 'albus' meaning white, which refers to the view of these stark white cliffs by sailors approaching our coast from overseas.

An ideal starting point for a cliff top walk is the National Trust's White Cliffs Visitor Centre. Walking maps, cycle routes and trail information are available at the visitor centre. Special events and guided walks are staged throughout the year. Visitors should take care as there are steep slopes and narrow paths along the cliff top walks. Sensible footwear is advised at all times. Dog must be kept under control.

Opening times: times vary see website for details. Free Entry
Location: Langdon Cliffs, Upper Road, Dover, Kent CT16 1HJ - Tel: 01304 202756
Facilities: Parking (15 metres), viewing point, café, shop, toilets, disabled facilities

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Please note that the above information was accurate at the time this page was last updated. This information is subject to change at any time (opening times in particular), therefore if you plan on visiting any of the above attractions, please check the owner's website first or phone them for the latest details.