Kent Family Holidays & Attractions

Canterbury Family Attractions

Conveniently close to Canterbury Cathedral on central St Margaret's Street, The Canterbury Tales is actually one of Kent's most visited attractions. An excellent choice for families, and a good introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for younger visitors particularly, this audio visual extravaganza is well worth a visit. Exhibits guide you through a modern take on some of Geoffrey Chaucer's most popular pilgrim tales including the Knights Tale, the Wife of Bath's Tale, the Nun's Tale and the Miller's Tale.

The creator of Rupert Bear, Mary Tourtel was born in Canterbury in 1874. She produced her first comic strip, originally called 'Rupert the Lost Bear' in 1920. The Rupert Bear Museum within the Museum of Canterbury in the city centre is another of Canterbury's superb family attractions. More memorable childrens characters are here including a Bagpuss window, the Clangers and Noggin the Nog.

Original drawings of Rupert Bear are on-show in the splendid Rupert Bear Museum, situated within the Canterbury Museum on Stour Street. Kids will have endless fun in here as there's lots of interactive stuff going on including drawing your own Rupert. Within the exhibit you can watch Paul McCartney's Frog song video featuring Rupert Bear and Rupert timeline.

Another great family attractions situated this time north of Canterbury and well worth a visit is Druidstone Park, Honey Hill, Blean, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 9JR. Tel. 01227 765168. The park has an enchanted wood (with some magical tree sculptures), adventure play areas and a friendly petting selection of animals. Picnic areas, trails and free parking are all on-site. Find Druidstone Park off the A290 between Whitstable and Canterbury. The Crab & Winkle Cycle Path is also nearby, and it's quite feasible to cycle it. (see the Crab & Winkle Cycle Path weblink right for leaflet map).

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Historic Chatham Dockyard & Dickens World Chatham

Two of Kent's best family attractions are in the Medway region at Chatham and an extra bonus is they sit side by side, with ample free parking on-site. The Historic Dockyard at Chatham is great for families with children. The Dockyard site covers a mammoth 80 acres and offers a host of family fun activities and entertainment including Ropery tours, real history storytelling. Dowload the family fun trail via the Historic Dockyard site.

Indoor and outdoor play areas are within the Dockyard site, plus kids can explore historic warships and look through the periscope of the submarine Ocelot. Maritime exhibits in the museum areas have a real interactive edge keeping kids involved. A restaurant, tea shop, picnic areas and a shop are all on-site as is an ample supply of toilets and baby changing facilities. A host of family activities run throughout the school holidays and special family 12 month tickets are available. Visit over the Easter weekend for the Medway Festival of Steam & Transport which sees various special events at the Chatham Dockyard including a vintage funfair, steam parades, entertainment, river trips and more!

There couldn't be a better introduction to Dickens for children than the themed attraction 'Dickens World' located just alongside historic Chatham Docklands. This whole area has seen considerable redevelopment in recent times, and alongside Dickens World Theme Park there's a huge modern shopping outlet and odeon cinema. Within the Dickens Theme Park, you'll usually be greated in the courtyard by dressed up Dickens characters. Different areas of this enormous Dickens set pull on the world and characters of Dickens' novels. There's school rooms, prisons, Peggotty's Boathouse, Fagin's Den, ghosts and more. A restaurant, shop and educational rooms are on-site.

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Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury

One the Britain's best conservation oriented wild animal parks is situated just three miles south of Canterbury, clearly market off the A2. Howletts Wild Animal Park covers 90 acres and is one of two parks in the area, the other is Port Lympne Wild Animal Park covering 300 acres near Ashford Kent. Both have grown and are doing great conservation work since the late John Aspinall set the parks up, first Howletts in 1957 then later Port Lympne in 1973. Protecting and breeding rare and endangered species are firmly on the menu in both parks.

Howletts is home to the UK's largest herd of African elephants, and a visit to the park will see you walking with lemurs and touring the Black Rhino breeding sanctuary. Howletts recommend allowing 2-3 hours for visits - they've 90 different species here plus numerous other attractions and facilities including restaurant, adventure playground, an educational centre, gift shop, picnic area and free parking on-site. Meet the keepers who give talks during peak visitor periods. Checkout Howletts and Port Lympne's wildlife weblink right for more details.

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Port Lympne Animal Park near Ashford

Covering a massive 600 acres, Port Lympne alongside sister Kent animal park Howletts, is one of the best conservation animal parks in the UK. Outside of Africa it's here at Port Lumpne that you'll find the largest breeding programme of Black Rhinos. Other animals include Siberian tigers, African elephants, monkeys, lions and more. Inclusive in the 600 acres is a mansion home and landscaped gardens.

Take a day safari in a jeep at Port Lympne and meet the keepers. A special animal park indeed, the world's largest gorrillarium is here and they have two feeding sessions a day at 12 noon and 3pm. In all Port Lympne animal park is home to 90 rare or endangeered species from around the world. Events run throughout the year, free parking, restaurants, picnic areas, kids adventure playground, a gift shop and more are all on-site.

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Museum of Kent Life & Hop Farm

Situated just off Junction 6 of the M20 sits the 28 acre Cobtree Estate which forms the site of the Museum of Kent Life. The attraction caters well for families and children, with childrens birthday parties available, plenty of on-site animals to pet, a naturer trail, child friendly exhibits on the history of hopping and an on-site children's playground, aviary and Cobtree Tearooms and Tea Garden.

Farmyard animals are also housed on the estate, so plenty of opportunity for kids to get involved. Also on-site are trails, a shop, craft village, exhibits and local art gallery, plus birthday parties and large groups welcome. The Kentish Lady boat runs up from Maidstone town centre along the Medway to the Museum of Kent Life - a great way of getting to the museum.

Hop Farm just east of Tonbridge, alongside the Museum of Kent Life, is an outstanding Kent family attraction. Once a working farm, Hop Farm covers 400 acres. A village of Oast Houses are on the site, the world's largest collection of Oast Houses in fact. Childrens Attractions and activities are numerous including a fun circuit Childrens Driving School for the under 10s, Happy Hoppers Indoor Play Barn, an Outdoor Play area with rope ladders, slides and wobbly bridges, a mini fairground and an animal farm and resident Shire Horses.

New play areas and attractions were added in 2008 including play areas for younger children, a wax works museum and more exhibits. Checkout the pottery and craft area and the popular Tree Jumpers outdoor adventure centre with zip wires, climbing walls and The Leap of Faith - you leap 50ft onto a trapeze. The new and improved Wax museum and Hops Interactive exhibit is a particular highlight, making Hop Farm one of Kent's most popular family attractions. A Oast House Tearoom, Country Kitchen restaurant and gift shop are all on-site.

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