Best Outdoor Days Out for Families in Kent

There’s a huge variety of things for kids to do in Kent, we’re spoilt for choice with plenty of outdoor days out for families in Kent. There’s the coastline, the countryside, woodlands and lots of family attractions plus it’s easy to reach from London and so Kent is a great option if you’re looking for fun family days out a short drive or train ride from London and this post is full of things that you can do with kids in Kent in the school holidays.

Find more fun outdoor activities for families here to inspire your next family outdoor adventure.

Groombridge Place

Groombridge Place is a brilliant day out for families in Kent. There’s lots to do, there’s plenty of play areas and it’s particularly good for themed events. Look out for their Christmas and Halloween events they have running. These are magical with performances, music, characters meet and greet, treasure hunts etc…… Other activities that are open all year include a wonderful bird of prey and falconry displays, boat rides, wooden play areas, tree top play areas and a giant chess set. 

Follow the pathway through the Enchanted Forest which leads deep into the beautiful forest past water pools, huge oak trees and a large spiders web before entering Tepee Village with its wigwams, giant totem pole and wooden fort.

Try taking some of our ideas for kids to do in a woodland walk with you or even our ideas for games to play in the woods – Groombridge Place is not called the Enchanted Gardens for nothing! It is surrounded by beautiful woodland so it’s the perfect place for outdoor games! For the latest info – check out their website.

Walk to the very top of the forest to find the ‘Giant Tree Swings’ which are a favourite with visitors. A little tip. You will need to take the path to the top of the forest from Crusoe’s World to find the giant tree swings. Just when you think you can’t find them keep going up and you will find a path almost next to the road and they are along there – they are hidden but that makes them even more magical! 

A refreshment corner at Crusoe’s World offers freshly prepared BBQ food in addition to hot and cold drinks and snacks. Peacock café at admissions offers a choice of tasty freshly made lunches to order as well as ‘Peacocks Little Lunch Boxes’ for children at £5.95.  There is also a garden with picnic tables so you can bring a picnic and admire the free roaming peacocks! 

Best Outdoor Days out for Families in Kent 

Free things to do in Kent 

Jeskyns Fairy and Elf Village 

Jeskyns community woodland is free to visit and has plenty of outdoor activities to keep kids busy. You can do orienteering or horse riding here and there’s a Julia Donaldson Superworm trail that takes you through the woods. There’s also a wooden playground with sandpit. But the best thing is the fairy and elf village – just beyond the playground is a little village of fairy and elf houses – tiny little wooden houses like acorn house that kids will delight at! There is a picnic area with benches and a cafe at Jeskyns.

Read here for more woods and forests to explore in Kent. 

Knole Park 

Knole Park is a National Trust Property so is free entry if you have National Trust Membership. It’s a lovely National Trust property with extensive grounds where you can view roaming deer – they are very friendly. It often has themed events on like their recent Tiger who came to Tea exhibition which makes it a one of the great outdoor days out for families in Kent. For ticket prices and up to date info on themed events – check here. 

For more things to do on a family friendly woodland walks in the area, check out our guide.

Chartwell

Chartwell is another National Trust property which is great for the whole family so it’s free for members. It always has good Easter and half term events that make great for family friendly half term days out in Kent. Kids love the large swings, woodland walk trail and mini playhouse in the gardens. There’s a treehouse, outdoor play area and hammocks and a bomb crater which makes for a novel climbing frame. There is a treasure trail through the house and gardens for older kids. Chartwell has plenty of space for picnics as well as a cafe, a lake with black swans and some areas are suitable for dogs. 

Ightham Mote

Check out our full review with things to do from our day out at Ightham Mote. Ightham Mote is our last National Trust place in our list! It makes a lovely day out in the summer months because there’s a stream to paddle in, natural play area, balance beams and stepping stones. It’s a great way to get kids outdoors. There’s space for picnics and a cafe. There are formal gardens where they have a scavenger hunt in the summer holidays. It ‘s a good all rounder as one of the outdoor days out for families in Kent.

Hever Castle

Hever Castle is a great day out for the whole family in the garden of England – it’s one of the best places for historic buildings that date back to the medieval times and it’s full of outdoor adventure. There’s a wide range of activities for kids of all ages – years of history in the castle to explore, water fountains, a maze. The castle itself is really family friendly and the adventure playground has areas for young children and older children with a giant sandpit and castle themed wooden climbing frame.

See our full review of our day out at Hever Castle – we had a great time, it was one of our best days out!

Hop Farm Family Park – Kent Life

Hop Farm is a fun family day out for kids. It has kid’s favourites such as – Giant Jumping Pillows, a kid’s Driving School, Magic Castle, Outdoor Adventure Play Area, Children’s Rides and even Indoor Soft Play Centre for rainy days! They have a small farm with farm animals featuring donkeys, horses and plenty of cuddly animals too.

Leeds Castle

Leed’s Castle Is one of the best historic castles in the South East. It’s steeped in History, there are castle tours, a boat trip and several castle-themed play areas for kids from toddler to teens. As you can go back and visit within 12 months once you have bought your ticket – it makes it great value for a family.

Our kids really loved the beautiful adventure playground. One of the best things is the shell grotto, hi ropes, Zip wire, wooden top houses and the swings slides.

Leeds Castle has several cafes, picnic areas and on a hot day, there are plenty of pop up spots for an ice cream. Read here for our full review of our day out at Leeds Castle and read all of our top tips.

Best Outdoor Activities for Kids in Kent

Dover Coastline

White Cliffs of Dover is a good place to visit for a day outdoors in the beautiful Kent countryside – a clifftop walk along the world-famous White Cliffs is a must-do if you’re visiting Kent and is one of the areas of outstanding natural beauty. Dover Castle is full of history On a clear day, you’ll see France in the distance. There’s loads of different coastal walks you can do. Try here for some suggestions. 

Bedgebury Pinetum

Bedgebury Pinetum is home to over 12,000 species of trees. It has some of the largest trails in Kent for family cycling and mountain-biking, walking, and running. There is a good sized Shipwrecked themed Play Trail with a range of play areas for different ages such a new Puzzle Forest area. For younger kids there is a Gruffalo Trail. You can also do Go Ape at Bedgebury Pinetum. There is a large Bedgebury cafe at the visitor centre which is set beside one of many lakes. 

Go Ape

Go Ape is a great outdoor attraction that you can find in all areas of the country. It’s full of fun things to do! Zip lines, climbing trees, sky platforms makes it a great family outdoor activity that’s suitable for all ages from 4+. There are different courses for older kids which makes it a winner of an outdoor activity for teenagers too! There are different Go Ape locations in Kent – Bedgebury and Leeds Castle. See here for our review of the Crawley Go Ape. Also there are plenty of ideas for outdoor activities for teenagers and older kids here!

Bewl Water

Bewl Water is a great family day out at a reservoir where you can do Water Sports for older kids. There is also a sandpit, ziplines and a large slide which is great fun for younger children. There are picnic areas, a cafe and you can hire bikes to cycle round the whole reservoir.

Historic Chatham Dockyard

Makes a family fun day out for children of all ages. A highlight for our kids was visiting the Cold War Submarine and taking a tour – it’s so unbelievable to see that they all fitted such a tiny space! All the museums have interactive displays and there are two small adventure playgrounds. It’s also a good place to visit for rainy days as there are plenty of indoor venues too. For opening times and current ticket prices, see the website here.

Whitstable

Whitstable is a great place to visit in the south east. It’s a stony beach but you can swim in warm weather. You could try an oyster – Whistable is famous for them! For more beautiful beaches to visit near Kent – try our favourite sandy beaches here.  You’ll love our ideas for the Best Splash Parks and Water Play Areas for Kids in South London and Kent.

Check out my favourite beach activities for kids 

Check out our article here for more fun family days out in South East London, near Kent.

Where’s your favourite place to go on a day out in Kent with kids?