Photo: Bewl Water69 places · 22 upcoming events
East Sussex runs from Brighton and the Seven Sisters to Rye and the Kent border, taking in Ashdown Forest, Battle, Hastings and the castles of the High Weald.
Photo: Robin Stott, CC BY-SA 2.0Paradise Park in Newhaven runs a Halloween trail through October and half term, alongside its gardens, Dinosaur Safari and Playzone. It is an easy add-on to a family visit.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsAn after-dark ghost tour of Preston Manor, said to be one of Brighton's most haunted houses. Guests start with a glass of wine and nibbles before an expert guide leads them through the house's secrets.
Photo: Berit from Redhill/Surrey, UK, CC BY 2.0Hastings Borough Bonfire Society's torchlit procession winds through the town before a bonfire and a grand finale firework display on the beach. Torches are brought down from the East Hill Beacon to light the procession.
Photo: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0Seaford Bonfire Society holds its annual bonfire night on the same Saturday as Hastings, with an evening start at 7pm. It is a smaller, local alternative to the big East Sussex processions.
Image: The Bluebell Railway in SussexA new immersive evening for 2026, set around a mystery from 1926, with actors on the platforms and ghosts on board the train to Horsted Keynes and back. Clues hidden round the station let you piece the story together.
Photo: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0Firle Bonfire Society's night combines a flaming torchlit procession through the village with a grand bonfire and a large fireworks display in the park. It is a traditional Sussex bonfire in a downland village setting near Lewes.
Photo: Dzp, CC BY-SA 3.0Drusillas dresses the whole zoo park in pumpkins, skeletons and cobwebs for half-term. A live-action Sugar Skull Witch roams the park three times a day.
Image: The Bluebell Railway in SussexFelix the Wizard joins the Bluebell Railway for half-term, with Halloween crafts on board and a bingo carriage with magic tricks. Children travel for £1 with a paying adult, so it is a good-value steam day out.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsA daytime half-term ghost tour of Preston Manor designed for teenagers. It gives 13 to 16 year olds their own version of the manor's adult ghost evenings.
Photo: Bewl WaterBewl Water is the South East's largest reservoir, set in the High Weald on the Kent and Sussex border with 13 miles of shoreline. Come for a lakeside walk or bike ride, a watersports session or a summer day on the inflatable Aqua Park, then refuel at the Waterfront Café. It suits families, active groups and dog walkers, and can easily fill a day.
Image: English HeritageThe place where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066, with the abbey William the Conqueror built on the spot where Harold is said to have fallen. Walk the battlefield with an audio tour, climb the gatehouse for views and finish at the playground by the café.
Image: National TrustA thatched, timber-framed Wealden hall-house built for the village priest in the early 15th century, and the first building the National Trust ever bought, in 1896. It sits beside the church on The Tye with a cottage garden looking over the Cuckmere Valley.
Image: The Sussex Archaeological SocietyA 15th-century timber-framed house in Southover, given to Anne of Cleves when her marriage to Henry VIII ended, although she never lived in it. Rooms are set out to show Tudor and Elizabethan home life, and there is a Tudor-style garden to wander afterwards.
Photo: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0Open heathland and woodland that inspired the Hundred Acre Wood in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Big skies, long views and miles of paths make it a favourite for dog walks and family rambles, with Poohsticks Bridge an easy target for younger children.
Image: National TrustRudyard Kipling's 17th-century Jacobean home, with his study and rooms kept much as he left them. Outside there is a quiet garden, a working watermill he wrote about and 300 acres of High Weald countryside to walk.
Photo: Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0Britain's highest chalk sea cliff, rising 162 metres above the lighthouse and the Channel. Walk up from the western end of Eastbourne seafront on the South Downs Way, or park at the top and stroll towards Belle Tout.
A traditional volunteer-run town museum in Egerton Park, just behind the seafront clock tower. Collections run from dinosaur footprints and local archaeology to fashion, the De La Warr Pavilion and Bexhill's motor racing heritage.
Photo: Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0Birling Gap is where the South Downs meet the sea at the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, one of the longest undeveloped stretches of the south coast. Walk the clifftop downland, or take the steps down to the shingle beach for rock pools and fossil hunting. The National Trust café, shop and visitor centre sit on the cliff top.
Photo: David Howard, CC BY-SA 2.0Blackberry Farm Park is a family-run farm park on the A22 south of Uckfield. Children can feed animals on the farm walk, join animal handling sessions and ride ponies from age two, then head to the big indoor and outdoor play areas. A café, picnic spots and party cabins make it an easy day with young children.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0A heritage steam railway running between Sheffield Park and East Grinstead, with a Rover ticket that lets you hop on and off all day. The £1 child fare at weekends and in holidays makes it good value for families.
Image: National TrustA moated 14th-century castle in the Rother valley that looks exactly like a child's drawing of a castle. Inside the walls it is an open ruin, so you can climb the towers and explore the courtyard, then walk the grounds and parkland around the moat.
Image: Brighton DomeBrighton's main multi-arts venue, set around the Royal Pavilion Garden, with the Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre under one roof. Expect music, comedy, theatre, dance and family shows year round, plus the annual Brighton Festival.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsA museum and gallery inside the Royal Pavilion estate, a few minutes' walk from the sea. Galleries cover ancient Egypt, archaeology, fashion, fine art and world cultures, alongside changing exhibitions.
Image: brightonpier.co.ukBrighton's classic pleasure pier, with a funfair at the far end, big arcades halfway along and fish and chips all the way. Even without the rides, the walk out over the sea is worth doing.
Image: Brighton Toy and Model MuseumA volunteer-run museum packed into four Victorian arches beneath Brighton station, holding more than 12,000 toys and models. Model railways and toys from the golden age of British and European toymaking fill the displays, with themed exhibitions through the year.
Image: Brighton i360A glass viewing pod that rises 138 metres up a slender tower on Brighton seafront for views over the city, the South Downs and the Channel. Each flight lasts about 25 minutes, with a bar on board and a cafe at the foot of the tower.
Image: English HeritageAn unusually unaltered artillery fort built by Henry VIII to guard the port of Rye, now standing in open grazing land between Rye and Winchelsea. The walk out across Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is half the appeal.
Photo: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0More than two miles of sandy beach near Rye. Winter is the time for long dog walks and kite flying, with the summer crowds long gone.
Image: CharlestonThe modernist home and studio of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, a farmhouse near Firle where a timed house visit explores their art and lives. Galleries with changing exhibitions, a walled garden, a cafe and a shop complete the visit.
Image: National TrustThe National Trust land around the meandering Cuckmere River, from the downland at High and Over down to Cuckmere Haven with classic views of the Seven Sisters cliffs. Riverside and hilltop trails link farmland, saltmarsh and chalk grassland.
An 11-mile traffic-free path along the old Cuckoo Line railway from Polegate to Heathfield, with an extension south towards Eastbourne. It is popular with walkers, cyclists and riders, and passes through Hailsham, Hellingly and Horam.
Image: De La Warr PavilionA Grade I listed 1930s modernist pavilion on Bexhill seafront that works as a free contemporary art gallery, live music and comedy venue, and cafe with sea views. Exhibitions change through the year.
Image: National TrustThe longest, deepest and widest dry valley in Britain, cut into the South Downs just north of Brighton. Walk the Iron Age ramparts for the view Constable called the grandest in the world, then drop into the valley itself.
Image: National TrustAt 248 metres, Ditchling Beacon is the highest point in East Sussex, with views to the sea in one direction and across the Weald in the other. The South Downs Way runs along the ridge past the remains of an Iron Age hillfort.
Image: drusillas.co.ukA family zoo aimed at younger children, mixing animals with rides, play areas and soft play. It is one of the easiest full days out in East Sussex for families with under-10s.
Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0A short, steep cliff railway climbing from Hastings Old Town to the clifftop at East Hill. At the top, Hastings Country Park opens out with sweeping coastal views, and at the bottom you are beside the beach-launched fishing fleet.
Image: Eastbourne BandstandA listed 1935 seafront bandstand built in Neo-Grec style, hosting tribute nights, brass band afternoons and fireworks concerts. Seating is unreserved, either director chairs in the arena or on the balcony.
A Victorian park just back from Bexhill seafront, laid out around lakes in the late 1800s and holder of a Green Flag award. Families come for the play zone, the lake and the refreshment kiosk, and Bexhill Museum is right next to it.
The Sussex farmhouse home of surrealist photographer Lee Miller and artist Roland Penrose from 1949, filled with their art collection and visited by leading figures of 20th-century art. Guided tours of the house run alongside changing exhibitions and a sculpture garden.
Image: GlyndebourneAn opera house in the Sussex Downs, four miles from Lewes, set in the grounds and gardens of a country house. Audiences can bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens or dine in the on-site restaurants and marquees.
Image: Great DixterA medieval timber-framed house near Northiam surrounded by a bold, experimental garden with a long season. The nursery, started by Christopher Lloyd in 1954, sells plants raised from the garden.
Image: Hastings AquariumAn aquarium on the seafront at Rock-a-Nore with an underwater tunnel, an ocean tank with catsharks and a jungle area. Talks and feeds run through the day, and there is a cafe on site.
Image: Hastings ContemporaryA contemporary art gallery on the seafront at the Stade, next to Rock-a-Nore, showing changing exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. Its coquina restaurant and cafe has panoramic views.
Image: Hastings Borough CouncilA 345-hectare coastal nature reserve east of Hastings, where the High Weald meets the sea along about five kilometres of sandstone cliffs. Ancient wooded glens, heath and grassland are crossed by paths with big views over the Channel.
Image: Hastings Museum and Art GalleryA free museum at John's Place holding fine art, local history and world cultures collections, alongside changing exhibitions. Its best-known room is the richly carved Durbar Hall.
Image: Herstmonceaux Castle Estate and GardensA 15th-century moated brick castle set in formal gardens and woodland, now the UK campus of a Canadian university. The grounds and gardens are open year round, and you can see inside the castle on a guided tour.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsA free museum in a former Victorian family home, with collections and changing exhibitions themed around creativity. The Wizard's Attic is a favourite with children, and there is a family-friendly cafe on site.
Image: knockhatch.comKnockhatch near Hailsham mixes a small zoo with rides and play for a rain-or-shine family day. Visit the Jungle Kingdom zoo and owl display arena, ride Blackbeard's Buccaneer, and use the indoor and outdoor play areas, with bookable experiences with capybaras, lemurs, meerkats and owls. It opens almost every day of the year.
Image: National TrustA red-brick Georgian house at the top of West Street in Rye, home to the novelists Henry James and later E.F. Benson. Behind it lies one of the largest walled gardens in the old town.
Photo: Michael Coppins, CC BY-SA 4.0A Norman castle built after the Battle of Hastings, with steep steps up to the keep and panoramic views across Lewes and the Sussex countryside. The museum covers prehistoric to medieval Sussex, which makes it a handy rainy-day add-on.
Image: The Sussex Archaeological SocietyA huge chalk-outlined figure on the slopes of Windover Hill, described by the Sussex Archaeological Society as Europe's largest portrayal of the human form. Park below the hill and follow the footpaths to the base or up to the top for wide views over the Downs.
Photo: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0A priory founded by Augustinian canons in 1229, set on a medieval moated island near Hailsham. Rooms inside reflect different periods of its 800-year history, and seven acres of grounds include kitchen, physic and herb gardens.
Image: National TrustThe weatherboarded cottage that was Virginia and Leonard Woolf's country home, with rooms kept as they lived in them and a much-loved cottage garden. It is small and visits are by pre-booked time slot, so plan ahead.
Photo: Andy Li, CC0Newhaven Fort is East Sussex's largest fort, on the coast between Brighton and Eastbourne. Exhibitions cover Sussex history and both world wars, there is an interactive timeline and an immersive escape room, and children can let off steam in the adventure playground. A café and gift shop round off the visit.
Image: Observatory Science Centre & MuseumA hands-on science centre set among the green telescope domes of the former Royal Observatory at Herstmonceux. Children can try more than 100 interactive exhibits indoors and out, then see the historic telescopes that once mapped the night sky.
Image: One Garden BrightonAn 18th-century walled garden in Stanmer Park, restored and run by Plumpton College and free to wander. Themed show gardens, a café with its own bakery and a market selling plants grown on site make it an easy half day with a walk in the park.
Photo: Robin Stott, CC BY-SA 2.0Paradise Park in Newhaven pairs formal and informal gardens, with small lakes, waterfalls and fountains, with indoor planthouses and the Planet Earth Museum. Children can follow the Dinosaur Safari and use the Playzone, and there is a restaurant and coffee shop. A Halloween trail runs through October.
Photo: Peter Jeffery, CC BY-SA 2.0Pashley Manor Gardens covers 11 acres on the Sussex and Kent border near Ticehurst, laid out around a Grade I listed house. Expect deep herbaceous borders, a walled garden, a kitchen garden, a rose walk and seasonal displays of tulips, roses and dahlias, with sculpture and art shown through the summer. The café terrace looks over the garden.
Image: English HeritageOne of the biggest Roman Saxon Shore forts, with walls that still stand almost to full height, and the place where William the Conqueror landed in 1066. Inside you can explore the Norman castle ruins, a dungeon and displays that run from Roman times to the Second World War.
Image: Pooh CornerA Winnie-the-Pooh tearoom, gift shop and free mini museum in the village where A.A. Milne's stories were set, on the edge of Ashdown Forest. Stop for tea in the themed tearooms before heading out to find Poohsticks Bridge.
The wooden bridge that inspired the game of Poohsticks in A.A. Milne's stories, just outside Ashdown Forest near Chuck Hatch. Bring a stick, walk down the bridleway from Pooh car park and play the game where it began.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsPreston Manor was the home of the Stanford family and brings the upstairs and downstairs life of Edwardian society to life. It stands with its gardens on the edge of Preston Park, one of Brighton's most popular parks. It is run by Brighton and Hove Museums and hosts atmospheric ghost events in the autumn.
Image: Rampion Offshore Wind FarmA free, hands-on exhibition about the Rampion offshore wind farm, in the seafront arches beside the i360. Children can generate their own electricity and take a virtual reality trip out to the turbines.
Image: Rathfinny Wine EstateA family-run sparkling wine estate on a south-facing slope of the South Downs near Alfriston. Browse the Cellar Door, book a tour of the winery with a guided tasting, or settle in at The Hut or the Flint Barns for food and a glass.
Image: RidgeviewOne of the pioneers of English sparkling wine, making wine near Ditchling for more than 25 years. Join a tour and tasting, eat at The Rows and Vine restaurant overlooking the vines, or pick up a bottle at the Wine Bar and Shop.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsGeorge IV's seaside palace, Indian-style domes outside and lavish Chinese-inspired interiors inside. It is Brighton's best wet-weather visit, a short walk from the pier and the Lanes.
Image: Rye CastleClimb Ypres Tower, Rye's oldest landmark, for views over the rooftops, Romney Marsh and the sea, with three floors of displays on the way. Look into the old prison cells and Women's Tower, then wander the medieval herb garden and the gun garden among the cannons.
Image: Sussex Wildlife TrustA big-sky coastal reserve of shingle, saltmarsh and lagoons where Sussex Wildlife Trust has five bird hides and miles of flat paths. Start at the Discovery Centre and café, then walk out towards the river mouth or Camber Castle.
Image: SEA LIFE Brighton AquariumThe world's oldest continually operating aquarium, opened in 1872 on Brighton seafront, with more than 5,000 creatures under its restored Victorian arcade. Meet giant green sea turtles, sharks and jellyfish, and get hands-on in the rockpools.
Image: Seven SistersThe classic view of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs starts here, where the Cuckmere river meanders down to the sea. A level trail runs about 2km to the shingle beach at Cuckmere Haven, so it works for pushchairs and less confident walkers too.
Image: National TrustA Grade I listed landscape garden built around five lakes linked by cascades, shaped by 'Capability' Brown and Humphry Repton. The wider parkland and East Park suit a longer walk with the dog.
Image: Smugglers AdventureAn atmospheric tour through more than an acre of St Clement's Caves under Hastings' West Hill, telling the story of the area's smuggling gangs. Life-sized scenes, interactive exhibits and sound effects bring 18th-century life underground to life.
Image: National TrailsA 100 mile National Trail along the chalk ridge of the South Downs from Winchester to Eastbourne, open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Tackle the whole route over about nine days, or pick a short section for a day out with views to the sea.
Image: The Living CoastA 495 hectare 18th-century estate on the edge of Brighton, with woods, chalk grassland and a restored walled garden inside the South Downs National Park. Follow one of three signed trails, let the children loose in the play park, then refuel at the cafés.
Image: ATG TicketsA Grade II* listed theatre that has entertained Brighton audiences for more than 200 years, staging touring plays, comedy, concerts and family shows. It sits in the heart of the city, a 10 minute walk from Brighton station.
Photo: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0Eastbourne's contemporary art gallery, with changing exhibitions, a cinema and free family activities. It is an easy rainy-day stop close to the seafront.
Image: Volk's Electric RailwayThe world's oldest working electric railway, running along Brighton beach since 1883. Ride the restored wooden cars from Aquarium station near the Palace Pier to Black Rock, with a stop at Halfway station.
Image: Wilderness WoodA working family woodland in the High Weald where you can walk, picnic and watch green woodworking, with The Hatch serving refreshments. Seasonal trails, pop-up food and Christmas fayres give families a reason to come back.