Photo: Photo of Lewes: Arild Vågen, CC BY-SA 4.0Museums and history days out for kids in Sussex
26 museums and history days out in Sussex that suit families, each checked against official sources. Of these, 8 are free to enter, 26 have indoor space and 3 are marked as suiting toddlers.
Opening days and times at smaller museums change through the year, so check the listing and the venue's website before you travel.
Free to enter
Free entry. Parking, food and activities inside can cost extra, so check each listing.
Image: Hastings Museum and Art GalleryHastings Museum and Art Gallery
A 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: Brighton & Hove MuseumsHove Museum of Creativity
A 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: Littlehampton MuseumLittlehampton Museum
The town museum in Littlehampton's 18th-century Manor House, with displays on local history. A free indoor stop close to the High Street.
Image: Tates of SussexMuseum of Gardening and South Downs Heritage Centre
A free museum of gardening history at Tates' South Downs Nurseries in Hassocks, set up by the Budding Foundation and named after Edwin Beard Budding, who invented the lawnmower in 1830. The heritage centre also houses The Cube art gallery, the Sussex Food Hall and a craft studio, so it pairs easily with lunch and a browse.
Image: Pooh CornerPooh Corner
A 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.
Image: Rampion Offshore Wind FarmRampion Visitor Centre
A 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: The Novium MuseumThe Novium Museum
Chichester District's award-winning museum, on Tower Street opposite the library and a short walk from the cathedral. It tells the story of the district and its heritage through a collection of more than 500,000 artefacts, and the front desk doubles as the city's tourist information centre.
Photo: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0Towner Eastbourne
Eastbourne's contemporary art gallery, with changing exhibitions, a cinema and free family activities. It is an easy rainy-day stop close to the seafront.
Paid entry
Each card shows the price band; the listing has the details.
Image: The Sussex Archaeological SocietyAnne of Cleves House
A 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: Alexis Markwick, CC0Bexhill Museum
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.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsBrighton Museum and Art Gallery
A 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: Brighton Toy and Model MuseumBrighton Toy and Model Museum
A 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: The Sussex Archaeological SocietyFishbourne Roman Palace and Gardens
The remains of a vast Roman palace on the edge of Chichester, with mosaic floors under cover in the North Wing and a replanted formal garden outside. Allow time for the museum displays and the film before a stroll round the grounds.
Image: Hastings ContemporaryHastings Contemporary
A 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: Sussex Archaeological Society (Sussex Past)Lewes Castle and Museum
A 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: Rye CastleRye Castle Museum and Ypres Tower
Climb 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: Tangmere Military Aviation MuseumTangmere Military Aviation Museum
An aviation museum on the former RAF Tangmere airfield, where the Battle of Britain was fought overhead and world speed records were broken. You can climb into cockpits, try the simulators and see aircraft up close, including a McDonnell Douglas Phantom.
Image: Weald & Downland Living MuseumWeald and Downland Living Museum
More than 50 rescued historic buildings tell the story of 1,000 years of rural life in the South Downs. Step inside historic homes, watch traditional craftspeople at work and meet the animals, with dogs on short leads welcome too.
Image: Wings Aviation MuseumWings Museum
A volunteer-run Second World War aviation museum in a hangar-style building near Balcombe, close to Gatwick. It is packed with aero engines, cockpits, gun turrets, uniforms and personal stories, with displays on the Home Front, the Blitz, Bomber Command and D-Day.
Image: Observatory Science Centre & MuseumObservatory Science Centre
A 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.
Check the listing for prices
Prices vary by activity or are set by the venue, so we do not guess.
Image: Bignor Roman VillaBignor Roman Villa
Bignor Roman Villa preserves the remains of a Roman home with world-class mosaic floors, deep in the South Downs National Park. The mosaics, including a striking head of Medusa, are protected under historic cover buildings, and finds include the Bignor gold ring. A tearoom makes it an easy stop on a Downs day out.
Image: Newhaven FortNewhaven Fort
Newhaven 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: Amberley MuseumAmberley Museum
Amberley Museum is a family attraction near Arundel in West Sussex, with plenty to explore both indoors and outdoors. It suits a long family visit, and its 2026 season ends on 1 November, so the October half term is the last chance this year.
Image: Paradise Park and GardensParadise Park and Gardens
Paradise 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.
Image: Brighton & Hove MuseumsPreston Manor and Gardens
Preston 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: Worthing Theatres and MuseumWorthing Museum and Art Gallery
Worthing's museum and art gallery on Chapel Road cares for a nationally significant collection of the clothes people wore and made, alongside artworks, artefacts and objects rooted in Sussex history. It runs changing exhibitions, workshops and talks as part of Worthing Theatres and Museum.
Questions people ask
Which museums and history days out in Sussex are free to enter?
Our listings show free entry at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hove Museum of Creativity, Littlehampton Museum, Museum of Gardening and South Downs Heritage Centre, Pooh Corner, Rampion Visitor Centre, The Novium Museum and Towner Eastbourne. Check each listing for anything charged on top, such as parking, food or activities.
Which of these suit toddlers?
Our listings mark Hove Museum of Creativity, Pooh Corner and Paradise Park and Gardens as suiting toddlers and young children.
Which of these have indoor space?
Our listings show indoor space at Anne of Cleves House, Bexhill Museum, Bignor Roman Villa, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton Toy and Model Museum, Fishbourne Roman Palace and Gardens, Hastings Contemporary and Hastings Museum and Art Gallery and 18 more.