Bexhill has a quiet seafront and the De La Warr Pavilion, a landmark arts centre, with Hastings and Battle a short trip away.
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.
Photo: Alexis Markwick, CC0A 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: Poliphilo, CC0A 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.
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: 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: Visit 1066 Country (Hastings Borough Council)A 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: 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.
Photo: Kreepin Deth, CC BY-SA 3.0The ruins of a Norman castle on the West Hill cliff above Hastings, with wide views over the Old Town, the sea and along the coast. Ride up on the Victorian West Hill Cliff Railway from George Street or walk up from the station.
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: 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: Herstmonceux Castle EstateA 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: 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: DLWP, The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, East SussexA theatre show from the Science Museum, made with the UK Space Agency, that takes the audience on a tour of the solar system. Expect a fly-by of the Sun, storms on Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.
Image: The Masonic Hall St LeonardsA Christmas gift market held in aid of Friends of the Conquest Hospital, at The Masonic Hall in St Leonards-on-Sea on 13 December 2026. Stalls sell home made gifts and Santa visits the event, making it suitable for families and anyone looking for seasonal presents. Times are listed on the event page.
Image: Oscar's on the SquareA winter solstice celebration in St Leonards-on-Sea on 19 December 2026, with a workshop to make paper lanterns in memory of loved ones. The event ends with a procession and a fire ceremony on the beach. It suits families and friends, and booking is required through the event page.
Image: Hastings Museum and Art GalleryAn audio tour designed for disabled visitors, available at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery throughout 2026. Times are listed on the event page. The tour suits disabled visitors and anyone else wanting to explore the museum with audio guidance.
Image: Hastings Museum and Art GalleryA taster session for home-educated children aged 8 to 16 at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery on 2 February 2027, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Children meet the tutor, learn about the full 10-week photography course and its equipment, and try a practical studio portrait activity. The full course runs from March to June 2027 and ends with an exhibition at the museum on 15 June 2027.
Photo of Hastings: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0The Celine Experience is a show at The White Rock Theatre in Hastings on Sunday 18th October 2026, featuring January Butler. Times are listed on the event page. The show suits music and theatre fans, and booking is required.
Photo of Hastings: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0Author Dorothy Koomson discusses her novel The Quiet Girls in conversation at The White Rock Theatre in Hastings on Monday 19 October 2026. Booking is required, and the event suits adults who enjoy contemporary fiction and author talks. Times and ticket prices are listed on the event page.
Image: Hastings StoryfestA nine-day festival of stories, authors and workshops across Hastings, with this year's theme of connections. Families can meet children's authors at the library, join a carnival arts workshop and finish with a free children's day on The Stade.
Image: White Rock TheatreHastings' annual family pantomime, produced with Polka Dot Pantomimes and starring Shona McGarty and Matt Terry, with big sets, bright costumes and lots of audience participation.
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.
Photo: Alexis Markwick, CC0A 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
Photo: Poliphilo, CC0A 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.
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.
