Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.049 places · 27 upcoming events
West Sussex stretches from Chichester Harbour and the beaches of West Wittering to Arundel, Petworth and the great gardens of the Sussex Weald around Horsham and Haywards Heath.
Image: pumpkinfarm.digitickets.co.ukTulleys bills its daytime festival as Europe's largest, with 1.5 million pumpkins and gourds to pick from by wheelbarrow. New for 2026 is the Pumpkin Valley, an area of giant pumpkin sculptures and ponds.
Image: Sompting PumpkinsA family-run pumpkin patch across 15 acres beside the A27, with free entry and no need to book. Resident sheep, tractor rides and a pumpkin-themed food menu make it more than a quick pick.
Image: pumpkinnights.co.ukThe after-dark version of the Tulleys festival, with lit-up pumpkin fields, two live music stages and a bar. It works as a date night or a night out with friends as much as a family trip.
Image: Borde HillBorde Hill's Halloween trail, The Owl Who Stole Halloween, follows mischievous owl Morticus Moonfeather as he bewitches the scarecrows in Pumpkin Patch Meadow. Children meet the enchanted scarecrows and complete games and challenges to break the spell. Over half term there are daily extras, from magic shows to wand making.
Photo: PAUL FARMER, CC BY-SA 2.0East Grinstead Community Bonfire's torchlit procession lights up the High Street, followed by a bonfire and fireworks. It is one of the earlier dates in the Sussex bonfire season, which runs from September to late November.
Photo: Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0Kew's Sussex garden marks Aardman's 50th anniversary with a fungi-hunting trail, helping Wallace and Gromit record the woodland's mushrooms while dodging Feathers McGraw. It mixes hands-on challenges with real science.
Image: chichestercathedral.org.ukLuxmuralis, the artist Peter Walker and composer David Harper, turn Chichester Cathedral into a canvas of light and sound for the annual Light Experience. This year's theme, Illuminating Art, projects four centuries of art onto the architecture, from the Baroque and the Impressionists to early photography, steam and animation, before a finale in the nave. Walk round at your own pace.
Image: ardinglyfireworks.co.ukArdingly's showground hosts a big pyromusical fireworks night with a full funfair, street food and a DJ. A quieter early display suits small children, and the main show is choreographed to music by Illusion Fireworks. Rides cost £2 before 5pm.
Image: fishersfarmpark.co.ukThe family-run adventure farm park near Billingshurst runs its Halloween event across the whole half-term. It is aimed at younger children, with seasonal shows and activities alongside the usual farm animals and play areas.
Image: Albourne EstateA family-owned vineyard and winery overlooking the South Downs, about eight miles from Brighton, making still and sparkling wine from its own grapes. In season you can book a vineyard tour with wine and cheese, a guided tasting or a self-guided walk through the vines.
A charity-run country centre near Chichester with an open farm, ride-on tractors, play areas, a maze and woodland walks. Profits support the Aldingbourne Trust's work with people with learning disabilities and autism.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0Amberley 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: Arundel Castle & GardensA vast castle above the River Arun, home of the Dukes of Norfolk for nearly a thousand years, with a Norman keep, state rooms and celebrated formal gardens. Go before the season closes on 1 November, then return in spring.
Photo: mattbuck, CC BY-SA 4.0Bignor 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: National TrustThe highest point in the South Downs National Park, a heather-covered hill with one of the best views over the Weald from the Temple of the Winds. Easy tracks lead from free car parks through heathland and woods that inspired Tennyson.
Image: Bolney Wine EstateBolney Wine Estate has been growing vines in the Sussex countryside since 1972 and now farms 18 acres. Its three-hour guided tour and tasting walks the vineyard before sampling award-winning still and sparkling wines with food pairings. The estate also makes English gin and vermouth.
Photo: Margaret Anne Clarke, CC BY-SA 4.0A botanically rich garden of outdoor garden rooms and champion trees, set in Grade II* listed parkland with woodland walks and an adventure playground with a zip wire. Winter half-price entry makes it a good-value walk from November.
Photo: Evgeniy Podkopaev, CC BY-SA 3.0A 900-year-old cathedral in the centre of Chichester, free to enter by donation and welcoming to dogs. Look out for the John Piper tapestry, and the peregrine falcons that nest on the spire.
Photo: Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0Chichester Festival Theatre stands in Oaklands Park in Chichester and describes itself as a local theatre with a world-class profile. It runs three spaces, the Festival Theatre, the Minerva and The Nest, with a programme of plays, musicals and Shakespeare plus comedy, live music and shows for young children. Its Christmas show is one of the region's big festive outings.
Image: Coombes FarmA working farm in the Adur valley that opens each spring for lambing, with hundreds of ewes lambing in the barns and calves and piglets to see. Tractor rides head up onto the South Downs to see the animals out in the fields.
Image: The Sussex Archaeological SocietyThe 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: fishersfarmpark.co.ukA family-run adventure farm with animals to meet, more than 50 rides and attractions, and indoor soft play included in the ticket. It copes well with a wet day thanks to its indoor play and picnic barn.
Image: Go ApeHigh ropes, zip wires and treetop crossings in the woods of Tilgate Park, just off the M23 at Crawley. Older children and adults take on the Treetop Challenge, while younger ones can try the lower Treetop Adventure course.
Image: GoodwoodThe home of the Dukes of Richmond for more than three centuries, Goodwood House sits at the heart of the 11,000 acre Goodwood Estate near Chichester. Expert-led tours take you through the Regency State Apartments and one of the most significant private art collections in the country, with works by Stubbs, Canaletto and Van Dyck.
Image: GoodwoodGoodwood Motor Circuit was the centre of British motor racing between 1948 and 1966 and is the only classic circuit in the world still in its original form. Today the 2.4 mile track hosts the Goodwood Revival and Members' Meeting, alongside track days, driving experiences and traffic-free cycling sessions.
Image: GoodwoodRacing has been part of life at Goodwood since the first public meeting in 1802, on a course high on the South Downs that many call the most beautiful in the world. The racecourse stages 19 racedays a year, headlined by the Qatar Goodwood Festival, one of the highlights of the Flat season.
Image: Harbour ParkHarbour Park is a seaside family amusement park on Littlehampton's beach, with more than 15 attractions. Outdoor rides and arcades sit alongside indoor soft play, a pirate-themed escape room and Toddler Town, a set of role-play rooms with a supermarket, vet and building site. It covers both sunny and wet days on the coast.
Image: High Beeches Woodland & Water GardenA 27 acre woodland and water garden near Handcross in the High Weald, with a collection of rare, exotic and award-winning plants from many parts of the world. Paths wind through glades, meadow and water gardens, with bluebells in spring and spectacular colour in autumn.
Image: Huxley's Birds of Prey Centre and GardenA charity-run birds of prey centre behind Hilliers Garden Centre on the edge of Horsham, home to more than 80 birds including falcons, hawks, eagles and owls, plus a family of meerkats. Free flying displays run twice a day, with handler talks in between, all set in landscaped gardens.
Photo: The Saunterer, CC BY-SA 2.0A pioneering rewilding project, where free-roaming herds, white storks and recovering wildlife have replaced intensive farming. Public footpaths, tree platforms and a lakeside hide let you explore for free, and the Wilding Kitchen is open all year.
Photo: Peter Trimming, CC BY-SA 2.0A 240-acre Grade I listed woodland garden set around a chain of seven lakes in a steep valley. Free-roaming wallabies, a sculpture park and a dolls' house museum give children plenty to find as they explore.
Image: Tates of SussexA 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: National TrustA romantic garden wrapped around a house that is part home and part dramatic ruin. Rare plant collections fill the garden, and beyond it ancient woodland leads down to a lake and cascades.
Image: Out of BoundsAn indoor and outdoor activity centre near Angmering with something for every age, from soft play and Clip 'n Climb walls to ten pin bowling and laser tag. Outside there is adventure golf, high ropes, adventure nets and jumping pillows, and a café serves hot and cold food all day.
Image: Pallant House GalleryA leading gallery of Modern British art in the centre of Chichester, housed in a Georgian townhouse joined to a contemporary wing. Its collection of more than 5,000 works runs from Barbara Hepworth and Paul Nash to Rachel Whiteread, alongside changing exhibitions, a courtyard café and an art bookshop.
One of the finest Elizabethan houses in the country, begun in 1577 at the foot of the South Downs and still a much-loved family home. Inside are historic paintings, furniture, textiles and clocks, while outside there are pleasure grounds with a maze and a four-acre walled garden.
Image: National TrustA grand 17th-century house holding one of the National Trust's finest art collections, including Turner, Van Dyck and Gainsborough. Outside, a 700-acre deer park by 'Capability' Brown gives big South Downs views and room for a long walk.
Image: RSPBA sheltered tidal inlet on the Selsey peninsula and an internationally important wetland, with saltmarsh, mudflats, lagoons, reedbeds and shingle beach. Trails lead from the visitor centre past the old Sidlesham tramway to hides over the harbour, with nesting terns in summer and Brent geese in winter.
A working deer farm in the South Downs National Park near Petersfield, where fenced paths lead between paddocks of deer towards the River Rother. Children can let off steam in a handcrafted adventure playground, and there is a farm shop, butchery and bar and grill on site.
Image: South Downs National ParkThe South Downs National Park protects the chalk hills, woods and river valleys that run across Sussex and into Hampshire, including the Seven Sisters cliffs. The South Downs Way follows the ridge, and there are step-free Miles Without Stiles routes, some of the darkest skies in England and plenty of villages and vineyards to stop at.
Image: St Mary's House & GardensA timber-framed house built around 1470 on Knights Templar land in the downland village of Bramber, first a pilgrim inn and rescued from dereliction in the 1980s. Inside are panelled rooms and an Elizabethan painted room, while five acres of gardens include animal topiary, a Victorian fruit wall and a lake.
Image: National TrustAn Arts and Crafts family home designed by Philip Webb in 1891 and furnished throughout with Morris & Co. wallpapers and fabrics, dressed as if for a 1925 weekend stay. The 12 acre hillside garden looks out over the High Weald, and woodland paths lead on towards Ashdown Forest and the Bluebell Railway.
Image: Tangmere Military Aviation MuseumAn 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: The Novium MuseumChichester 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.
Crawley's Green Flag park, with lakes, lawns, woodland bridleways and a walled garden, at its most colourful when the rhododendrons bloom in spring. Within the park are Tilgate Zoo, Go Ape, watersports on the lake, a free maze and lakeside cafés, so it easily fills a day.
Image: Tinwood EstateA family-owned vineyard on the edge of the South Downs near Chichester, planted in 2007 and producing single-vineyard sparkling wines from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Daily tours lead through the vines before a tutored tasting, and you can add small plates from the Vineyard Kitchen or stay the night in a lodge.
Image: Tulleys Tulip FestA family farm near Turners Hill, growing since 1911 and now best known for its seasonal events, from the spring Tulip Festival to the Pumpkin Festival, Pumpkin Nights and Shocktober Fest scream park in autumn. Year round there are five themed escape rooms with a bar and lounge, and a tea room serving breakfasts, lunches and afternoon tea.
Image: National TrustA 17th-century house crowning the South Downs ridge near South Harting, with views stretching to the Solent. Its Georgian interiors show the comfort of life upstairs alongside the servants' world below, and past residents include the Fetherstonhaugh family, Emma Hamilton and a young H.G. Wells.
Image: WWTBoardwalks and hides through reedbeds and ponds below Arundel Castle, with ducks, geese and swans to meet up close. The short boat safari through the reeds is a hit with younger children.
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0Kew's wild botanic garden in the High Weald, home to the Millennium Seed Bank and big swathes of woodland, wetland and meadow. It suits a long family walk, and children's tickets are cheap.
Photo: Barry Shimmon, CC BY-SA 2.0More 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.
Photo: Michael Garlick (HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014), CC BY-SA 4.0West Dean Gardens sits at the foot of the South Downs north of Chichester and is one of the finest restored gardens open to the public. Highlights include the Victorian glasshouses, a productive Walled Kitchen Garden, a 100-metre Edwardian pergola and the 49-acre St Roche's Arboretum. It is open year round, with a restaurant, tea cottage and shops on site.
Image: West Wittering BeachA wide Blue Flag sandy beach at the mouth of Chichester Harbour, with the sand spit of East Head at one end and plenty of room to spread out. Out of season it is one of the best dog-walking beaches on the south coast.
Image: Wings Aviation MuseumA 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: Sussex Wildlife TrustOne of Sussex Wildlife Trust's best-loved reserves, centred on an old watermill near Henfield, with a lake, ponds, streams, meadows and ancient woodland packed into 47 hectares. An accessible circular path loops the lake and reedbeds, and woodland trails pass coppiced hazel and carpets of spring bluebells.
Image: National TrustA 26 acre garden on the edge of Midhurst, with distinctive garden rooms and colourful borders that flow into the Rother valley landscape. Follies include a classical Tulip Folly, a ruined abbey, a gothic summerhouse and a river-god grotto, alongside a striking ten-sided glasshouse and Silk Route garden.
Image: Worthing Theatres and MuseumWorthing'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.
Image: Adur & Worthing CouncilsA Grade II listed Art Deco pier, first opened in 1862 and named UK Pier of the Year in 2019. The Pavilion Theatre and Pavilion Atrium Bar stand at the landward end, with an amusement arcade midway and the South Pavilion out at the sea end.