Tonbridge Castle was built on the orders of William the Conqueror in the 11th century, and rebuilt in the 13th century. Take a guided tour of the impressively untouched Gatehouse and visualise life in medieval times with the interactive displays.
Available :
Daily
Tonbridge welcomes the summer with its annual float procession through the town centre, from Brook Street to the castle. The afternoon is given over to a fair on the castle lawns, with games, stalls and plenty of family-friendly entertainment.
Available :
Jun 2013 (annual)
The Tonbridge Theatre and Arts Club at the Oast Theatre puts on ten monthly shows a year, each running for eight nights. Three more plays are staged by the associated youth theatre, and the Art Group organises twice yearly exhibitions.
Available :
Oct 2012 - Jul 2013 (annual)
Imagine Henry VIII warming his hands at the octagonal hearth when he came to stay in the 13th-century Penshurst Place and Gardens. Kids love the ancient suits of armour in the Baron's Hall. Visit in June to admire the Rose Garden.
Available :
Feb - Mar 2013; Weekends only (various dates)
From jewellery and ceramics to toys and paintings, the Weald of Kent Craft Show is one for anyone interested in arts and crafts. Special tickets allow visitors to combine their shopping spree with a visit to the medieval Penshurt Place.
Available :
May 2013 (various dates)
The centrally located Trinity theatre hosts around 350 events a year. The Children's Theatre creates a mix of animation, art and puppet shows. Adults can choose from Shakespeare and classical recitals to regular comedy shows, films and visual arts.
Available :
Daily
The Assembly Hall Theatre seats 1000 visitors, and has a wide-ranging programme, hosting comedians such as Jimmy Carr and Jim Davidson, Russian classical ballet, ice skating and family events like CBeebies. There are also two bars and catering outlets.
Available :
Daily
Oast Houses are one of Kent's iconic images and the Hop Farm at the Kentish Oast Village has the largest collection of them in the world, along with play areas, an animal farm and the TreeJumpers Sky Park.
Available :
Daily
For three days over the May bank holiday weekend, the Kent County Fair makes the Hop Farm buzz with activities, entertainment and stalls. Featuring regional produce and country pursuits, enjoy the good life at this family friendly festival.
Available :
Apr 2013 (annual)
The Hop Farm gets into the festive spirit with its Ice Rink. Practise your gliding skills, but be careful with those triple salchows, as there will be 99 other skaters enjoying the ice rink around you.
Available :
Oct 2013 (annual)
The Hop Farm Festival brings the best British and international bands to perform at the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood, Kent. Performances are spread across three stages while further attractions include funfair rides and celebrity five-a-side football.
Available :
Jun 2013 (annual)
Created in recognition of Bob Marley's 1978 One Love Concert, the One Love Festival takes over Hop Farm in Kent. The UK's only reggae, dub and electronic music festival, it's resolutely free of rock and pop.
Available :
Aug 2013 (annual)
The Hop Farm marks Guy Fawkes Night with a two-night Fireworks Party. On Saturday there's a small display for children, and a longer, louder display for the less sensitive. On Sunday there's a bonfire before the fireworks and free children's face painting.
Available :
Nov 2013 (annual)
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag, as the wartime song goes, and get down to The Hop Farm's War and Peace Show. Military vehicles, battle re-enactments and even a fashion show make it a feast of military nostalgia.
Available :
Jul 2013 (annual)
Rescued from dereliction by antiquary Denys Bower in 1955, 15th-century Chiddingstone Castle is home to Bower's impressive collection of Japanese, Egyptian and Buddhist artefacts, including Edo period weaponry. Finish the day with a walk around the National Trust village.
Available :
Apr - Sep 2013; Mon, Tue, Wed, and Sun only (annual)
The all-holistic, GM-free, New Age, organic One World festival arrives at Sevenoaks School this summer. Set in the heart of the beautiful Kent countryside, the event offers a magical week-long celebration of all things alternative.
Available :
4 - 10 Aug 2008 (annual)
Henry VIII and novelist Vita Sackville-West have both been residents of the National Trust house, Knole. Surrounded by a 1000-acre deer park, its early 17th-century state rooms contain an important collection of tapestries, and paintings by Van Dyck and Gainsborough.
Available :
Mar - Sep 2013; not Mon or Tue (annual)
Enclosed within 1930s Art Deco splendour (with a sweeping staircase in the large foyer) the Stag Community Arts Centre provides an artistic hub for Sevenoaks. It has two digital cinemas, a 450-seat theatre and the adaptable Plaza Suite.
Available :
Daily
Kiera Knightley and co filmed Pride and Prejudice in and around the untouched 17th-century moated Groombridge Place manor house. In spring, thousands of flowers carpet the Formal Gardens. The Enchanted Forest has giant swings, giant rabbits, strange plants and playgrounds.
Available :
Mar - Nov 2013 (annual)
Explore the 21 kilometres of Bewl Water's shoreline by hiring a bike for the day. Or enjoy a more leisurely tour aboard The Swallow ferry. Kids love the woodland play area. Try out water sports like fly fishing and sailing.
Available :
Daily
Pashley Manor Gardens, on the Sussex and Kent border, are quintessentially English in style. Fountains, springs and large ponds complement the beautiful flowers and trees. The Manor itself is a Grade I-listed timber-framed house, dating from 1550.
Available :
Apr - Sep 2013; Tue, Wed, Thu, and Sat only (various dates)
The quintessentially English Pashley Manor Gardens celebrate the tulip. Boasting spectacular displays of 2000 cut blooms in the house and 20,000 bulbs planted throughout the gardens in themed colours, the Tulip Festival is a must-see for any discerning garden-lover.
Available :
Apr - May 2013 (annual)
The British Touring Car Championship crosses the line at Brands Hatch Circuit in Longfield. Action is fast and furious, and after the races the public can access the pit lane to meet the teams and drivers for autographs and giveaways.
Available :
Apr 2013 (various dates)
Race Car Live (aka the London Motorsport Show) returns to its new home, Brands Hatch Circuit. It offers car and karting enthusiasts the opportunity to get close to some of the machines and maybe even take a few around the track.
Available :
Nov 2013 (annual)
No car in the world fires the imagination quite like a Ferrari, which is why the Classic Ferrari Experience at Brands Hatch is a dream come true for motor enthusiasts.
Available :
Daily
The Rally Experience at Brands Hatch will get your adrenaline running on overdrive. With a professional rally driver as your co-driver, you'll discover how to safely push a competition-spec Peugeot 206 or an Escort Cosworth to its limits.
Available :
Daily
The 4x4 Experience, from Brands Hatch Circuit, features adverse cambers, vertigo-inducing descents and hidden depths of murky water. Together with your instructor, you'll tackle the challenge of purpose-built obstacle trails in the Land Rover Defender, which will show you what a 4-wheel drive vehicle is really for.
Available :
Daily
Brands Hatch offers Grand Prix enthusiasts the opportunity to follow the racing line of their heroes with the Racing Experience tuition course. An action-packed day out climaxes with a spin around the world-famous circuit in a single-seat racing car.
Available :
Daily
The Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery is home to more than 600,000 artefacts. Kent's largest publicly-owned art collection features Dutch and Italian Old Masters and other highlights include the dinosaur and fossil exhibits in the new Earth Heritage Gallery.
Available :
Daily
Discover 150 years of Kent's rural history at Kent Life. A 28-acre animal farm, a craft village and a working Oast house encourage visitors to learn about everything from growing and harvesting hops to making pottery.
Available :
Daily
Sample Cobtree Ale, brewed from Kent Life's own hops, at Maidstone's Original Beer & Hop Festival. Wider-ranging than most beer festivals, there's not only live music, but also the chance to help in the brewing process by hop picking.
Available :
Sep 2011 (annual)
Eagle Heights Birds of Prey Centre is home to around 150 birds including Tawny and Golden eagles, Peregrine falcons, an Andean condor and owls. Visitors can watch flying demonstrations and learn how injured birds are rehabilitated and reintroduced to the wild.
Available :
Jan - Nov 2013 (annual)
Set in 450 acres of parkland, Mote Park features football pitches, a pitch and putt golf course and a children's play area. The large lake in the middle of the park offers opportunities for sailing, fishing and model boating.
Available :
Daily
Step into Charles Darwin's slippers and explore Down House, in which he wrote and researched his revolutionary On The Origin of Species series. Watch bees building their honeycomb or pace his Sandwalk path and come up with your own theories.
Available :
Feb - Dec 2013 (annual)
In 2011 the Biggin Hill International Air Fair becomes the Open House Air Fair, moving from June to September. The biggest privately run air show in Europe, it continues to display the best in 21st-century aviation.
Available :
Sep 2013 (annual)
Get away from it all in the rolling Sussex countryside. Tucked on the edge of the Ashdown forest, the Rivendell Retreat Centre has been quietening minds and chilling people out for over 15 years.
Available :
Daily
The Kent Show, held on Kent Showground in Detling, features livestock classes, judging competitions, agricultural presentations, a flower show and arena demonstrations. The six-acre Forestry Area is the setting for exhibits on wildlife, conservation, country crafts and the environment.
Available :
Jul 2013 (annual)
The spring and autumn Kent Garden Shows take place at the dedicated Kent Showground in Detling, surrounded by the hat-shaped oast houses characteristic of the Kentish countryside. Over 300 exhibitors display everything for the garden, from plants to outdoor furniture.
Available :
Jun 2013 (various dates)
Dickens spent 18 years in Rochester (five as a child, and 13 at the end of his life). Since 1988, the Medway town has held this Christmas celebration in honour of the Victorian author, complete with guaranteed snow.
Available :
Dec 2013 (annual)
Rochester boasts close links to Charles Dickens. He spent five years of his childhood there (1817-1822) and returned for 13 years at the end of his life (1856-1870). Since 1978 Medway has held this annual celebration in honour of the Victorian author.
Available :
Jun 2013 (annual)
08457 76 76 76
