Sussex Family Beach Holiday Bognor Regis Hastings Eastbourne Littlehampton Drusillas

Brighton Family Holiday Attractions

For family beach holidays Brighton has it all including a great warm summer climate, beachfront amusements, endless family fun on Brighton Pier, the popular Sealife Centre Aquarium, a Toy and Model Museum and the Volks Electric Railway running along the seafront from the Pier to Brighton Marina. Brighton Museums, Theatres and Festivals offer a host of family friendly entertainment including always a selection of children's theatre at the Theatre Royal and Brighton Dome venues plus family friendly activities during the Brighton Festival including the Children's Parade.

Brighton Marina east of the city centre offers a family bowling centre, large cinema, a dive centre and a wide choice of family restaurants. Within easy driving distance of Brighton sit some of the most popular theme parks in Sussex including Paradise Park at Newhaven and Drusillas Fun Park and Zoo at Alfriston. Brighton Pier is popular all year round with families and offers a host of children's funfair rides and entertainment and amusement centres. Rides are a good mix too, suitable for both very young chlidren and older children.

Sealife Centre Brighton is one of the city's most popular family attractions situated opposite Brighton Pier. Find Brighton's great fun family Toy and Model Museum underneath the arches at Brighton Station. On show are over 10,000 models and toys.

Like many a UK historic seaside resort Brighton has a historic railway. The charming fun family attraction Volks Electric Railway has been entertaining visitors in Brighton since 1883.

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Eastbourne Blue Flag Beach & Eastern Seafront Beach Family Attractions

Eastbourne is fast becoming one of the South Coast's meccas for watersports including sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, body-boarding and power boating. The resort boasts around 5 miles of shingle beach with one beach a prestigious holder of the Blue Flag Beach award and other beach areas boasting the Highest Water Quality Standards. Eastbourne Blue Flag beach stetch runs from Eastbourne Pier west to the Wish Tower.

East of the pier the beach area pushing all the way to Sovereign Harbour is recommended by the Marine Conservation Society and has a High Standard of Water Quality. The Eastern Seafront along Royal Parade is the resort's hub for family attractions and watersports. An outstanding choice of seaside attractions are in this area including Treasure Island Adventure Park and Advenutre Golf, the Spray Water Sports Centre, Fort Fun Family Theme Park, Princes Park Boating Lake and more miniature golf and to the far east the spectacular Sovereign Harbour Marina and Sovereign Leisure Centre. Just inland from Princes Park sits Eastbourne's popular family attraction the Miniature Steam Railway.

The mini Dotto Eastbourne Road Train runs the full stretch of Eastbourne seafront with stops on the Eastern Seafront at Eastbourne Pier, Treasure Island, Fort Fun and the Sovereign Centre. Family attractions and facilities are extensive within Princes Park and include charming gardens with feature rose garden, an 18 hole putting green, two kids playgrounds one of which has a paddling pool and a boating lake popular for model boats. A cafe, toilets and plenty of lawn space is on-site. Sovereign Harbour stands as one of Europe's largest marina complexes. With adjacent free parking, the harbour is superb for families with a wide selection of shops, cafes, bars, restaurants with alfresco dining and boat trips and charters. Cycle paths connect the harbour to Eastbourne Promenade and during summer and half-term holidays the harbour has free entertainment for children such as magicians.

Eastbourne Pier offers more seafront attractions including the Victorian Camera Obscura. Also on the pier are amusements, fish and chip shops, a Victorian styled tearoom and family restaurants. For watersports on the Sussex Coast, Eastbourne is one of the best locations boasting the Spray Watersports Centre which offers sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, body-boarding and power boating lessons. Within the Harbour complex the Sovereign Centre is home to a fun pool with wave machine and flume and a 25 metre swimming pool. Planet Divers (see weblink right) also offer scuba diving lessons at Eastbourne. The annual July Eastbourne Extreme Sports Festival based around Fort Fun and the Eastern Seafront offers two days of exciting sports demonstrations, live music and watersports events and activities.

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Hastings Family Attractions

For family attractions Hastings is a top spot in Sussex. Take your pick from crazy golf, go-karting and Flamingo Fun Park with funfair rides on the seafront to Clambers Indoor Play Centre and more crazy golf at White Rock Gardens. Other family attractions include Hastings' secrets of smugglers at Smugglers Adventure, the Bluereef Aquarium and the 1066 Story attraction on the Hastings Castle site.

The Pelham Beach stretch between the Pier and Hastings Old Town is the most popular family beach space with eight zoned areas marked by cartoon seaside characters to help children find their way. Two historic character cliff lifts are at Hastings taking you to the top of West and East Hill and to the east of the resort sits the spectacular Hastings Country Park.

Hastings is positively brimming with outdoor and indoor family attractions. Head to the Hastings Old Town Seafront for Hastings Adventure Golf consisting of an 18 hole floodlit golf course set within pretty landscaped gardens. This is one of Britain's top Crazy Golf courses and site for the World Crazy Golf Championships! At West Hill within acres of caverns is Smugglers Adventure which brings alive the history of Smuggling in Hastings for children and families. Around 70 life size figures accompanied by dramatic lighting effects, spooky sounds and a few gentle surprises make Smugglers Adventure a great fun attraction with an educational slant.

The Clambers cluster of indoor and outdoor attractions sits at the elevated White Rock Gardens just inland from Hastings Pier. The walk up the cliffs is a gentle climb up steps. Clambers is a popular area with families boasting indoor and outdoor play areas, a paddling pool, cafe, picnic areas and more crazy golf.

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Littlehampton Blue Flag Beach Family Attractions

For family holidays at the seaside both Littlehampton and Bognor Regis are hard to beat. Littlehampton's many attractions are clustered together around the beachfront and harbour and are all within easy walking distance of each other. Families can expect a warm welcome here with attraction choice including net fishing along Arun Parade alongside the river, funfair rides and amusements at Harbour Park on the seafront and a Quality Award Winning and flat level easy access beach.

Positioned right on on the Littlehampton seafront is the Harbour Park Amusement complex. Here you'll find family fun and amusements for all weathers, with some of the attractions indoors. With a real traditional funfair edge, Harbour Park's funfair rides include a Waltzer, Dodgems, Galloper Ride, Castle Slide, Trampolines, the Barrel Ride and the Big Apple Coaster. Plenty of choice of rides for all ages.

Littlehampton's Mini Road Train, which you won't fail to spot if you're on Littlehampton Beach in the Summer season, runs the full stretch of the promenade.

Situated just off the Sea Road and Eastern Esplanade on Littlehampton Seafront is the Indoor Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre, plus a choice of outdoor recreations in the park areas nearby including Putting and Tennis. The indoor sports centre includes a large main swimming pool and teaching pool. Littlehampton's Coastguards Beach is a Blue Flag Award Winner.

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Bognor Regis Award Winning Beach & Family Attractions

A European Blue Flag and Seaside Award winner, Bognor Regis Beach is tops for families. Facilities are extensive along the seafront including a Kids Care scheme with colour coded areas and wristbands, children's rides along the seafront, gardens and parks, crazy golf, beachfront family restaurants and amusement arcades and local parks and gardens with miniature trains. Bognor Beach has flat level access from the promenade making it acessible for both families with young children and for visitors with mobility difficulties.

Bognor's bustling seafront promenade stretches for 2.5 miles all the way from Felpham to Alwick. Family attractions along the seafront here at Bognor include the pier with amusements and rides for younger children. The mini road train - the Bognor Chugger runs the full length of the beachfront promenade. Marine Park opposite Bognor Pier has a pitch & putt course, a cafe and plenty of relaxing seating and picnic space.

Bognor Seafront and Promenade sees a choice of events and activities during Bognor festivals such as the Sands of Time Festival annually at the end of May including music on the bandstand, Punch & Judy shows and donkey rides. Bognor switches on its Summer Season Illuminations along the seafront around mid April during the Big Switch-on Weekend. Christmas Illuminations are switched on at the end of November.

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West Wittering Blue Flag Family Beach & Watersports

You're in Blue Flag beach territory around the popular Witterings coastline within easy reach of Chichester via the A286. Facing on to Chichester Harbour, West Wittering Blue Flag beach has long been a favourite with families. The sea with its superb water quality which picks up the wind here, is a favourite spot for surfing, kite surfing and windsurfing. The expansive sands of Blue Flag West Wittering beach ranks as best beach for Sussex. More Blue Flag beaches are nearby at Hayling Island Central Beach and Hayling Island West Beach.

West Wittering beach is particularly popular with families (Child Safe Zones and full lifeguard service operates at West Wittering) and has a car park adjacent with a countryside backdrop and extensive mown grass areas perfect for barbeques, picnics and games. The carpark is extensive mown grass and no part of it is more than 100 metres from the beach area. Paddle and swim in the gentle sheltered sandy tidal pools. At low tide the waist deep lagoon on the West Wittering estate is perfect for windsurfing tuition. High tide brings on the waves, perfect for surfing and kitesurfing. Other sports are popular on the beach at designated times including horse riding.

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Camber & Camber Sands Tourist Information

Stunning Camber to the east of Rye is most famous for its long, flat and sandy Camber Sands Beach stretching for around 7 miles. The beach is backed by sand dunes and just beyond the sand dunes sits Camber Village. The dunes provide an important barrier between the sea and village. A superb choice of family holiday parks and caravan parks are situated in the Camber Sands area boosting Camber's popularity with families. More family attractions are situated at nearby Hastings to the west. Camber Sands beach is one of the most popular family beaches on the Sussex coast with an MCS Recommended Water Quality Award. An extensive car park sits adjacent to Camber Sands beach (fee payable during Summer/Pay & Display during Winter).

Popular not just with families but also for beach activities including horse riding, kite surfing and surfing, Camber Sands Beach is within 400m of the ample car parking area. The beach is very popular during the peak summer season. Beach space is conveniently zoned, with areas designated for kite surfing separate from family beach areas. Dogs are not allowed on the zoned areas of Camber Sands beach from early May to late September. Find the kite surfing zone near the Broomhill free car park and watch for flags signifying swimming safety - Red for no swimming and orange for no inflatables.

Horse riding on Camber Sands beach is restricted to certain times. Essentially its early morning or evenings when horse riding is allowed during the summer season, with less restrictions in place during the winter season. Surfing is also popular here in the south westerly swells especially in Autumn and Spring. The unique sand dunes backing on to Camber Sands beach are home to around 250 different species of plants and animals. Grasses and plants hold the sand together - lookout for the pink white flowers of Sea Rocket and pink trumpet flowers of Sea Bindweed. Special marked footpaths take you across the dunes to the beach and need to be kept to so avoiding any damage to the precious plants on the dunes.

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Winnie The Pooh in Ashdown Forest

Ashdown Forest's connection with Winnie-the-Pooh and the author A.A.Milne are legendary. Milne lived on a farm with his family near Hartfield from 1925, just a short walk from Ashdown Forest. The Ashdown Forest landscape and particular features such as Five Hundred Acre Wood (100 Aker Wood in the Pooh books) and Gills Lap (Galleons Leap in the Pooh books) inspired Milne to write the Winnie-the-Pooh books which remain today famous worldwide. Indeed the original character stuffed toys of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit and Tigger are on show in the New York Public Library. Roo apparently remains missing!

A.A.Milne's very first Pooh book 'Winnie-the-Pooh' was published in 1926 followed by three Pooh books all with the enchanting illustrations by artist E.H.Shepard who can be equally credited with establishing Winnie-the-Pooh as a children's classic by creating some of the most memorable character illustrations to appear in children's books. Walt Disney later bought the rights to the books and created the animated film. The Winnie-the-Pooh books have been translated into numerous languages.

A.A.Milne (Alan Alexander) is one of Britain's great authors of children's books. Born in London in 1882, Milne wrote extensively for newspapers and journels, including Punch, prior to turning his hand to children's books. He was a pacifist during the First World War, but enlisted and found himself at the Somme in 1916. He caught a fever however and was sent home. Milne had one son, Christopher Robin who remained distant from his father through much of his life having been teased throughout his school life. The name of Winnie-the-Pooh is believed to be derived from a Canadian bear called Winnie who ended up at London Zoo. A famous photograph from 1921 depicting Christopher Robin with Winnie the bear at London Zoo can be seen in the illustrated guide of Ashdown Forest available in the Forest Centre.

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Drusillas Family Fun Park, No.1 Sussex Attraction for Days out with Kids

Just outside of Alfriston sits Drusillas Family Fun Park, voted number one attraction in Sussex for days out with kids and featuring in the top 50 Britain's best days out by the Sunday Times. Drusillas has been a major centre in Sussex for the best family days out for a number of years. Many will have special memories of time spent at Drusillas, and any new visiters to Drusillas are guaranteed special memories too. Drusillas has constantly changed with the times offering new attractions but retaining its popular animal park, with species always within their own natural settings, alongside exciting rides and adventure parks.

Adventure play parks don't come much better than those at Drusillas with Go Bananas Rope walk and play centre, free animal spotter books, adventure golf, shooting galleries and Toddler Village with rides for younger children. Thomas the Tank Engine and friends are here at Drusillas plus Amazon Adventure and Monkey Kingdom playparks.

Animals (totalling over 130 species all in naturalistic environments) here at Drusillas include numerous types of monkeys, a species Drusillas has always been closely identified with. Other Drusillas species include meerkats, creepy crawlies, otters, the lemurs in Lemurland with walk-through new for 2008, penguins, flamingos, parrots, owls and popular petting pet breeds including rabbits in Petworld. Guaranteed family fun for all, and at least a full day needed to appreciate the huge choice of attractions within the Drusillas complex.

Drusillas Park, Alfriston, East Sussex BN26 5QS. Tel.01323 874100. The Explorers Cafe/Restaurant is on-site and events and special features through the year include favourite children's characters like Dora (the Explorer), Fat Controller Days with Thomas and various appearances of Bob the Builder, The Tweenies and SpongeBob SquarePants to name a few. See the Drusillas webguide for more information on the park, opening times and group discounts.

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Tilgate Park & Nature Centre Crawley, No.1 Sussex Children's Attraction for Evening Argus Readers

Crawley's central Tilgate Park covering 400 acres and with on-site nature centre and golf course is a Green Flag Award winner. The lakes within Tilgate Park are often the site for events through the year including Dragon Boat racing. Tilgate Park and Forest is the largest of Crawley's many green space areas, all linked by the Crawley Greenway circular route running for 15 miles around the town through woodland and open landscapes.

Tilgate Park and Nature Centre was voted number one children's attraction in Sussex by Evening Argus readers! The nature centre is open all year round and includes a Discovery Room with GreenZone and biodiversity displays and a large collection of animals including ponies, goats, sheep and rabbits. Educational activities are numerous, this is a most popular centre with children, and wildlife within the park includes deer, red squirrels, owls and more - even tarantulas! A walled garden, part of the original estate, and a cafe are situated within the park as well as ample picnic tables, a maze and craft units located between the Walled Garden and Nature Centre. Here you can purchase crafts such as pottery, soft furnishings and glass art all made by local craftspeople.

Tilgate Park, Titmus Drive, Tilgate, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 5PQ. 01293 521168.

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