Best family attractions in Eastbourne

By Donna Fielder

In our previous blog, 13 best reasons to live and work in Eastbourne, we highlighted some great family attractions in the town. These are so good, we felt we needed to dedicate a separate article just for them!

We are extremely lucky in Eastbourne to have a whole raft of family-friendly activities, none of which ever seem to be more than 15-20 minutes drive away. Of course, we have the usual cinema, bowling alley, laser tag and swimming pool with a wave machine, but there are plenty of other exciting things to get up to locally as well.

Here are our favourites - tried and tested by actual families!

Knockhatch Adventure Park

This is our top scorer for a number of reasons. Firstly, the entry fee is reasonable, especially outside of school holidays (and they even halve the price if you arrive at 3.30pm, which still gives you 2 hours to wear the kids out before dinner).

A yearly pass is also very cost-effective if you live locally. Knockhatch has a great range of outdoor and indoor activities, so you can visit in all weathers.

And there’s decent coffee and cute animals.

Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway

Open April to October (and we really miss it when it’s shut!). The owners make such an effort every year to keep this attraction looking fab.

As well as the train, there are great play areas, including wooden playhouses that the children spend ages just running in and out of.

Entry is very cheap, as is a yearly pass. It’s a no-brainer.

Drusillas Park

This is high scoring because there is no doubt that it offers a great family day out with animals, play and rides.

A new attraction has been added recently called Spark, deemed ‘the UK’s largest immersive play experience’: ‘Its extensive 360° projection software transforms an ordinary space into an extraordinary world’. We have yet to see test this out but it sounds cool, although please note that it costs extra.

There is no getting away from the fact that visiting Drusillas is expensive, but if you are looking for a special treat, we think it is money well spent.

Sharnfold Farm

For a very small fee, you can enjoy a walk along the farm trail, with opportunities to meet the sheep, pigs, cows and goats.

There are also wooden playhouses situated in the woodland area, plus a spacious play area. The cafe has some great food, and the farm shop is also extensive.

It’s worth looking out for their special events including lamb feeding and Halloween pumpkin carving.

Ninja Warrior UK

Surprisingly fun for all ages, and especially cheap for the under 5s. Basically a giant area of bouncy castle fun with slides and bits to climb. Located in the Beacon Shopping Centre, it’s a great activity to tag on when you have to drag your kids to the shops.

The best of the rest:

Treasure Island

It’s been around for years and offers its trusty indoor soft play, adventure golf and outdoor lagoon, which is a winner in the summer months.

My SkateWorld roller rink

This offers roller discos and hosts an inline hockey club.

The Art House Creative Cafe

They organise a huge range of children's activities including pottery painting, dance, fun with fabrics and art classes.

The Observatory Science Centre

Spectacular hands-on science and discovery among the domes and telescopes of a world-famous astronomical observatory.

TechResort

Great for young people to explore coding and making.

Get outdoors!

It’s not all about the human-made fun, of course. We have a huge choice of natural, outdoor areas to enjoy for free - aside from the odd parking fee in some cases!

Parks, so many parks

There is a great range of spacious parks which, aside from play equipment, have enough space for walks, exploration and wildlife spotting.

Try Hampden Park, Princes Park, Shinewater Park (bring your duck food for those three!), and Gildredge Park (bring nuts for the squirrels).

Helen Gardens is also a great shout on a sunny day, with views out to sea, and windy paths for the children to scoot along.

Woodland

Again, Eastbourne’s surrounding areas provide loads of choice for some lovely woodland walks, offering cool shade in the summer and muddy, sheltered fun in winter.

Try Friston Forest, Butchershole, Abbots Wood (those parking fees apply here) or Diplocks Wood, a smaller compact wood, but perfect for little ones to roam.

The Cuckoo Trail

The picturesque trail follows the former ‘Cuckoo Line’ railway track and stretches from Heathfield to Shinewater Park. It passes through Horam, Hailsham and Polegate.

It’s ideal for children to ride along on scooters or bikes, whilst you take in the countryside and bird song. Just beware of some grown-up bikers travelling at speed, keep left!

The beach and promenade

If it’s sunny, get yourselves down to the beach for some free family-fun! Most of Eastbourne’s beaches offer some protection from the elements in the form of breakwaters. However, we do recommend getting some jelly shoes or wet suit shoes to avoid those “ouch” moments walking across the pebbles down to the sea.

For your best chance of sand, head down to the beach at low tide - and particularly to the Holywell end of the seafront where you’ll also find rock pools to explore. Lifeguards patrol the beaches between the Wish Tower and the pier from May to September.

When the weather isn’t quite as good for a dip, take a walk, scoot, skate or ride along Eastbourne’s 3.5-mile promenade. Just be careful to stick to the appropriate lanes and follow the signage.

Buzz Active Watersports

Being so close to the sea, this should really have been higher on our list, but let’s go out with a splash!

Buzz Active’s two watersports sites (one on the seafront and one on the Cuckmere) offer children to opportunity to get out on the water for windsurfing, sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, powerboating and raft building.

During the holidays they offer multi-activity fun courses for four days and Friday Fun sessions for a fairly reasonable rate.

In summary…

…there is loads of fun to be had in Eastbourne for all ages. The hardest thing is actually finding the time to do it all. Give it a go!