Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
10 fab family half term days out
Are you ready to hear swashbuckling tales of the high seas, dive into secret underground tunnels and unearth prehistoric dinosaurs? Get the family together and set off on your own quest around Kent to find the best days out during the school holidays - here’s 10 of our top picks…
1 DOVER CASTLE
Parents might be in charge at home but, at Dover Castle, kids rule - at least, during the half term. A six-day event gives visitors a chance to be part of Operation Fortitude, a plan that involved a series of fake coded messages being sent from the tunnels of Dover Castle in 1944 to mislead the German military, with an interactive play and hands-on activities. You can even explore the secret tunnels and get a feel for what it would have been like to help wartime Britain on its way to victory. For an extra £3.50, you can spend the bank holiday immersed in the 1940s at the castle’s annual WWII Weekend. From Saturday to Monday, there will be a parade of vintage vehicles, a replica Spitfire, outdoor obstacle course, swing singers, a battle re-enactment and a chance to meet working military dogs. Details: Tuesday, May 28 to Sunday, June 2. Activities included in a standard entry ticket, which can be booked online.
2 CHURCHILL THEATRE
If your family loved the Churchill’s Chronicles of Buster Bunny, the same local theatre company is putting on a new, and final, chapter of the story this week. The show follows Barnaby Bunny who, after receiving a letter from Buster asking for his help, must leave his cosy burrow and travel through the big wide world to rescue Buster. It’s ideal for first-time theatregoers, with original music and colourful costumes that will captivate even the youngest of audience members.
Details: Monday, May 27 to Sunday, June 2 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Tickets start from £12.50 and can be booked online.
3 EMMETTS GARDEN
Go back to the prehistoric era and discover the secrets of fossils and dinosaurs this half term. The roar-some event is in honour of Charles Boise, the famed British-american geologist who left the gardens to the National Trust 60 years ago after his death in 1964. Visitors can get their hands dirty digging up fossils and searching for treasure, while brave adventurers can follow in the footsteps of dinosaurs
and see where they lead. Details: Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 at Emmetts Garden in Ide Hill, near Sevenoaks. Trail costs £3 in addition to a standard entry ticket, which can be booked online.
4 HEVER CASTLE
If your child has a flair for arts and crafts, they can let their creative side loose during the school holidays. The castle will be putting on its annual Art Week, an event where visitors are encouraged to take part in free art workshops, draw their version of the historic landmark and meet pioneering artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Georgia
O’keeffe. There will also be artsy challenges, an interactive trail and face painting.
Details: Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 at Hever Castle, near Edenbridge. Activities included in a standard entry ticket, which can be booked online.
5 HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM
A heart-warming new show all about courage, kindness and friendship is coming to the dockyard. The Brave and the Waves is an immersive walking theatre experience where audience members will be part of the show. Join Frank, Billy and Lola, three young adventurers, as they tell stories from centuries on the sea. The multi-sensory production features notable figures who have set sail across the world, from the 1700s right up to today. Details: Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 at the Historic Dockyard Chatham. The show is included in a standard entry ticket, which can be booked online.
6 HOWLETTS WILD ANIMAL PARK
Don’t miss your chance to say goodbye to adorable lion cubs Zemo and Zela before they travel to their new home in South Africa. The cubs are just two of almost 400 animals at the wildlife park, including Kent’s only giant anteaters and the UK’S largest herd of African elephants, not to mention the animal encounters, daily ranger talks and Animals of the Ice Age trail - and the best part is, in half term kids can get in for just £10. Also, don’t forget to visit Howletts’ sister park,
Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve,
near Hythe, to see baby animals, endangered species and giraffes roaming across the savannah from the safari truck.
Details: Offer runs until Sunday, June 30 at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Bekesbourne, near Canterbury. Book online.
7 IGHTHAM MOTE
This medieval moated manor house is throwing its annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic this half term, and you’re invited to bring your own cuddly teddies along for the day. There will be toy bears of all shapes and sizes dotted around the estate for visitors to find, along with a traditional picnic on the lawn. This delightful lunch break will be accompanied by music from the Biggin Hill Band on Sunday, June 2. Details: Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 at Ightham Mote in Ivy Hatch, near Sevenoaks. Activities included in a standard entry ticket, which can be booked online.
8 KENT LIFE
It’s all about getting in touch with nature at Kent Life, with animal feeding sessions, flying demonstrations and creepy crawlies. Each day of the school holidays, you can meet ponies, goats and ferrets, feed the alpacas and pigs, cuddle up to creatures in the critter corner and watch owls take flight. There’s also farm rides, orienteering sessions, outdoor games, shows in the Big Top and messy play areas. Details: Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 at Kent Life in Maidstone. Tickets cost £12.50 and can be booked online.
9 ORCHARD WEST THEATRE
From wild animal encounters to secret code-breaking, there’s not a dull moment to be had during next week’s school holidays
Learn to bend and snap like Elle Woods and rock out to Meat Loaf in the Orchard’s musical theatre workshops. The sessions, led by performers who have appeared on the West End in Bat Out of Hell, Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots and My Fair Lady, is a chance for budding theatre stars to learn the moves, scripts and songs from their favourite shows. Details: Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31 at the Orchard West Theatre and Acacia Sports Hall in Dartford. Tickets cost £15 and can be booked online.
10 SCOTNEY CASTLE
Pick up a booklet and set off on a storytime trail around Scotney Castle. You can use the spinners inside your booklet to determine where you go next, from Charles Dickens to Little Acorns, and create your very own story. Then, when you’ve finished the trail, you can pick up some free crayons and colour in the pictures, adding some drawings from your unique adventure to the book. Details: Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 at Scotney Castle, near Lamberhurst. Trail costs £3 in addition to a standard entry ticket, which can be booked online.