Attractions & Museums in Kent

The Museum is housed in a large 16th century manor house with various collections including a costume gallery, objects of natural history, fossils, military memorabilia, Egyptian Mummy, and life size dinosaurs. There are interactive areas, as well as regular exhibitions, workshops and children’s activities.

Quex House is a regency house that has been home to five generations of the Powell-Cotton family, and remains a family home today.  Some rooms are open to the public at limited times during the summer months, whilst the museum and gardens are open all year at limited times.  The museum houses various treasures including African zoology and ethnographic collections from Africa and the Indian sub-continent.  Other galleries display textiles, weaponry and ceramics from Europe, China and Japan. 

The Finchcocks is a Georgian manor located in an unspoilt setting of the Kent countryside, and houses a large collection of historical keyboard instruments.  The collection has over 100 keyboard instruments, chamber organs, virginals, harpsichords, clavichords and early pianos.  There are also musical boxes, barrel organs, musicals pictures and prints.

Established in 1946, the museum has a collection of horse-drawn carriages and vehicles housed in 14th century stables.  The collection includes royal state carriages, horse drawn sledges, Queen Victoria’s miniature carriages,  governess carts and gigs.

One of England’s oldest infantry regiments, the museum displays pictures, medals, uniforms, mess silver and other artefacts tracing the history of the regiment from Elizabethan times to 1961.

Collections from the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry Regiment and its earlier units, the Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles, Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry and 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters). On display are uniforms, weapons, badges, medals, pictures and photographs.

Discover the history of Kent through those who have lived and worked in Kent over the past 150 years. Spread over 28 acres of farmland, the Museum of Kent Life allows visitors to re-discover rural life with sights, sounds and smells of Kent country life. View restored buildings from around the county, see where hops are grown, harvested, dried and packed by hand, and coo over the farmyard animals including sheep, cows, pigs, horse, rabbits and ducks.

Return to 14th century England through the eyes of the Canterbury Tales. Visitors begin their journey at the Inn, where you will meet Chaucer and his pilgrims, then continue walk through the different tales before ending the journey at the reconstruction of the Shrine of St.Thomas Beckett, followed by a medieval market. Journey lasts around 45 minutes.

Found by accident in the 19th century whilst digging a duck pond, the Shell Grotto is 2000 sq ft of winding underground passages, covered with 4.6 million shells in mosaic symbols leading to an oblong chamber.  It remains a mystery as to what this place is and why it was created. There is also a shop, museum and café.

Unique adventure park where children and adults can drive real diggers. Children can take a ride on and drive different types of construction machinery including mini and giant diggers, and dumper trucks.  There are rides and “Joyrider” allows 9-17 year olds to drive a 4x4 Mitsubishi Shogun around a pre-set course.