The caves were extended in the 1740s, but it is thought they date back to ancient times.  The extension was organised by Sir Francis Dashwood as an addition to his landscaped gardens, and were dug by hand.  Pickaxe marks can be seen in the walls. The caves wind underground for over half a mile, going through the Great Banqueting Hall, past numerous chambers, eventually ending at the Inner Temple, by which point visitors are several hundred feet underground.

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.

The annual summer opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace takes place from the 29th July – 29th September.  Members of the public can see the lavishly furnished rooms with paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.  The 19 state rooms are used by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain guests on state, ceremonial and official occasions. This year there will be a special exhibition of A State Banquet, set in the Ballroom as it would be when heads of state visit Buckingham Palace.  In addition to the State Rooms, the Royal Mews are also open to the public with horse-drawn carriages and state motor cars on display that have been used for coronations, state visits, Royal weddings, the State Opening of Parliament and other official engagements.  More than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the Royal Garden Parties. 

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.

Formed in 1839, the Sussex County Cricket Club grounds are at Eaton Road, Hove.  The cricket season runs until the end of September, with the popular Twenty20 event taking place in June.  The Indoor School runs schools’ coaching schemes and holiday coaching courses for children.  

Bowlplex owns 16 bowling centres in the UK.  South East centres are in Brighton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Tunbridge Wells and Oxford.  Facilities include numerous bowling lanes, American pool, dining, big screen TVs and video game arcades.

The museum was founded in 1898 and is housed in a 17th century building beside Guildford Castle.  Housed in the museum is the largest collection of archaeology, local history and needlework in Surrey. Regular exhibitions are held and there are children’s activities.

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.

Leisure centre with ice skating rink, four indoor swimming pools and 32 lane ten pin bowling alley. For children under 10, there is a four storey softplay area.  Organised children's events usually take place during school holidays.

School Holidays - Spectrum are running an array of activities for children during the school holidays.  This includes "Xtreme Activiate" a programme of acitivities for 5-12 year olds that includes ice skating, bowling, swimming, bouncy castle, games, outdoor activities, crafts and more. Other activities include the Soccer Skills Course, in association with Chelsea F.C., that runs from 2-4 days on specific dates during the holidays, track athletics, martial arts, basketball camp and cheerleading. 

Mercedes-Benz World offers a complete day out starting with a ten minute cinema showing the history of the luxury car manufacturer, then see over 100 examples of the vehicle, before taking a driving experiences for adults and children.  There are also exhibitions, a simulator and an interactive laboratory for children, before going onto the Brooklands’ museum.

The Rose Bowl is home to Hampshire County Cricket Club, with capacity for 20,000 people. The cricket season runs until the end of September, with the popular Twenty20 event taking place in June. One-to-one professional cricket coaching is available in the Indoor School, a large training facility located on the first floor of the Pavilion. During holidays, the Indoor School runs children’s courses. Whilst cricket is the core activity at the Rose Bowl, it has also staged concerts, holding up to 35,000 people, and a 9-hole golf course was established in the grounds in 1999, open to members and Visitors.

School Holidays

Totally Tennis offers tennis to adults and children alike through pay & play sessions, children’s holiday programmes, adult coaching, junior programmes and league events.  Totally Tennis is based at two locations in Basingstoke with the outdoor facilities at Stratton Park and the indoor centre in the War Memorial Park.  

School Holidays: Totally Tennis offers a range of children’s tennis courses from Monday to Friday in July and August.  Children can join tennis and multi-sport activity days for children between 4-10 years and 10 years+, or take tennis courses ranging from half a day to 5 days.

Bletchley was built in the late 19th century as a family home. In 1938 the Government took over the property and housed the Government Code and Cypher School here, away from London and potential enemy air attacks. The code breakers arrived in 1939. Today, see the Enigma Machines, including the rare 'Abwehr G312', discover the tales of spies and strategic deception, and look at the exhibitions.

Magnificent manor house built in the 16th century and a family home to this day.  The house is set in large parkland overlooking the Avon Valley on the edge of the New Forest.  A collection of paintings, furniture, needlework and porcelain is on display to visitors in the house, and the museum shows what life was like in the village with a replica of a farm worker’s cottage, blacksmith’s shop, dairy, brewery, saddler’s and cobbler’s shop, and steam powered farm machinery.

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.

The ultimate eco-friendly house! Purpose built, self-sufficient property built in the soil of Stanmer Park in Brighton.  Built from car tyres, it harvests sunlight and rainwater.  Open all year for viewing and two Sundays a month a 90 minute guided tour is available.

Museum tracing the story of Portsmouth, looking at how life has changed over the centuries, with a reconstruction of a 17th century bedchamber, 19th century dockyard worker’s kitchen, a Victorian parlour and a 1930s kitchen.  Regular exhibitions are held at the museum.

Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum is the house where the famous writer was born, and is now decorated in the style of 1809.  Charles Dickens only lived in Portsmouth for the first three years of his life, but returned three times.

The D-Day Museum was opened in 1984 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of D-Day, and then extended in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary.  The highlight of the museum is the Overload Embroidery commissioned as a tribute to those who took part in Operation Overload, and measures 272ft. 

Locoated on the Kent and Sussex borders, this indoor climbing centre has a 360 square metre climbing area.  Bouldering, leading, top roping and an abseil tower are some of the climbing facilities available.

Shepherd Neame is Britain’s oldest brewer dating back 300 years. An independent family company, they offer a two hour brewery tour giving visitors an insight of the company from the early days of brewing to present day.  The tour takes in the brewery seeing how beer is made from scratch, seeing traditional mash tuns, the Millennium Brew House and the packaging lines, and the all important tasting!

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.

Oxford Castle dates back to 1071, when it first incarcerated people and continued to do so until HM Prison closed in 1996.  The old buildings have been preserved and the stories of violence, executions, escapes and betrayal, can now be told. 

Blenheim Palace is a stunning baroque Palace dating back to the 18th century. The Palace has been the family home of the Churchill family for over 300 years and subsequent Dukes have made differences to the structure and gardens. As well as the State Rooms and collection of carvings, porcelain, tapestries and painting, the 2,100 acres of parkland are also a huge draw, with sweeping lawns, formal gardens and a grand lake.

The Brighton Museum and Art Gallery had a cash injection of 10million, which has resulted in better facilities and redesigned galleries.  A popular museum, with collections that include 20th century art and design, pottery, archaeology, toys, hobbies, images of Brighton, fine art, fashion, style, world art, religion and social history.

The museum is housed in an 18th century corn store and discovers the local history of Chichester with displays and hands on activities looking back to the Roman times onwards.  Regular exhibitions are held here, along with children’s activities.

The Bodleian Library is located in the heart of the University of Oxford, across buildings dating back 500 years. It is the second largest library in the UK, with 30 reading rooms in 10 buildings, with over 300,000 items. Visitors can buy quality merchandise from The Bodleian Shop, or see the Divinity School, the oldest teaching room of the university built in 1488.  Tours and Audio Tours of the historic libraries are available daily Monday to Saturday with information about the library from its beginning to current day, whilst viewing the fantastic architecture.

Manor house that gives an insight into the upstairs, and downstairs lives of the early 20th century.  Twenty rooms over four floors, with servant’s quarters, kitchens, owners living areas and the nursery on the top floor.

Museum tracing military flights from the beginning to present day, with the emphasis on RAF Tangmere, which was established in 1916 and was one of the key fighter bases during the Second World War.  Historic aircrafts and equipment are on show, as well as flight simulators and a replica of the first Spitfire.

Climbing wall centre for the novices and experienced alike, open for casual use or instruction.  Bouldering walls forming slabs, ramps and ribs.

Collection of restored mechanical musical instruments that are played whilst visitors tour, and over 100 Victorian and Edwardian dolls, displayed in a former Victorian church.

Indoor climbing centre and skatepark.  The climbing walls are suitable for both novices and experienced climbers.  The Skatepark has an indoor street course, ramp room and an outdoor mini-street complex.

School Holidays - Summer Skate Camp 25th - 29th August 11am - 3pm.

Roman villa discovered in 1811, located on the South Downs.  Extraordinary mosaics on display, including the longest section in the country, at 24 metres, and all under cover.  There are also objects on display found on site during excavations, including roof tiles, floor tiles and glass.   

High-tech driving range with 48 covered bays and 11 targets to aim for.  Hit one of the twenty balls from the driving range onto the 10 acre outfield, aiming at the targets and see your score displayed on the screen in your bay.  Suitable for golfers and non-golfers.  Lesson available for all ages and abilities. There is also a 9 hole par 3 course.

Over 10,000 items, collected over 100 years, of toys, models and souvenirs.  The museum has a priceless toy and model train collection, Meccano, puppets, toy theatres and model ships.

Museum tracing the history of the Royal Marines, from inception in 1664 to present day.  Housed in one of the most stately Officer’s Messes, which was built in the 19th century and has magnificent ceilings, paintings and a grand staircase.  Interactive displays, medal collections and the Royal Marines band room with a collection of instruments can be found at the museum, and the grounds also display historical objects.

The Royal Navy Submarine museum gives visitors the opportunity to get onboard a submarine and see what the cramped conditions are like, and traces the history of the submarine from its beginning to present day.  HMS Alliance was commissioned in 1947 and many of ex-submariners who guide visitors around the boat served on this class of boat. Film shows, interactive displays and the opportunity to see Portsmouth Harbour through a periscope.

Museum tracing the history of naval warfare from the Battle of Trafalgar to the Gulf War; from gunpowder to modern missiles.  There is a collection of small arms, cannon, guns, shells, munitions, mines, torpedoes and  missiles. There is also an atom bomb. Hands on exhibition with interactive displays.

The City museum tells the story of Winchester from the time of being a major Roman City to today, with reconstructed Victorian and Edwardian shops, important works of art and craft, mosaics and jewellery from the Roman period, hands on activities and quizzes for children. 

The Westgate is a fortified medieval gateway and one of two surviving city gates. Inside there is a Tudor painted wooden ceiling and walls covered in graffiti dating back to the 17th century when for 150 years the gateway was a debtors’ prison.  A unique collection of weights and measures, as well as armour and a gibbet are on display. 

Largest gallery in the South East devoted to contemporary art.  Exhibitions display various types of art including paintings, photography and sculpture.

Museum tracing the history of rowing, the town of Henley and the Royal Regatta. Visitors can find out about rowing across the world, re-live many great rowing races including the Boat Race and Olympics, meet the coaches and boat builders, and find out about professional rowers.  An interactive exhibit gives visitors a 360 degree panoramic experience of what it is like to take part in a race at Henley Royal Regatta.

The Museum tells the story of Oxford from prehistoric times to present day, exploring life before and after the university, when kings were crowned and parliaments debated in Oxford.  Artefacts, treasures and a film presentation tell the story of Oxford.   Find out about the city’s earliest residents, medieval crafts, civil war and famous literary connections.  Regular exhibitions and a range of hands-on workshops run throughout the year.

Hands on science exhibition with over 70 displays, set out in around six different zones .  Set in 2,600 acres of Crown Estate woodland, there are also nature trails, and a children's adventure play park.

School Holidays - The fun family show "Yucky You Show!" will be running daily at the Look Out Discovery Centre from the 24th July - 4th September.  Find out the answers to questions such as What does dandruff look like? Why do we burp after eating? How do bogies form? What does vomit look like?  Shows at 11am, midday, 2pm and 3.15pm.  Additional charge for the show.

Hollywood Bowl has bowling centres throughout the UK and centres specifically in Bracknell and Crawley.  Both centres have at least 24 lanes, games arcade areas and cafes.

Coral Reef Water World has waterslides, water flumes, rapids, firing cannons, squirting snakes, toddlers pools and saunas for adults.

The Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery is part of Buckinghamshire County Museum.  Children can discover inventions with Willy Wonka, investigate mini-beasts inside the giant peach, crawl along Fantastic Mr Fox’s tunnel, see the Twits’ upside down room and explore sounds with the BFG.  The museum operates a timed ticket system, with each visit lasting one hour.  Entry is on the hour.  

Charrington Bowl is owned by Hollywood Bowl and the Tolworth based centre has 32 lanes, a games arcade area and cafe.

Sharks, sting rays, otters, seahorses, tropical fish and frogs, are just some of the displays to see at Blue Reef. Take your swimming custom, and take advantage of the giant man-made beach and the wet play area for children, with fountains, water cannons and giant showers.

Stunning Victorian mansion dating back hundreds of years and transformed to its current Victorian splendour late in the 19th century.  Vast mansion, in which the present Lord and Lady Carnarvon still live.  Beautiful gardens, and a library housing 5,500 books are also on view.

Originally the site of a manor for the Saxon Royal Family, the site of Leeds Castle has been a Norman stronghold, residence to six medieval Queens, the palace of Henry VIII and a 1920's country retreat. Visitors can journey through 1000 years of history in the Castle, and walk through the 500 acre parkland of gardens and attractions including a maze, grotto, falconry, and aviary, which is home to over 100 rare and endangered species.

Outdoor Proms - Family Prom in the Big Top 31st August.The British Philharmonic Orchestra perform a classical concert in the Big Top.  Music visitors can expect to hear includ themes from Harry Potter and Superman, Stars and Stripes Forever and a finale of Land of Hope and Glory. Starts at 2.00pm.

6th &  7th September - Jousting and Family Fun Day. 

Moated castle dating back to the 13th century and childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Later acquired by William Waldorf Astor who created the spectacular gardens, and a house of beautiful furniture, paintings and tapestry. The Yew Maze, a miniature model house exhibition, and an adventure playground are other attractions at this historical castle.