Holidays in Margate

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More around Margate

Margate is the kind of seaside base that rewards a bit of planning. There's plenty on the doorstep, and a good spread of museums, heritage sites and animal attractions in the surrounding Kent towns, so a long weekend can easily take in a fairground, a Roman floor and a wild animal park without anyone feeling rushed.

The obvious starting point

Dreamland Margate is the landmark most people picture when they think of the town, and it's the easiest way to give a family day an anchor. Treat it as a half-day rather than a whole one if you have younger children, then keep something gentler in reserve for the afternoon — an ice cream, a walk, a sit down with a pot of tea. Check what's running before you travel, as the line-up at a theme park changes through the year.

Rainy-day options

East Kent is unusually well stocked with small museums, which makes wet weather far less of a problem than it might be. Broadstairs alone has a cluster worth knowing about:

Kent MOMI — a good one for anyone interested in the moving image.
Secret Wartime Tunnels — underground, so the weather is irrelevant once you're in.
Spur Casemates Exhibition and the PWRR & Queens Regiment Museum — both firmly on the military history side.
Arthur's Hall, St Margaret's Museum and the Time Ball Tower — smaller, more local in focus, and easy to combine.

Over in Whitstable, The Seaside Museum, the Cart and Wagon Shed and the RAF Bradwell Bay Preservation Group cover coastal life, rural working history and aviation respectively. Further inland, Woodchurch Museum is a quieter Kent option if you want somewhere less busy on a school holiday. One to note for a different trip: the Radio Caroline Ross Revenge is listed over in Essex rather than Kent, so it isn't a casual add-on to a Margate day.

Heritage worth the effort

Canterbury is where to go if you want depth. St Augustine's Abbey is the headline heritage site, and the Canterbury Roman Museum works well alongside it — between them you get a long sweep of the city's history in a single outing. The Grand Jury Museum adds a legal and civic angle if you've time for a third stop, though two sites plus lunch is usually enough for one day.

Outdoors and animals

Howletts Wild Animal Park, also at Canterbury, is the strongest outdoor day in the region for families, and it's the sort of place that fills several hours without much prompting. The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is listed under Canterbury too and makes a good change of pace — a journey rather than a destination, which suits children who've had enough of walking round exhibits.

How to group them into a sensible day

The trick is to pick one town per day rather than hopping between them.

Family day: Dreamland Margate in the morning, ice cream afterwards, then a slow afternoon back at your stay.
Museum day in Broadstairs: Secret Wartime Tunnels first thing, Kent MOMI after lunch, and the Time Ball Tower if energy holds.
Canterbury day: St Augustine's Abbey, then the Canterbury Roman Museum, with the Grand Jury Museum as a spare.
Big outdoor day: Howletts Wild Animal Park, with the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway saved for the following morning.

Where to eat

For everyday eating, Harbour Bakery is a sound option for picking up something before a day out rather than paying attraction prices at lunchtime. The Bus Cafe and Real Eating Company are both tea rooms and suit a mid-afternoon stop when you want a proper sit down. For ice cream — which, on the Kent coast, counts as a meal in its own right — Scoops and The Oyster Bed are both worth a detour. All five hold five-star hygiene ratings, which is a reasonable shortcut when you're choosing somewhere unfamiliar with tired children in tow.

Turning it into a short break

There are 55 places to stay in the Margate region on BritStays, which is enough choice to be picky about what matters to you: parking, a garden, room to spread out after a wet day, or somewhere you can walk back to rather than drive. Three nights is a comfortable length — one seaside day, one museum day, one Canterbury day — and it leaves room to repeat whichever one went best.

Practical notes

Ring or check online before setting off for the smaller museums; volunteer-run sites often keep limited or seasonal hours, and several of the Broadstairs and Whitstable collections fall into that category. Book Dreamland Margate and Howletts Wild Animal Park ahead in school holidays. Pack layers and proper shoes for the underground and outdoor sites, and have one indoor option held in reserve for each day — the weather here changes quickly, and a spare plan saves the afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main attraction in Margate itself?

Dreamland Margate, a theme park, is the landmark attraction in the town. It works well as a half-day with something quieter planned for the afternoon, and it is worth booking ahead in school holidays.

What are the best rainy-day options near Margate?

Broadstairs has the biggest cluster: Kent MOMI, the Secret Wartime Tunnels, the Spur Casemates Exhibition, the PWRR & Queens Regiment Museum, Arthur's Hall, St Margaret's Museum and the Time Ball Tower. Whitstable adds The Seaside Museum, the Cart and Wagon Shed and the RAF Bradwell Bay Preservation Group, and Woodchurch Museum is a quieter option elsewhere in Kent.

Where should we go for a day out with animals?

Howletts Wild Animal Park at Canterbury is the main wildlife attraction in the region and easily fills several hours. Book ahead during school holidays.

What is there to do in Canterbury on a heritage day?

St Augustine's Abbey is the headline heritage site, and the Canterbury Roman Museum pairs well with it. The Grand Jury Museum is a good third stop if you have time, though two sites plus lunch is usually enough for one day.

Where can we eat with confidence about hygiene standards?

Harbour Bakery, The Oyster Bed, Scoops, The Bus Cafe and Real Eating Company all hold five-star hygiene ratings. Harbour Bakery is handy for picking up food before a day out, the tea rooms suit an afternoon stop, and Scoops and The Oyster Bed cover ice cream.

Can we visit the Radio Caroline Ross Revenge on a Margate break?

It is listed in Essex rather than Kent, so it is not a casual addition to a Margate day out and is better planned as a separate trip.

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