Museums & heritage in Brighton

Battle Abbey

Battle

Ruins to climb, a battlefield to walk and a gatehouse rooftop with views over the whole site.

CaféGift shopGroup bookingsIndoor play+3 more

Bentley Miniature Railway

Lewes

A 1.1 mile ride behind miniature steam, diesel and electric locomotives for £3 a head.

Bewilder Box Escape Room Brighton

Hove · ages 0+

A comic sci-fi escape room in Hove where you puzzle your way out as a team, with a pub and beer garden downstairs to wait in first.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredParkingRestaurant+2 more

Brighton Prestige Boat Trips

Brighton

Small-group coastal boat trips from Brighton Marina, past the pier and out to the Rampion Wind Farm.

Booking requiredFood on sitePicnics allowedToilets

Brighton Seafront Gallery

Brighton

An upside-down house where every room is built for gravity-defying photos, done and dusted in twenty minutes.

Booking requiredWheelchair accessible

Brighton West Pier

Brighton

A Punch and Judy show on the seafront at the West Pier Centre, open a few hours a day, Friday to Monday only.

Church of Scientology of Brighton

Brighton

A free self-guided tour of multimedia displays and a personality test, open daily in Brighton for anyone wanting a look inside.

Toilets

Ghost Walk Of The Lanes

Brighton · ages 16+

An evening walking tour of eight haunted spots around the Lanes, with actors in Victorian dress, for over-16s only.

Card onlyCash only

Goodwood House

Chichester

A grassland motorsport festival at a stately home, with free parking and hillclimb action from the crack of dawn.

Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingBooking required+8 more

Helm Gallery

Brighton

Free contemporary art gallery with a bar serving craft coffee and cocktails, open late Fridays and Saturdays.

CaféFood on site

Herstmonceux Castle

Hailsham · ages 4-17

Three hundred acres of gardens and woodland to explore, with the castle itself only open on a guided tour.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+8 more

Hove Park Railway

Hove

A miniature train trundles round the park, and there's no set timetable beyond checking their Facebook first.

Indelible Fine Art

Brighton

A working gallery space where you can view a piece in person or ask for a private appointment outside normal hours.

Lighthouse

Brighton · ages 16-30

An arts charity space for 16 to 30 year olds, running exhibitions, workshops and mentoring on art, tech and society.

Booking required

Maverick Boat Adventures Boat Trips Sussex

Newhaven · ages 2+

Speedboat trips from Newhaven Marina under the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, from a 40-minute RIB blast to a sunset cruise.

Picnics allowed

Observatory Science Centre & Museum

Herstmonceux · ages 0-16

Telescope domes, a science playground and water play areas to poke about in for a good half a day near Herstmonceux.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesBlue badge parkingCafé+6 more

Old Police Cells Museum

Brighton

A one-hour guided walk through Brighton's old underground police cells, tucked below the town hall.

Booking required

Parham House & Gardens

Pulborough

An Elizabethan manor with a needlework and furniture collection, a four-acre walled garden and a deer park walk, open Wednesdays to Sundays in season.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingCaféDog friendly+6 more

Paxton+Glew Contemporary Art Gallery

Brighton

Free wander round contemporary paintings, prints, photography and sculpture in a ground floor gallery just off Brighton Place.

Dog friendlyStep-free accessWheelchair accessible

Phoenix Art Space

Brighton

Free wander through changing contemporary art exhibitions in a big gallery space just past St Peter's Church.

Baby changeCaféParkingToilets+1 more

Pretty Neat Gallery & Studio

Brighton · ages 6-16

Age-banded craft workshops, from felt sewing and dotty mandalas for younger kids to macrame and clothes refashioning for teens.

Booking requiredFree parkingGift shopFood on site+2 more

Royal Pavilion

Brighton

Brighton Royal Pavilion palace - onion domes, music rooms and timed-ticket interiors.

Accessible toiletCaféGift shopToilets+2 more

Royal Pavilion & Garden

Brighton

Brighton onion-dome palace and gardens - Soft Play N never.

Accessible toiletBooking requiredCaféDog friendly+5 more

Shoreham Fort

Shoreham-by-Sea

A Napoleonic-era coastal fort you can only get into on the volunteers' open days, tea and history included.

South Downs Light Railway

Pulborough

A narrow-gauge train ride nearly a mile through garden centre grounds, with a tunnel and a deep cutting to spot along the way.

Birthday partiesFree parkingPicnic area

St. Mary's House & Gardens

Steyning · ages 6+

A Tudor house with five acres of gardens to wander, from topiary animals to a Victorian pineapple pit, open just two afternoons a week.

Accessible toiletBirthday partiesCaféGroup bookings+4 more

Sussex Boat Trips

Newhaven · ages 4+

Head out onto the water from a Newhaven marina, with skippers who'll take under-tens along the coast and older kids further out to the wind farm.

Booking required

The Brighton Box Gallery

Brighton

A small gallery for a quiet browse round changing exhibitions, with a gift shop and food on site.

Accessible toiletGift shopFood on siteWheelchair accessible

The British Engineerium

Hove

A Victorian engineering hall in Hove where you walk through a coal tunnel and pump room, but you'll need to book ahead.

Accessible toiletBike parkingBlue badge parkingPublic transport nearby+1 more

The Goffs Park Light Railway

Crawley

A miniature steam and electric railway in Goffs Park, with 80p rides round a 380 metre circuit on Sunday afternoons.

Gift shop

The Grange

Brighton

A free art gallery and museum with exhibitions to wander round, no ticket needed.

Accessible toiletBlue badge parkingToiletsWheelchair accessible

The Mint House

Pevensey

A free look round a sixteenth-century building in Pevensey, open for a summer exhibition you can just walk into.

The Open Studios

Brighton

Free galleries you can wander into off the street, no ticket and no booking required.