Places

Hastings largest park at 109 acres with a playground, miniature railway, café, and woodland walks. The lower park has formal gardens while upper areas offer tennis courts and nature trails.

Bewl Water is a large reservoir offering various activities like an adventure playground, water sports, and walking trails. Its indoor soft play area is for children aged 0–8, with features like slides, tunnels, and a separate baby area.

Wild clifftop country park

Public library with books, audiobooks, eLibrary resources and regular children's activities. Free membership gives access to borrowing and events, open Mon-Sat with varied hours.

Ore Library is a community-run library in Ore, East Sussex, offering a friendly space for reading, borrowing books, and local events.

The former family home of Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book and Just So Stories. A 17th-century Jacobean house in the Sussex countryside, now a National Trust property with historic rooms and literary displays.

Contemporary art galleries with free entry, performance spaces, cinema and café. Hosts exhibitions, live music, theatre and film screenings throughout the year, sea views from terrace.

A historic castle ruin, clifftop panorama and open air events space. Open every day, 10am - 5pm, last entry 4:30pm. Check the website for their rotating list of events: live music, talks and workshops.

Contemporary art gallery with changing exhibitions, includes restaurant and café with sea views. Under 18s go free, open Wed-Sun 11am-5pm.

Small independent museum dedicated to the fishing industry and maritime history of Hastings, housed in the former Fishermen's Church of St Nicholas built in 1854. Admission free, donations welcome.

Local museum with global collection, child-friendly spaces and free entry. Open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4:30pm, closed Mondays.

Hands-on mechanical art studio and automata space where visitors can explore kinetic artworks and tinker with mechanisms. Check the website for opening times.

Visitor and wildlife centre run by Sussex Wildlife Trust with exhibitions, nature information and views across Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. The centre also runs family-friendly events and activities throughout the year.

Hands-on science centre with interactive exhibits in historic telescope domes at the former Royal Greenwich Observatory. Weekend opening 10am-4pm, check website for weekday times.

Modern European-style small plates packed with goodness and creativity. Many of its dishes feature ingredients foraged in Sussex.

Authentic Japanese cooking on Norman Road, freshly made daily and on the healthier side, with Japanese drinks to match. Salmon teriyaki don, sashimi, gyoza and sake. Also good for vegans and vegetarians, and dogs are welcome.

Levantine café in the Old Town, best known for its freshly baked flatbreads with toppings like za'atar and herb mix, Palestinian cheese, or beef with pickled olives and vegetables. Open Fri-Sun 11am-4pm.

Baby Latte is a family-friendly café with a dedicated play space so parents can relax while little ones explore. It offers plenty of highchairs, buggy space, changing facilities and a menu suitable for both adults and toddlers.

Modern European restaurant with emphasis on local sourcing. Hand-rolled pasta, wood-fired plates, local produce, and morning coffee and cake.

A fish and seafood restaurant, oyster bar and natural wine bar set inside HEIST. Market in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Cosy seafront café and restaurant with good coffee, pastries and tables outside.

Bunka's permanent rooftop at the Observer Building, doing their pizzas and a full bar with spectacular views over town and out to sea. Inside and outside seating, so it works whatever the weather. No booking needed for groups under 15, children and dogs welcome.

Coquina is a restaurant and café inside Hastings Contemporary on Rock-a-Nore, serving Mediterranean-inspired food made with the best seasonal produce from across Sussex, Kent and the South Coast. The cooking is fresh, vibrant and comforting, and the sea views from the gallery are as much a reason to come as the plates. It works equally well for a quick bite or a proper sit-down meal. Because of its location inside the gallery, dogs can't be accommodated.

Half record shop and half coffee bar. New and used vinyl across most genres, a listening deck so you can try before you buy, and specialty coffee, smoothies and cold drinks while you dig.

Café inside ESK Warehouse Hastings with a free children’s play area, serving drinks and light meals — a relaxed spot for parents while shopping.

A eurocentric wine bar and bistro pouring natural wines, including their own, alongside plates built on local produce: Old Town fish, salt marsh lamb, well-aged Pevensey steaks, and plant-based dishes that are genuinely creative rather than an afterthought. The list runs to around 200 natural and biodynamic bottles with a changing blackboard by the glass. Sundays mean roasts. Come for a drink, stay for a feast, and book ahead because it fills.

Matcha, golden lattes, gorgeous cakes, soups and salads. Perfect spot for brunch.

Speciality coffee and pastries alongside a small, carefully chosen selection of goods. The art on the walls rotates, and there's a growing collection of books up on the mezzanine that you're welcome to borrow.

A florist with a café, and a secret garden out the back. Wild, seasonal arrangements alongside plants, unusual antique planters and local gifts, plus cakes, coffee and teas while you browse. Keep an eye on the workshops.

A beach café and bar, doing locally caught fish baps, breakfast favourites from bacon to smoked haddock, and a seasonal menu alongside good coffee, beer and cocktails. Loaded Crab Fries all summer and a proper run of vegan options.Fire On The Beach next door for wood-fired plates, Wednesday to Sunday from midday. Baby Goat, the shell-covered kiosk, handles the ice cream. Watch their socials for live music.

Where else can you get a flat top and a flat white at the same time? A barbershop and coffee spot on the seafront doing both properly, traditional or modern, with a genuinely social room that hosts events and collaborations with other independent traders.

A self-described gastro caff in St Andrew's Mews: speciality coffee looked, plus a brunch menu built around home-cured and smoked bacon and fire-cooked flavour. Events and live music turn up regularly, so check their socials.

Authentic Nepalese restaurant and takeaway. Order online via their website. The momo dumplings are always worth the wait.

Cosy Old Town coffee house filled with books, serving coffee, cakes and light food, with a small selection of toys for children.

Independent book-lined coffee house on Robertson Street serving coffee, cakes and light bites, with a small selection of toys for children.

Indoor family-friendly street food market in St Leonards-on-Sea with multiple independent food and drink vendors serving: pizza, burgers, Chinese/Nepalese and Mexican. Open every day.

Family-run Persian and Mediterranean home cooking near the seafront.

La Bella Vista is a contemporary Italian restaurant on the St Leonards seafront, with a seasonal menu that leans on fresh, local ingredients. Expect pasta alongside a strong seafood selection, and gluten-free options across the menu

Laya serves authentic Sri Lankan and South Indian food in St Leonards, with a menu that runs across vegetarian dishes and meat. The standout is the 12-item vegetarian thali: chapathi, a selection of chef-chosen curries, fragrant rice, fresh sambol, crispy papadams, cooling raita, rasam and a sweet to finish.

Family-run Lebanese and Syrian food that started as a stall at the Hastings street market in 2013 and built enough of a reputation to earn its own premises on Marine Court. Fresh, wholesome cooking from a chef of Syrian and Egyptian descent. The falafels are beautiful and the mezze is generous.

Soft-play café with role-play areas for young children, offering coffee, snacks and regular special events.

Lury is an intimate restaurant in Hastings serving modern British food through the lens of Sri Lanka's Burgher culinary heritage, a tradition in which European technique met the island's spice-rich ingredients. The menu is a set tasting menu of ten to twelve spectacular courses that change around the best produce available and shifts with the seasons.

Indoor role-play café with mini shops and themed play areas. Daily play sessions, creative activities and birthday party bookings available.

Noah's Goat is an independent wine shop, wine bar and deli in Hastings Old Town. The range is eclectic with a particular emphasis on Italian, where their expertise lies, alongside unusual wines you won't find in the chains and a selection of high-quality English wine.

A family-run bistro in a refurbished Grade II listed building at the bottom of the High Street, close to the fishing quarter and the seafront. Home-cooked food using local produce, and a wide selection of beers, wines and spirits. Live music every Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday roasts are a strong move here.

Family-friendly and dog friendly café and deli in Alexandra Park serving coffee, cakes and lunch. Accessible and open year-round.

Café, St Leonards

St Leonards institution, Sleeper is all about the bagels - hand rolled, boiled and baked each morning. Classics include egg mayo with truggle crisps and the New York style salt beef.

A proper fishmonger doing fresh wet fish and expertly smoked deli products, with a small eating space tucked inside the Kings Road shop. Lunch runs Tuesday to Saturday: no formal menu, just a changing counter of freshly prepared cold dishes made with their own smoked fish, cured favourites and house deli sides. Eat in at one of the tables or take it away.

A small independent seafood restaurant tucked into Mercatoria, the artist quarter. The menu changes with the daily catch from Hastings' beach-launched day boats, and everything is made from scratch, from the complimentary soda bread at the start to the ice creams at the end. A perfect bistro for a cosy date night, with great front of house and honest cooking.

A speciality coffee shop in the America Ground pouring single origin, traceable arabica roasted down the road in Lewes by Pharmacie and Taith, with teas from Postcard Teas. Cakes including vegan and gluten-free, veggie and vegan toasties, and beans, teas and brewing kit on the retail shelves. Sumisu Ramen takes over on Friday nights for ramen and gyoza, booking essential. Dogs very welcome.

When only a fry up will do, Sturdee on the Rocks has you covered with its Hangover Cure and Full English breakfasts, including a veggie one. There are other options too such as fried eggs with smoked salmon or a fruity granola bowl.

Sustainably built visitor centre and café at Hastings Country Park with park information, wildlife displays and indoor/outdoor seating. Open 9am-4pm daily, free entry.

A quirky family home and business up on the West Hill, with a cosy eatery, a licensed bar, large secluded gardens and an allotment they call the Wilderness, where much of the veg comes from. Very child-friendly with an enclosed garden and gorgeous views. Finding it is part of the adventure: it sits in the band of trees between St Mary''s Terrace and Milward Road, reached by steps down from St Mary''s Terrace, steps up from Milward Road, or the bumpy lane from the West Hill. Use Google Maps rather than the postcode, which will send you to the wrong place. Open Friday from 4pm, Saturday 12 to 4 and Sunday 12 to 5.

Independent pub in Hastings Old Town serving modern British food, local beers and wines, and hosting regular community and family-friendly events.

A low-key, down-to-earth gastropub on a historic corner opposite Warrior Square station, in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand. Draft beers, real ales, decent wine and simple but elevated cooking built on seasonal produce, with a menu that changes often. Booking is recommended, but the bar stays open first come, first served for drinkers and walk-in diners.

The Seadog is a family-run pub by the station. The bar rotates cask ales, craft keg and Sussex brews, with a short cocktail list and wine chosen with food in mind. The kitchen is Kismet, a collaboration between Tonka and Three Souls in a Bowl, serving Indo-Asian small plates and bowls. Sundays are a big thing for roasts.

Spanish tapas built around sharing, and a chef's menu where they choose and you eat, a concept a customer gifted them 17 years ago in London before they moved down to Western Road. No à la carte, so you get what you get, and it's always brilliant.

A neighbourhood restaurant in the Old Town doing bold, flavour-led cooking that draws on Mauritian and Asian traditions. Coffee, baked goods and lunch during the day, then the room shifts in the evening into somewhere more intimate for small plates and natural wine.

A kiosk up on the West Hill serving breakfast, toasties, ice cream and hot and cold drinks, with pizza from 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Temporary, while the Castle and West Hill Cafe site is regenerated, but a very good reason to take the lift up.

Hyper-seasonal British produce served as small plates, casual rather than ceremonial. Pull up a stool at the kitchen bar for a quick lunch, or make an evening of it sharing plates and working through a curated list of local wines and beers. Big flavours, little fuss.

Leisure centre with gym, fitness classes, soft play area, sports hall, swimming and café. Birthday party packages available. Ring ahead before coming to use soft play.

Knockhatch Ski & Snowboarding School is an outdoor dry ski and snowboard centre in Hailsham with a 110m artificial slope, nursery slope, Ringo Run and drag lifts. The centre runs regular public sessions and weekly coached Kids Ski Club sessions for confident young skiers.

Leisure centre with swimming pools, gym, fitness classes, sports halls and café. Regular birthday party packages available, entry prices vary by activity.

Community venue with a sports hall hosting classes and youth activities.

Features classic seaside arcade games including popular Penny Falls to win tickets and prizes, crane grabbers to win soft toys, and a wide range of games perfect for a raindy day. Open every day all year round (except Christmas Day) until late. Level access throughout the venue. Free cash machines on site. Adjacent to public conveniences.

18-hole pirate-themed adventure golf course open 364 days a year. Suitable for ages 3+, tickets £9.25.

Aquarium with sharks, rays and tropical fish, interactive displays and feeding demonstrations throughout the day. Under 18s entry £15.65.

Miniature railway operating since 1948 running along the seafront from Rock-a-Nore to Marine Parade. Features steam and diesel locomotives, £3 per ride, open daily in school holidays and weekends May-Oct.

Journey through St Clements Caves exploring smuggling history. Entry £11.50, suitable for ages 4+.

Historic funicular railway from 1891 with original Victorian wooden carriages. Open Saturdays and Sundays 11am-4pm, £5.50 per ride, card payment only.

A private alpaca and therapy pygmy goat experience in Robertsbridge near Hastings, offering exclusive farm visits with hand feeding, homemade food options and access to two acres of countryside. Guests meet alpacas Ollie and Ricardo, friendly sheep, chickens and special therapy pygmy goats in a calm, relaxed setting. All sessions are privately booked with exclusive use of the farm, cosy cabin and garden space.

Rare Breeds Centre is a full-day out in the Kent countryside where children can meet farm animals, ride the tractor, explore play areas and woodland walks, and watch pig racing in season. There’s loads to do for all ages, plus a café on-site, and your visit also supports a charity for adults with learning disabilities and autism.

Indoor play centre close to Hastings Pier with free parking for customers.

Kids soft play centre in Hastings featuring multi-level play zones with circus-inspired fairground, beach area for tots and babies, and castle adventure zone.

Sussex-based SEND charity in Hastings offering respite sessions, holiday clubs and multi-sensory activities for children and young people with SEND and their parent carers. The venue includes a bookable sensory room and soft play area in a quiet residential setting.

Great cocktails and small plates. A relaxed vibe that can go either way — quiet drink or big night. Closed on Mondays. Dogs welcome.

Cocktails, Beers, Wines and a selection of over 40 Tequilas and Mezcals. Open Mic night every Tuesday.

Craft Beer & Natural Wine Bottleshop and Bar. Intimate, knowledgeable, always pouring something interesting.

Independent community cinema in Hastings Old Town showing a mix of alternative films, family-friendly screenings and special events. The venue offers refreshments, a hearing loop and regular autism-friendly relaxed screenings, but has no step-free access.

Play café and children’s play centre at Chestnut Meadow in Bexhill-on-Sea, offering play sessions for babies and young children.

Part wine bar, part deli, part gallery, on the seafront. Wines sourced with real care alongside a seasonal food menu, charcuterie and British cheese platters to share.

Family-friendly historic garden offering Garden Explorers sessions for toddlers and carers, with seasonal outdoor activities such as seed planting, cooking, woodland walks, minibeast hunts and fires in the woods. Sessions run in all weathers, are based at Dixter Farm, and require advance booking.

The original Brewing Brothers venue, open since 2016, with a 2.5bbl brew house out the back and a wood-fired pizza oven up front. Three cask lines and ten keg, plus decent wine and spirits, alongside an ever-changing menu of signature pizzas. Check their Instagram for events and opening hours.

One of the oldest bakeries in Britain, baking in Hastings since 1826 and marking its bicentenary this year. Artisan loaves daily with seven sourdough varieties through the week, plus coffee, toasties, cakes and morning goods, and a proper grocery section at the back with fruit and veg, meats and cheeses.

A sourdough bakery on Robertson Street selling bread, pastries, cakes, sandwiches and coffee, with everything baked on site.

An independent neighbourhood bar serving inspired cocktails and beers on tap, with amazing sea views. Check their socials for their events programme with DJ nights, spoken word and more.

A tapas bar in the Old Town mixing traditional Spanish cooking with contemporary flavours, with plenty on the menu for vegetarians as well as meat-eaters. Cosy inside, and there are tables outside for the sunny days. Good drinks, shareable plates, buzzy atmosphere.

Community arts and events venue hosting workshops, classes and family activities throughout the year.

Sourdough specialists doing homemade bread, cakes and pastries, plus freshly filled sandwiches, rolls and wraps for lunch.

Grassroots music venue and pub with packed events programme.

A warm, welcoming local on Western Road, taken on by The Hastings Project after a crowdfunder and now doubling as the home of their community work. A wide range of THP beers plus guests, drinks and snacks, with regular fundraisers, quizzes and beer-centric events. Mondays and Tuesdays the space is given over to local charities and community groups. Open Wednesday to Sunday, midday to 11pm.

Markets and open studios on Waterworks Road