This place is quite lovely! Paired with a walk along the coast and then a quick cup of tea and…read morecake, this adds to the perfect afternoon. My boyfriend and I made a stop here during our wander in the town and thoroughly enjoyed yourselves. Unfortunately we couldn't get a tour of the place. It turns out that whether you can tour depends on whether they're too busy or not. During our particular visit they apparently had too many meetings. But the gardens were very relaxing the solarium was a great place for tea. The tea brands are decent quality and their carrot cake was perfect. My bf had the latte, which was quite tasty. Don't expect to spend an entire day there, but certainly it's a great spot to chill out at for an hour or two.

Located on Tower Hill, Whitstable Castle is a small but beautiful landmark, equally stunning in…read moreboth the summer months and under the snow blankets of winter. The Castle's Gardens are lovely to walk through and a great place for children. Whitstables various fetes and festivals have been held here in the past but currently the castle is being re-furbished after securing much needed funded. When in full working order the castle is available for weddings and parties and I have had the pleasure of hiring this venue twice.

Great opportunity to see inside the house where Charles Dickens spent some time and influenced him…read moreon his stories. Lots of memorobilia about the man with guides that will tell you all there is to know about the man himself.

As an admirer of Charles Dickens, I was eager to visit Broadstairs and, of course, the Dickens…read moreHouse Museum. It is located at the beach promenade with a wonderful view over the water. We paid only three pounds admission fee each to enter this lovingly designed museum and received a flyer with details of the various rooms. At first, a very nice guide gave us a short introduction of approx. 5 min. He told us some interesting details. Photo link: http://konniebritz.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/broadstairs-2009_08_28-01_web.jpg The original of Ms. Betsey Trotwood, David Copperfield's aunt, lived in this house. She defended the green in front of the house, trying to keep it clear of donkeys. In the novel, Ms. Trotwood has the same feature. Photo link: http://konniebritz.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/broadstairs-2009_08_28-17_web.jpg Dickens often stayed in Broadstairs during the summer. He sometimes stayed in the house as a tenant. Into a desk used by him he had inserted a rack for six bottles of white wine incl. cooling. One of the rooms has been furnished as an equivalent of Ms. Trotwood's sitting-room. In other rooms, we found a lot of articles of daily use during the 19th century as well as models of some of Dicken's characters. Somehow the life in the 19th century and Dicken's novels became alive during the visit. The museum has a shop where you can buy Dicken's novels. As books in England are so much cheaper than in Germany and fortunately my English is sufficient to be able to read them, I bought quite a lot of books there. The staff offered me to put a stamp into the books reading Dickens House Broadstairs Kent Of course, I gladly accepted the offer! This nice little museum is a must go for every Dickens-lover. Text und Bilder Konnie-Neukölln Text and pictures by Konnie-Neukölln

What an amazing discovery…read more We did not plan on or know about this museum. I wanted to visit the visitor center so that we could get a map and hopefully use the restroom and to our surprise. There was the Dover museum. It is free, but donations are always welcomed and there is a box up front. There are several floors and it tells about the history, the beginning of Dover, the military importance to the town and overall just a lot of great information and bonus, a life-size polar bear. Definitely start your day out here you'll understand more about the town and the history. I absolutely loved on the top floor. There is a hands on display and you can turn the wheel and it looks like moving pictures so it's like drawings that spin around that are running. That was really neat. There were staff throughout the museum, but no one was bothering you. We didn't have any questions so we didn't really interact with them. You could spend 10 minutes in here or you could spend two hours depending on what you want. I think we were in there probably for about 30 to 45 minutes. We were in no hurry.

Free entry and a Bronze Age boat dating from 1550BC, definitely worth a visit in my book. Also some…read morelocal history of the area.

This magical underground discovery is full of mystery…read more As you enter through the shop front and descend down the spiral staircase, you are surrounded from floor to ceiling with shells. No one is entirely sure of the origin or purpose for these designs. Interesting family visit: 1 - 2 hours. gift shop & snack bar with limited seating. Definitely worth a look!

I moved to Margate 20 years ago and they have improved the Grotto year on year . It's superb now…read morewith a nice entrance and a great gift shop for cards/ shells / stone jewellery . Quite a mysterious place . Endlessly fascinating . How it was even made underground . And why ? It's not a huge exhibit but you must go .

Interesting place to visit if you're in the area or really interested in anything to do with the…read moreRAF, WW2 or history. Lots of aviation pieces that show how certain parts of planes and helicopters are built. Plenty of photographs to display RAF Manston over the years. The museum also shows how people would have lived around the area during World War 2.

This place literally, knocked my socks off. A cousin of her Ladyships, surprised me with this…read moreplace, when we were staying with them in Broadstairs. Wow, soon as you walk in the door, there is a whole WWI plane sitting there. I probably, spent the first half hour, just walking around looking at that, and some of the cool stuff along the walls. This is also, the souvenir area, so I just had to purchase one of the hip flasks. I bought the one saying PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF, there was another option, KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. After spending money and time in this area, it was off to another area, with all types of aircraft, WWII, and later aircraft, jets, helicopters, (see pictures), etc. There was also, some awesome firepower outside. A tank, a jet and so many other historical weapons of war. The ladies, were with us, remarking "this is kind of a guys place." Couldn't agree more, would be a great place to visit if you have a boy or two in your family. Seriously, I could've spent all day here, but it was only our second or third day in England, so there were many more places and pubs to visit, and I was forced to move on.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally make it to Margate! Only 1 1/2 hours by train…read morefrom St Pancras, there really is no excuse. As for most of the other reviewers the recently opened (well 2011) Turner Contemporary gallery was the main incentive. It's amazing what difference a bit of culture can make to a hitherto neglected and underrated seaside town. Just as the Jerwood did for Hastings, Turner Contemporary is a true highlight on a visit to Margate. The curators know what they are doing too and put on a family friendly show of "Animals & Us" this Summer that perfectly combines natural history with contemporary art. It's the perfect place to hide from the elements and unlike Dreamland, entry is free. The cafe is lovely, too. Probably not worth the trip in its own right but combined with a walk along the beach (seeing Antony Gormley's sculpture emerge from the sea during low tide is an absolute highlight - you also get a perfect view from the gallery), fish and chips in the harbour, a walk around the old town and a compulsory visit to Dreamland a visit to Turner Contemporary rounds up a perfect day out.

The Turner Contemporary was the main aim of our trip to this part of Kent. Originally we wanted to…read moresee the Tracey Emin exhibition here, but realising this had finished we decided to come anyway and see what the gallery had to offer! Opened in April 2011, as part of a project to regenerate the somewhat flagging town of Margate, it certainly has become a monolith on the harbour! Although many have criticised it's bleak appearance, I quite like its industrial, steel facade. It certainly stands out in an area which is fairly bleak in itself. The gallery is named after the noted landscape painter J.M.W.Turner who spent much time in this area in his youth. As well as showcasing various artists exhibitions, the space is also used for teaching, workshops, talks and performances which can only be beneficial for the people of Margate. The actually exhibition areas themselves are fairly small - I would have expected to be able to see far more here, although in some ways I like that fact that I'm not overwhelmed by the quantity of the work here as can be the case in some of the larger galleries. On this occasion there were exhibitions by Carl Andre, Rosa Barba and Turner himself. There was also an interactive piece of art by Brazilian artist Maria Nepomuceno which was great fun to wonder into and touch and play with the different textures. The gallery is free to enter although they do ask for a donation. Staff are friendly and helpful and there is a nice cafe in the foyer. The Turner Contemporary is a great addition to the area, although I would probably only return if there was an exhibition that I particularly wanted to visit.

Herne Mill is a historic windmill, which is open on a number of days each year. Inside there is…read morequite a lot of original equipment from the mill. It is staffed by volunteers who are very knowledgable about the history and workings of the mill. Be warned, due to the very steep stairways this place is only suitable for the able bodied and those small enough to be carried!

Great museum. It really shows you…read more some of the tough history of this pretty town. The lives of the folk when hit by severe storms & their oyster trade is under threat

A great place to learn not only about the history of Whitstable but also about the life of a sea…read moreside town. The museum has free entry and has a permenant display of fishing and diving related matter. Visitors are also able to wtach old footage of whitstable. The museum also hosts various artists based upon a chosen topic. Each topic has family events and free workshops. A gret place for kids.