Known as the 5 minute museum to locals, you can spend an amazing ammount of time in here if you…read moretake time to look at the exhibits. Entry is free, and they rotate different exhibits all around the year, and even got some of the Saxon King finds on display when they were discovered. Also featuring a planetarium, (a small fee applies), this museum is a great day out, (or at least an hour), and the small collection of merchandise they stock is reasonably priced. Each exhibit has a information card by them so you can educate and entertain, and the staff will usually have some more information that wasn't placed on the card due to space reasons.

For Southend the building that hosts Southend Museum is the last of its kind in this key avenue…read moretowards the centre of the town. Fortunately listed so hopefully this status will protect it from development if plans afoot to build a new museum on the seafront go ahead. Ok as with most buildings circa 1900 they did not build in disabled access, so where it can be provided it is, but generally the building is large but inaccessible for wheelchairs. The collections have interest for local and visitor alike, Southend's geograpical position means it has been a focus for both World Wars and displays of Zeppelins, or WWII bomb damage is readily available. This museum too has taken on board the need to interact with it's audience so an activity room with plenty of touchy-feely, and try-out is available. Upstairs a planetarium provides views into the solar system. This museum might not have the wow factor, but it does have passionate staff who know their stuff, interesting displays, and the knowledge that the display areas are too small for the huge collection behind the scenes, hence the need for a new site. This review would not be complete without mention of the Saxon King finds recently discovered north of Priory Park, that reside currently in London, but until Southend can provide adequate secure premises for the significant collection then the town will not see them back. For those contmplating a visit to the museum, do so, It is free, provides a handy half an hour stop off on the way to the shops or on the way back, a great respite if the weather is bad, plus you could learn something.

Located deep inside Priority Park, this museum is nothing compared to what it used to be now…read moreseeming like nothing more than an old building that you can walk around and look at the furniture. This museum needs to be publicised more and get in some of the larger exhibits, and perhaps form some form of collaboration with other local museums in the area such as the Central Museum near the Southend Town Centre, and perhaps share exhibits and information, perhaps offer some sort of buy-out. The museum itself is decently laid out with some small exhibits from (very) Old Leigh, and provide information on the local area over the past centuries, as well as the museum itself, of which the staff are very educated on. It's not a day out, but if you're spending some time in the park and the museum is open, it's well worth a peek inside for 15-20 minutes.

The museum has recently been completely refurbished and renewed now telling the story of the…read morerestored Priory. Old reviews before 2012 are out of dated now. Lovely building with very interesting story told of monks and their lives in a fascinating building. Well worth seeing.

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 .

It's definitely a unique exhibit that you don't get to see very often. Leeds Castle is the perfect…read moreplace to house 5 centuries of historical dog collars. The last residing owner of the castle was a huge dog lover and truly loved all animals. It just seems appropriate to have this museum that honors the collector as well as Lady Olive Baillie. The collection was donated to the Leeds Castle Foundation by Gertrude Hunt in 1977 in memory of her husband, John Hunt. It's quite the collection. The oldest one dates back to the 15th century. Some may think they look like torture devices with the jagged spikes. In actuality, these were used to protect the hunting dogs from predators such as wolves and bears. Some of the collars are more ornate and made of brass or silver to showcase wealth and status. You won't see the dog's name on these collars. It was typically the owner's name, initials, or the coat of arm. I do feel like I was missing the rest of the collection. The exhibit appears smaller than what I've seen in past pictures. I believe the displays were reimagined to be more inclusive of children. Not a bad thing, it's just that it doesn't really have enough information and history about each collar. It's still a unique visit that's worth a visit while exploring the castle grounds.

For £1 you get to walk 3miles before treating yourself to food. The other option is £3 to take the…read moretrain. I did the walk simply because the sights, sounds, and smells really brought back memories of my childhood. Plus I wasn't in a rush to get anywhere. The Pier is located right in between adventure Island. It's pretty hard to miss considering it's quite massive and usually attracts the eyes of many tourists. I didn't actually see the waking option until the day of. I saw the train from a distance and my curiosity peeked. I wasn't even sure where the train was going but it was on a bridge heading somewhere. It's a beautiful experience and often times it's the locals that's venture out more than tourists. At the end, there's a few restaurants that serve fish and chips, coffee shops, washrooms and a mini museum.

£2 per person just to walk the pier. £5 something to walk one way and to take the train back. It's…read morethe longest pier in the world, 1.33 miles. It goes out really far. It's not too wide, there's a few seats along the way. There's nothing along the way, you just walk. cafes, stalls and a venue are all at the very end of the pier. I'm more used to piers that gave rides and arcade on the pier itself. But this is really nice too. No fishing going on from this pier. Someone told me you can see seals from the pier, but I didn't see any myself.

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.

If you like railways here's a little place to visit. It's just plain eccentric though, 3/4 a mile…read moreof track, buildings, trains & carriages just brought into an old farm, there was never any connection to or from this place, makes you proud to be British. At Christmas they have a Santa Train and other special day in the year.

If you've never been to a Railway Museum before and you live in Essex, then it's on your doorstep…read moreand well worth a few visits. If you live further away then I suggest you make plans to be there a while because it's not just a Museum but a working Railway and a restoration yard. It is all privately owned and features a 1 mile long standard gauge line with restored stations, signal boxes and ancillary equipment removed from various sites throughout East Anglia. Six Steam and 10 Diesel locomotives are currently on site, ranging from a (and this is for those who know what I'm talking about) 48hp Ruston & Hornsby shunter, to a BR Class 47, a 120 ton 2750hp monster. There is so much to say about Mangapps Railway Museum that it would take a day to say it so, visit soon. Find out more at http://mangapps.co.uk Allthough this Railway Museum has nothing to do with me, I visit it regularly and hold it dear to my heart.