20 Attractions to Explore Near Leeds Castle

A huge park that has 450 acres pf area and dates back to the 13th Century. During the late 1700s, the grounds were considerably improved, and the mansion that still stands overlooking the lake was built. Its wide variety of facilities, attractions, and scenery make it an excellent place to go for a day out – and its location means that it’s easily accessible from Maidstone town center.

Maidstone Museum is a beautiful and elegant regional museum housed in the gorgeous Chillington Manor, an Elizabethan manor house. It is home to a wide range of collections including especially Ethnography, Japanese Decorative Arts, Ancient Egypt, Archaeology and Costume. The museum is one of three operated by Maidstone Borough Council. The building is Grade II* listed.

St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church, located in Kent County, Delaware, is a historic Episcopal church with roots dating back to the early 18th century. Established in 1734, it stands as one of the oldest Episcopal congregations in the state.

The Big Cat Sanctuary is the UK's largest specialist Big Cat Breeding and Conservation Centre. It was founded in 2000 and is a UK registered conservation charity which is home to over 50 wild cats. A 32 acre site hidden in the peaceful Kent countryside began by default as a refuge for rescued cats. Now recognised as a centre of excellence and one of Europe's biggest wild cat centres making global partnership and supporting conservation initiatives.

Kent Life is a fun destination with a host of attractions on its 28-acre site, including a collection of fascinating buildings relocated from the Kent countryside and so more. Whether you want to learn about Kent history, get up close with farm animals, or simply burn off some steam, this is a great place to be.

A beautiful country park, standing on the site of the old Maidstone Zoo, the park features a themed play area, along with a sculpture trail, plenty of space for picnics, and a cafe. It has since been planted with over 600 different species of trees and shrubs. An array of exotic plants can be found in the Arboretum, or Parkland Garden, which lies on the eastern side of the park.

Kit's Coty House and its neighbor, Little Kit's Coty House, are the remains of two megalithic 'dolmen' burial chambers. Kit's Coty is the larger of the two monuments, with three uprights and a massive capstone, while the smaller, Little Kit's Coty, is now a jumble of sarsens. Archaeologists have established that the monument was built by pastoralist communities shortly after the introduction of agriculture to Britain from continental Europe.

Buckmore Park is the home of British karting and the career starting point for many famous racing drivers including Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. The karts used are the 80mph 390cc 4 Stroke SODI RT8 Karts, which are high tech and capture live data such as speed, lap times, and splits. It was owned by John Surtees, the only person to have won world Grand Prix championships in both Formula One car racing and Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Sissinghurst Castle garden was created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson who transformed the ruins of this Elizabethan mansion and gardens in the 1930s. It is among the most famous gardens in England and is designated Grade I on Historic England's register of historic parks and gardens. The gardens contain an internationally respected plant collection, particularly the assemblage of old garden roses. The writer Anne Scott-James considered the roses at Sissinghurst to be "one of the fi

Biddenden Vineyards is Kent’s original commercial vineyard; a family run vineyard with the second and third generation of the Barnes family managing the estate. Here at Biddenden 11 different grape varieties are planted across 23 acres of gentle south facing slopes, on sandy loam over clay situated in a shallow sheltered valley.

The Hop Farm Family Park is a 400-acre Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, England, is over 450 years old, and has the largest collection of oast houses in the world. The River Medway flows through the park – so you can arrive by canoe if you like, or stick around on site for fishing and kayaking. If you'd rather arrive by more conventional means, there's easy access from the A228 and Paddock Wood train station is a handy five minutes' drive away.

Godinton is a remarkable country house, nestled in the heart of Kent. Dating back to the 14th century. It has a Rose Garden, an Italian and Walled Garden, Delphinium borders, a Wild Garden and Ponds. The gardens include one of the longest Yew hedges in England, as well as having spectacular displays of delphiniums, irises, wild flowers and roses.

Elmley is a huge National Nature Reserve, where peaceful meadows and waterways are dominated by vast, soul-stirring skies. you are likely to see water birds wading in the ponds, magnificent birds of prey soaring above, hares bounding across the meadows, as well as butterflies, dragonflies, and bees exploring the waterways and wildflowers. One of the iconic locations where you can spend some good time in the greens and also it's quite challenging.

The Kent and East Sussex Railway refers to both a historical private railway company in Kent and East Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company. The picturesque line weaves between Tenterden and Bodiam for 10 1/2 miles. England's finest rural light railway enables visitors to experience travel and service from a bygone age aboard beautifully restored coaches and locomotives dating from Victorian times.

This is one of the best known gardens in Kent, a worthy winner of Visit Kent's Garden of the Year award in 2016. It contains fine yew hedges, large lawns with specimen trees, walled gardens, pools and mixed borders combined with bulbs, rhododendrons and azaleas. The massed bluebells in the woodland walk make spring an especially good time to visit.

Shorne Wood Country Park is located between Strood and Gravesend, in the English county of Kent. It was once part of a large estate and then later passed to the county council to be used as a country park. This park was once part of the large Cobham Hall Estate. The main entrance to the Hall, leads through the park with various other carriage rides around the estate. It has large areas of ancient woodland and heathland meadows.

Scotney Castle was built in c. 1378-80 by Roger Ashburnham. It was strategically sited where the road from Rye and Hastings crossed the valley of the Bewel. It is a fourteenth century moated castle with a garden that is a prime example of picturesque aesthetic ideas applied to garden design. The central feature is the ruins of a medieval, moated manor house, Scotney Old Castle, which is on an island on a small lake.

Bedgebury National Pinetum is the most complete collection of coniferous trees anywhere in the world. It provides a beautiful setting for peaceful walks and picnics. The Bedgebury cafe also has wonderful views of the pinetum. It has miles of family cycling and mountain-biking, walking, and running trails, as well as Go Ape tree top adventure, and an adventure play trail.

Chapel Down is England’s leading wine producer with an award-winning range of world-class sparkling & still wines and hugely successful range of Curious beers and cider. Chapel Down offers a world-class range of sparkling and still wines, together with a collection of premium spirits, and an award-winning range of Curious beers and cider. Enjoy a truly memorable day out at England’s leading winery.

Mount Ephraim Gardens is an Edwardian terraced garden located at Hernhill, near Faversham, in the English county of Kent. For over 300 years the Dawes family have lovingly cared for the country house and gardens and today they present one of the breathtaking spots in the southeast of England. Ten acres of classical gardens lie within an 800-acre farm with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The gardens are open to the public from April to September on Wednesdays to Sundays and Bank Ho