20 Attractions to Explore Near Stone Bay

The Dickens House Museum is housed in the cottage that was Charles Dickens’ inspiration for the home of Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield. David’s description of Betsey’s cottage with its square graveled garden full of flowers, and a parlor of old-fashioned furniture still fits today. Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine Dickens lived here with the eldest three of their ten children, with the older two of Dickens's daughters, Mary Dickens and Kate Macready Dickens being born in the house.

Joss Bay is a popular 200 metre long bay, best known as Thanet's best surfing beach. It is surrounded by fields and a golf course, so offers a wide expanse of sand and carefree play. The beach is perfect for a day at the beach with deck chair and lounger hire available, a beach shop and café on the sands and children’s rides. The beach is reputedly named after an eighteenth-century smuggler, Joss Snelling. He was notorious for importing a variety of contraband to the various beaches of the Isle

Botany Bay is the northernmost of seven bays in the popular Kent resort of Broadstairs. This sandy beach is deservedly popular with clean sands and a Blue Flag award for water quality. It features chalk cliffs and is a popular tourist location. Bathing is reportedly safe for swimming, surfing, and kayaking, and lifeguards are on duty.

Hornby Visitor Centre is a fantastic day out for the whole family, Featuring rare products from the Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix, and Corgi archives, track the history of Hornby’s iconic model trains from Frank Hornby’s early home-made toys in sheet metal, through the development of Hornby ‘O’ gauge and Hornby-Dublo. Don't miss the spectacular Model Railway and Scalextric layouts, plus grab the latest products in the Shop which offers an extensive range of Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix, Humbrol and C

The Ramsgate Tunnels, in the seaside town of Ramsgate in Thanet, East Kent, have been transformed from a derelict railway line and bomb shelter into an exhibition space, café, and tourist attraction through the hard work of volunteers. It will take you underground to unlock the story of a hidden underground city which evolved from the largest and only known Civilian Deep Shelter Air Raid Precaution scheme authorized by Central Government.

Ramsgate Maritime Museum is a maritime museum in Ramsgate, Kent, England, that describes the maritime history of East Kent. It includes a gallery of special exhibitions, including a permanent gallery "Voyagers" which introduces the story of Britain and the sea. The museum was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Shell Grotto is an astonishing 70 ft of winding passages decorated with 4.6 million shells - arranged as images and patterns including gods and goddesses, and trees of life made from the shells of whelks, mussels, and oysters. It was discovered in 1835, but its age and purpose remain unknown. The grotto is a Grade I-listed building and is open to the public.

The Port of Ramsgate is one of 26 municipal ports in England and Wales. It is set on 32 acres of dedicated port land, and is owned and operated by Thanet District Council. The harbour has the unique distinction of being the only harbour in the United Kingdom awarded the right to call itself a Royal Harbour.

The Scenic Railway at the 16-acre Dreamland amusement park in Margate, Kent dates back to the 1920s and, as such, is the oldest surviving roller coaster in the UK. It is one of just eight scenic railways in the world.

Dreamland was one of the UK’s best-loved amusement parks. Considered to be the oldest surviving theme park in Great Britain. it is home to lovingly restored vintage rides, as well as an outdoor event space big enough to attract huge names such as Gorillaz. The number of amusements at the park increased during the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1981 the site was sold to the Dutch Bembom brothers, who renamed it "Bembom Brothers White Knuckle Theme Park". The name remained until it reverted to Dreamland

Turner Contemporary is an art gallery in Margate, Kent, England, intended as a contemporary arts space and catalyst for the regeneration of the town. The title commemorates the association of the town with noted landscape painter J. M. W. Turner, who went to school there, and visited throughout his life.

This timeless beach with tidal pool, children’s rides and amusement arcades offer families traditional seaside fun and entertainment. Even if the tide is in there is still plenty of beach to make sandcastles. Restaurants, bars and seafood stalls are just a short walk away in the Old Town. It became a popular place for holidaymakers in the 18th century, owing to easy access via the Thames, and later with the arrival of the railways; popular landmarks include the sandy beaches and the Dreamlan

The Spitfire and Hurricane Museum is a unique site housing a Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI and the Hawker Hurricane IIC as well as a host of objects and artifacts which help tell the story of life in and around Ramsgate during WWII. It was officially opened on 13th June 1981 to house Spitfire TB752 and was the very first building to be erected on any RAF Station to house a gate-guardian aircraft.

Pegwell Bay forms part of the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve. It has stunning views of Sandwich and Deal to the West and the cliffs of Ramsgate to the East and is a great place for a bracing walk or cycle ride. Part of the bay is a nature reserve, with seashore habitats including mudflats and salt marsh with migrating waders and wildfowl. The public can access the nature reserve via Pegwell Bay Country Park, which is off the A256 Ramsgate to Dover road.

The Powell-Cotton Museum at Quex Park was established in 1896 by Major Percy Horace Gordon Powell-Cotton to house natural history museum specimens and cultural objects collected on expeditions to Asia and Africa. The museum, which links to the ground floor of Quex House, now comprises nine galleries dedicated not only to the extensive collection of large mammals but to many artifacts representing the cultures and traditions of the locations Powell-Cotton visited.

Richborough is a key site in the history of Roman Britain, used during the entire length of the occupation from the invasion of AD 43 until the end of Roman rule around 410. . Explore the huge stone walls which mark the site of this Saxon Shore fortress, the rolling defensive ditches and impressive foundations showing the scale of this once bustling Roman settlement. The site is now under the care of English Heritage.

The Royal St George's Golf Club located in Sandwich, Kent, England, is a golf club in the United Kingdom and one of the courses on The Open Championship rotation and is the only Open rota golf course to be located in Southern England. The club was founded by the surgeon Laidlaw Purves in 1887 in a setting of wild duneland. Many holes feature blind or partially blind shots, although the unfairness element has been reduced somewhat, after several 20th century modifications.

Betteshanger Country Park sits on the former colliery spoil heap and It offers a 250-acres of outstanding space for people to access and explore the outdoors. It provides access to a variety of environments including woodland, grassland and marshland. It houses the most important cycling centre in East Kent, with a 3-kilometre road cycling track providing safe, traffic free road cycling facilities. The surface material of the entire park was mixed with recycled green waste and fertiliser to cr

Deal Castle is one of the finest Tudor artillery castles in England, and a must-see on your visit to the quirky seaside town of Deal. It was built in 1539–40 on Henry VIII’s order as an artillery fortress, designed to allow all-round firepower from over 140 guns. For over 250 years it defended the important naval anchorage called the Downs, and in 1648 endured a hard-fought siege between Royalist and Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil Wars.

Reculver Towers are a striking pair of 12th-century church towers built within a Roman fort on the very edge of the Wantsum Channel. The most dominant features of this site are the 12th-century towers of the former monastic church, which stand out on the skyline for miles around. Coastal erosion has brought the edge of the beach to the towers, which act as a navigation marker for shipping. Much of the site has now been lost to the sea.