Welcome to your summer holiday guide and everything you need for a summer of fun! 

Find the BIG summer holiday guide here with our top picks or separate links to each article below

We have everything you need for a summer of fun:

☀️What's on guide - Your summer bible to finding all the local events. Use the list to browse all events or click the calendar to jump to any date in the future

☀️70 FREE & low cost things to do this summer - Including local events and places to visit

☀️Things to do - A huge category of local attractions including museums, farms and zoo's, sports and leisure, transport, out and about and hands-on activities.

☀️Summer Holiday Planner - An A3 planner to print out and help you get organised 

☀️Summer bucket list - A cute activity to do together 

☀️Guide for working parents - Evening and weekend events for working parents 

☀️Places to stop on The Open Top Bus - Suggestions on where hop on and off! 

☀️Summer holiday guide for Under 5's - COMING SOON

☀️Pubs with play areas 

☀️Holiday clubs and classes   - Local summer camps and regular groups still running through the holidays. This includes baby and toddler groups!

☀️Where to play Crazy golf  - A round-up of all the places you can play crazy golf in and around Southend

☀️ Places to go Fruit Picking

☀️Cafes with play areas 

☀️Days out for teens & tweens - A great list if you're stuck on ideas for the older ones

☀️Where to find discounted tickets for local attractions - Get discounted tickets for Adventure Island and Sealife!

☀️Places to take babies and toddlers - If you're looking for somewhere quieter to take the younger ones!

☀️ Summer Reading Challenge - Sign up at any library for free! 

☀️ Kids week - Take the kids to a London Theatre for FREE with a full paying adult ticket

☀️Summer Scavenger hunt  - A cheap idea to keep you busy whilst out and about

☀️Parks and Playgrounds - COMING SOON 

☀️Children's trails in Essex - COMING SOON

☀️10 FREE & low cost days out in London - COMING SOON

A great day out for every summer is fruit picking and it's fun for the whole family. We don't have many farms that you can pick your own near Southend unfortunately, but we've pulled together the closest. Always check before travelling what and if/what fruit is available, depending on how much has been picked the day before. Most PYO farms require you to book before visiting.

Click here to find out more about these PYO farms

🍓 Hilltop Farm - Benfleet, SS7 1PH (Approximately 15 - 20 minutes from Southend)

🍓 Lathcoats Farm - Great Baddow, Chelmsford. CM2 8LX (approximately 30 minutes from Southend)

🍓Little Mountains Farm (approximately 45-50 minutes from Southend)

🍓 Cammas Hall Farm - Hatfield Broad Oak. CM22 7JT (approximately 50 minutes from Southend)

🍓 Foxes Farm Produce - Colchester. CO6 3PR (approximately 1 hour from Southend)

🍓 McLauchlans of Boxted - Boxted Berries - CO4 5RB (approximately 1 hour from Southend)

Is fruit picking on your list this summer? If you go somewhere new, tell us about it here