Browse the siteWelcome! From bumps to teens we have it covered.
This is your one-stop site for everything you need to know about living in Southend with children.
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
☀️65+ FREE & low cost things to do this summer
☀️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 NEW
☀️Mum's Guide to Waddle On Sea - More info on the Waddle-On-Sea trail and where ideas to make a day of it! NEW
☀️Places to stop on The Open Top Bus - Suggestions on where hop on and off! NEW
☀️Summer holiday guide for Under 5's NEW
☀️Holiday clubs and classes - Local summer camps and regular groups still running through the holidays. This includes baby and toddler groups!
☀️10 FREE & low cost days out in London - COMING SOON
☀️Where to play Crazy golf - A round-up of all the places you can play crazy golf in and around Southend
☀️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
☀️ Kids eat free - 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
The Summer Reading Challenge is free and runs from Thursday 24 July to Saturday 30 August. You can join in at any of Southend's 6 libraries.
🌳This year's theme is Story Garden - Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors. It will help children use their imagination by reading stories and learning how nature and storytelling go together in a fun and magical way.
How it works
Join the challenge at any of our libraries from 12 July (or at any time during the challenge).
Borrow books you like and read them at home.
Come back to the library and tell us about the books you read. You will get a collector's card and a sticker for each one.
Keep collecting rewards as you read more books.
The rewards are as follows:
Read 3 books - you will get a bookmark
Read 6 books - you will get: A medal
A certificate
A chance to win prizes like tickets from:
Caddies
Adventure Island
Southend Theatres (Pantomime)
Southend United Football Club
Children under 4 can join the mini challenge. It is a simpler challenge where you read or share 6 books with a grown.
Nuclear Splash
28th May
- 2nd September
Wild Forest, Kelvedon Hatch, Brentwood
Waddle On Sea - FREE
(FREE)
11th July
- 3rd September
Southend-On/Sea, Southend centre, Shoeburyness and Leigh
The Destination Lakeside Summer beach -FREE
(FREE)
18th July
- 31st August
Destination Lakeside, Thurrock
Summer Festival at Audley End Miniature Railway
19th July
- 31st August
Audley End Miniature Railway, Saffrom Warden
Rangers and Raptors
19th July
- 31st August
Call of the Wild Zoo, South Woodham Ferrers
Summer holiday fun at RHS Garden Hyde Hall
19th July
- 31st August
RHS Hyde Hall, Chelmsford
My Pet Pals workshops - FREE
(FREE)
19th July
- 31st August
Pets at Home, Rochford Road, Southend
Bugs and butterfly summer trail - FREE
(FREE)
19th July
- 31st August
Hadleigh Country Park, Hadleigh
Summer at Barleylands
19th July
- 31st August
Barleylands Farm, Billericay
Summer of fun at Hopefield
21st July
- 31st August
Hopefield Animal Sanctuary, Brentwood
Nuclear High Ropes Summer Pass
21st July
- 1st September
Nuclear High Ropes, Kelevdon Hatch, Brentwood
Bubble 'n' Bop Children's Festival at Marsh Farm
21st July
- 31st August
Marsh Farm, South Woodham Ferrers
Enchanted Fairy Trail
25th July
- 31st August
Garon Park, Southend
Scott's Maize maze
26th July
- 31st August
Scotts of Southend Garden Centre, Rochford
Scott's FootGolf
26th July
- 31st August
Scotts of Southend Garden Centre, Rochford
Summer at Lemon Witch
28th July
- 31st August
Lemon Witch, Leigh-On-Sea
Music in the park
(FREE)
30th August
- 31st August
Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea
Essex Fire Museum - Family Open day - FREE
(FREE)
31st August
Essex Fire Museum (Grays Fire Station), Grays
Hadleigh community summer fayre
(FREE)
31st August
John Burrows park, Hadleigh
Fuelled by motion BBQ evenings
(FREE)
4th September
The Green Barn Farm Shop, Benfleet
Enchanted Fairy Trail
25th July
- 31st August
Garon Park, Southend
Summer at Lemon Witch
28th July
- 31st August
Lemon Witch, Leigh-On-Sea
Music in the park
(FREE)
30th August
- 31st August
Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea
Music in the park
(FREE)
6th September
- 7th September
Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea
Taste Of The Caribbean Food and Drink Festival - Southend
6th September
Priory Park, Southend-on-sea
Southend Coastguard Open day - FREE
(FREE)
13th September
HM Coastguard Rescue station, Southend-On-Sea
Music in the park
(FREE)
13th September
- 14th September
Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea
Music in the park
(FREE)
20th September
- 21st September
Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea
Music in the park
(FREE)
27th September
- 28th September
Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea
ForestTots: Pumpkins & Potions
18th October
Do It Like A Mother, Westcliff
Why not browse through some of the listings we have recently added to the site...
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