A Local’s guide to family-friendly attractions near Brighton beach
‘Staycationing’ is still very much in vogue, with more 2023 domestic trips planned than in the year 2019, so who am I to buck this travel trend?!
I embarked on a mission this Easter holidays to take 2 weeks off and spend time with my girls doing the Brighton family attractions. There are so many things to do with the kids in Brighton, and quite honestly, we hadn’t done many of them - this was probably a combination of reasons - my children’s ages and interests and because of closures during 2020 and 2021. So, fast forward to the Easter holidays of 2023, I was a Mum on a mission to explore the family-friendly attractions near Brighton Beach!
In this blog I have put together a snapshot of our daily adventures, focussing on my recommendations on attractions on Brighton Beach or Seafront, or those within a 5-minute walk from the seafront.
My weekly travel edit recommendations, combine places you can go to afterward including family-friendly places to eat. Local Mum tips included aim to make everything that little bit easier - your welcome!
Enjoy and Happy Adventures!
Take a Family Flight on Brighton’s i360
We absolutely loved going up the i360. The girls have looked at it from the outside for so long, always intrigued by what it is and what exactly it does! We took the first flight of the day, at 11am, it was quite busy even at that time and people were getting involved and enjoying a glass of Nyetimber from the fully stocked bar, meanwhile I was enjoying a well-needed coffee at that time of day and the kids juices. During our ascent, we viewed some of the Brighton landmarks including, the Chattri, the Art & Believe artwork taking pride of place on the roof of the Holiday Inn, the shimmering coastline, the West Pier ruins, people swimming in the sea, The South Downs, along with earmarking some of the girl’s favourite places in Brighton. It really was like a real-life ‘Where’s Wally’ style experience and the girls were immersed in it, as well as enjoying the freedom of running around the ‘doughnut’, up high above the city. My hubby meanwhile was checking out the leaflet for the more extreme events they run there – like the abseiling ‘Drop 360’ and climb experiences (I’m not sure I am brave enough for that, give me yoga in the sky any day!) We all got something out of it as it’s such a unique experience and the perfect activity to do at the beginning of the holidays - to get an understanding of the city and famous landmarks within it.
There are multiple ticket options, as a Brighton Residents you can get a ticket for half the price with proof of your address, under 4’s are free of charge and if you are a visitor to the city you can combine a flight ticket with a Brighton Explorer pass which includes entry into the Brighton Pavilion & Gardens.
A Tour Fit for a King at Brighton Pavilion
Brighton Pavilion is an absolute must – we learned so much during our tour, and I promise both residents and visitors will get a lot of it. What is pretty crazy is that it was an official Royal Palace, like Buckingham and Windsor et al, but it was sold years ago to Brighton council – back in the 1900’s it was actually going to be demolished for property development but the good people of Brighton petitioned for its survival and won. Power to the People! There are many nuggets of information during the tour and during Spring 2023 there is a ‘Coronation Chicken’ themed scavenger hunt, making this a perfect topic for the upcoming Coronation as well as good at keeping the smaller guests focussed! Its location and design in the centre of Brighton make it possibly the most iconic landmark of the city and a place, whatever the season has something to offer. Location-wise, it is next door to the Brighton Museum and a short walk from Brighton Pier. Why not visit the Pavilion in the morning, then take a walk down East Street towards Brighton seafront, if you need a pit stop en-route you can duck into the Lanes and have lunch or a snack at Coppa Club Brighton which is a spacious and vibrant restaurant, with a great menu for grown-ups and children along with friendly service.
Make a Splash come rain or Shine at the Sea life Centre
If you are anything like us, no visit to a city or a holiday spot is quite ticked off until we have visited the destination’s aquarium. The Brighton Sealife Centre is not just any aquarium, it is, quite literally, the World’s oldest aquarium! 150 years to be exact and the building reflects its old and new narrative, on entry, you walk through the old and atmospheric Victorian aquarium, where you can view jellyfish and in our case, touch a starfish (supervised of course!) During our visit the Peppa Pig event was taking place in the cafeteria in the Victorian chamber, this added to the experience as we got to meet Peppa as well as do some Peppa Easter crafts, some of which we brought home with us. As you exit the Victorian section you go through an incredible ant walk-through, followed by a theatre seating area housing a glass bottom boat experience (this costs extra and requires pre-booking) and then onto the most incredible ‘day & night’ interactive coral reef experience – we were there for some time, it really was quite magical! That was worth a visit, along with the turtle, ray, and shark spotting in the famous Sealife Tunnel. The aquarium has seen a refurb in 2019, so if you have been before this time, it is worth a revisit. If you are looking for a place to dine before or after, just around the corner on the Steine is VIP Pizza - this is a firm favourite for families and also delivers on taste, service and ambiance. If you are looking for more choice, take a longer walk along the Brighton seafront towards West Pier to the snazzy Shelter Hall, which serves VIP Pizza along with other delicious Brighton-based food concepts.
Every day is a School Day with a trip to Brighton Museum
Brighton Museum used to be free entry, but they now charge a nominal fee of £9 per adult and £4 per child and I fully support this if it means to keep the building going and staff employed. It’s a beautiful place, set within the Pavilion Gardens, adjoining the infamous Brighton Dome. It houses a mix of both local history and culture, such as a Punch & Judy show and old fairground memorabilia, along with Queer the Pier section, all about the LGBTQIA+ community in the city, fashions through the ages, Brighton Rocks and Mod Culture and videos on other Brighton museums such as the Preston Manor ghost stories which is on the hitlist for Summer 2023! Downstairs there is a small section on the Egypitians which my Year 2 aged child was fascinated, along with a section about womens football and some World history. At the end, we walked through Mr Willett’s pottery collection we sat at the craft table and did some drawings, completed some of the hunts provided at the entrance. We were there for three & ½ hours and when I mentioned this to the member of staff on leaving she seemed genuinely thrilled. It was a really great way to spend the best part of the morning into the early afternoon, at low cost with lots of learning. There is a cute gift shop selling local arts and crafts, photography along with books. I picked up a couple of gifts from the sale table and left feeling enlightened with happy, calm children. My recommendation for dining nearby is Bills Restaurant, I believe it is the second Bills in the Uk (the first being nearby Bills in home turf Lewes), during the week they are offering kids eat free with paying adults.
No trip to Brighton is complete without a visit to Brighton Palace Pier
You can’t go wrong with a visit to Brighton Palace Pier. You possibly won’t be able to avoid it either, the bright lights, the fairground noises and the scent of donuts will have your kids making a run for it! So on a nice day walking to the end is a pleasant experience, and you will relish taking in the views, stopping for family photos, and zig-zagging along to the end. On a wet or windy day, it might be a very different experience! Whatever the weather there is something for everyone, from the ‘Palace of Fun’, for your classic 2p machines and arcade games, the ‘Palace Play’ – quite possibly the most epic soft plays ever, and be warned, it’s loud! (but the kids love it and coffee or alcohol is available at nearby Horatio’s!) If you make it down to the end, then buy yourself a Palace Pier wristband or ride pass card and get yourselves on that Helter Skelter, Dodgems, log flume, etc! There are a lot of rides, suitable for all ages with the added thrill of being above the water. Toilets are conveniently located at the entrance to the fayre. After your pier visit why not team it with a ride on the Volks Railway, followed by a stop off at Yellowave for dining with a giant sandpit), Peter Pans Playground or Jungle Rumble Crazy Golf are all located together East of Brighton Palace Pier towards the Marina in the Banjo Groyne part of Brighton Beach - a quieter and less touristic spot on Brighton Beach.
“Don’t count the days. Make the days count!”
For more information about a trip to Brighton, I would recommend doing some research on Visit Brighton. It’s also good to know that children under 12 travel for free currently on all Brighton and Hove buses, if you are visiting the city, then you can download the app here.
So there you have it, a locals guide to family-friendly attractions on and around Brighton Beach. I hope I have provided you with some useful nuggets of information to help you plan and enjoy your days out in Brighton. Don’t hesitate to tag me in your mini adventures, and use #myweeklytraveledit
Any questions - please don’t hesitate to ask!
Thanks for stopping by!
Carla x