Every spring, the Garden of England overflows with bonnets, bunnies and babies as the Easter celebrations begin. We’ve got Easter egg hunts, trails, craft activities, festivals, baby animals, playgrounds, castles, gardens, and of course, CHOCOLATE! April is just around the corner, so get planning your Easter days out now!

The romantic Hever Castle and Gardens is inviting all to a creative Easter Bonnet competition, alongside an impressive display of Longbow Archery around the grounds, and don’t forget to top it all off with a warming drink and buttery hot-cross bun from the restaurant. Easter at Hever Castle and Gardens Sat 5 – Mon 21 Apr 10:30am -6pm Longbow Archery takes place on 12-13 Apr only.  

Over in Tonbridge, Penshurst Place and Gardens are making their Easter celebrations a little more special. Rather than seeking Easter eggs, visitors will be able to hunt for WWI carrier pigeons with hidden messages, learning more about the great story of carrier pigeons during WWI,  as Penshurst kick start their WWI commemorations for 2014. Young ones can also create their own soldier bonnets, complete with colouring and craft activities.  Easter Holiday Fun at Penshurst Place and Gardens Sat 5 – Mon 21 Apr 10:30am – 4pm.

Easter Trails

Easter-time means only one thing to little ones – Easter eggs and chocolate treats. Stunning properties around the county have become the setting for trails and hunts to seek out sweet delights. Many of the National Trust properties in Kent want to know if you are a Cadbury’s Eggsplorer, with lots of great activities and trails not only for chocolates, but through magical courtyards, ancient parkland and historical rooms! How many can you find among the sprouting leaves and green shoots in the Garden of England?

-           Chartwell (Westerham), Fri 18 – Mon 21 Apr 11am-4pm

-           Knole Park (Sevenoaks), Sat 19 Apr 12noon- 4pm

-           Ightham Mote (Sevenoaks), Sat 19 Apr 10am-4pm

-           Emmetts Garden (Sevenoaks), Fri 18 – Mon 21 Apr 10am-4.15pm

-           Quebec House (Westerham), Sat 19-Mon 21 Apr 11am-5pm

-           Sissinghurst Castle (Nr Cranbrook), Fri 18 – Mon 21 Apr 11am-4pm

-           Smallhythe Place (Tenterden), Fri 18 – Mon 21 Apr 11am-4pm

If you feel that too much chocolate is a bad thing (who thinks that?), spring-time also brings about great celebrations in the natural world, with baby lambs and hatching chicks galore. Brogdale Collection’s three-day Easter extravaganza sees baby animals, chickens and more descend on the National Fruit Collections in Faversham, where visitors can meet the animals. Any ‘Grow-your Own’ enthusiasts can hear special talks and demonstrations from The Plant Centre, or simply admire the spectacular blossoms with a walking tour of the orchards. Easter at Brogdale (Faversham), Fri 18 – Sun 20 Apr 10am-3pm.

Kent Life, Maidstone is springing into Easter with the arrival of baby animals, where visitors can help out with feeding, or burn off that energy in both indoor and outdoor play centre and activities. For bigger beasts, take a trip to Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal parks for more baby animals, hunts, trails, activities and special Easter enrichment for the animals. Spring into Easter at Kent Life Sat 5 – Mon 21 Apr 10am-6pm.

For those who are looking for something a little different, Kent still has plenty to offer. It’s the Medway Festival of Steam and Transport at the Historic Dockyard, Chatham opening its doors to this hugely-popular annual event. Expect all things steam and vintage, with this year being even bigger for music, with more bands and acts complimenting the classic feel throughout the weekend.          Medway’s Festival of Steam and Transport (Chatham), Sun 20 – Mon 21 Apr 10am-6pm.

Down on the coast, there’s even more celebrations. Turner Contemporary in Margate is celebrating its 3rd birthday and will have a giant painting contraption for people to have fun with! Shoot the huge paint cannon at the spinning wheel and see what art you can create!   Easter at Turner Contemporary (Margate), Tue 15 – Mon 21 Apr 10am-4pm

Down at Dover Castle, Roman gladiators seek new recruits and medieval knights and princesses roam. Meet Victorian toymakers, tackle the WWII assault course, and then get hands on with knights training, all at Dover Castle (Dover), during the Easter weekend.  Children’s Festival at Dover Castle (Dover), Fri 18 – Mon 21 Apr 10am- 5pm

This Spring, there’s countless reasons to enjoy Kent, so come and hunt out your own Easter trail in the Garden of England!

For further details and a full list of Easter events taking place this spring see www.visitkent.co.uk

For enquiries please contact:

Kerstin Andrews on 01227 812904 or Kerstin.andrews@visitkent.co.uk

For images of Kent, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/visitkent

About Visit Kent:

Visit Kent Limited is a public/private sector partnership supported by Kent County Council, Medway Council, the district and borough councils, Tourism South East and the leading sector tourism businesses in Kent. Visit Kent champions Kent’s £3.2 billion tourism industry by targeting UK and overseas markets, improving quality and skills and growing investment in the tourism product.   For further information visit www.visitkentbusiness.co.uk