Ramsgate Tunnels
Tunnel Town Tours are back for the half term and available on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th of February at 1.30pm. Join the guides for an exploration of the town that flourished under Ramsgate during the war years.
To book tickets visit https://buff.ly/486d6Sw or pop into the ticket office.
Margate Caves
The Caves are open every day until 18 February for half term, 11am to 4pm and are celebrating Women in STEM with a trail. Messy Monday returns with a Science theme on Monday 12th February, £1.50 per child.
Hidden beneath an ordinary street in Margate and accessed via a twisty 15m tunnel, the Margate Caves is a magical subterranean system, filled with colourful cave paintings and murals dating back to Georgian times. Enthusiastic volunteers are on hand to highlight the fascinating stories and geological quirks of this mysterious site, which over the years has been used as a Gentleman’s den, Victorian tourist attraction and wartime air raid shelter.
Above the ground is a café, gift shop and discovery room showcasing the history of the caves and weaving stories of local giants, ancient kings and shameless smugglers.
For more details see Margate Caves at www.margatecaves.co.uk/whats-on
Rent
Wantsum Productions will be bringing award-winning musical Rent to the stage in Ramsgate this half term.
Rent, whose dramatisation, music and lyrics won writer Jonathan Larson awards both in his lifetime and posthumously, was originally produced in New York and premiered in 1996.The musical brought new forms of music to the genre of musical theatre.
Set against the background of the Aids/HIV epidemic of the 1980s, it follows the story of an impoverished group of people connected through their artistic talents and their struggle to survive in Lower Manhattan.
The show features lyrics such as ‘525,600 minutes’ from Seasons of Love, and ‘So with a thousand Sweet Kisses’ from I’ll Cover You.
Show dates: Thursday 15th – Saturday 17th February 7.30pm
Venue: The Theatre at Chatham House, Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School Chatham Street, Ramsgate CT11 7PS.
Tickets: Adult £16, Under 18 £14, group booking for 4 adults £58 (ticket prices includes the booking fee)
There is a special promotion with 10% off tickets bought online using code WPIT10.
Book at:https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/wantsum-productions
Children’s Story Time and Book festival
February 12-16, 10am to 4pm, Baker Street Bistro (upstairs at Petticoat Lane Emporium, Dumpton Park Drive, Ramsgate
Children’s book festival with story time twice a day at 11am and 2pm.
Little ones can come along and enjoy a sing song, some storytelling and competitions as well. Everyone welcome!
Authors Julie EA Leonard, Kat McDermott, Peter Erlam and Safia Haq and Bibi Y Haq
Margate Crab Museum
Margate’s Crab Museum has reopened ready for visitors to explore all thing crustacean. The venue is headed by enthusiasts and brothers Ned and Bertie Suesat-Williams, from Margate, Chase Coley, from Canvey Island, and GRETL – the museums AI guide.
Find the Crab Museum at 9 Broad Street Margate
Opening Times from February 10:
Saturday: 11am – 5pm
Sunday: 11am – 5pm
Last entry 4.30pm
Or go online at www.crab.mu or find them on facebook here
Bricks At The Museum
Lego enthusiasts are invited to explore a half-term exhibition and figure hunt at RAF Manston History Museum.
Bricks At The Museum takes place from February 10-18, 10am to 3pm daily.
There will be Lego models and a Lego figure hunt around the museum ( £1.50 to take part) with a prize for winners.
Normal museum entry costs apply. Other attractions at RAF Manston History Museum include ejection seats, a 1940’s experience, photos, models, vehicles and more.
Museum admission
Adult: £5.50
Child: £2.50 under 5’s Free
Concessions: £4.50
Carer: £2.50
Family (2 adults and up to 4 children): £16
Find the museum at 821 Manston Road, Ramsgate or on facebook here
School of Rock
School of Rock is on stage at the Granville Theatre in Ramsgate from February 14-17 and features a talented adult cast from production company Regency Productions and a group of talented youngsters from across Kent.
School of Rock is the global hit musical based on the movie starring Jack Black. The story follows Dewy Finn, originally played by Jack Black and now played by In With Flynn frontman Drayson Goldfinch.
Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite prep school, Dewy exposes his students to the rock gods he idolises, transforming them into a mind‐blowing rock band. Featured favourite numbers include “Stick it to the Man”, “Teachers Pet” and “You’re in the Band.”
Shows at 7.30pm with an additional 2.30pm matinee on the Saturday.
Tickets cost from £20.90. Book here
Half Term Alpaca Trekking
February 12-16, Quex estate, Daily treks at 1pm
Meet Freddy this half term for a trek through the woodland!
Fun and educational – discover interesting facts about Alpacas
Photo opportunities
Family Ticket £50 for 2 adults and 2 children, / Adult and Child (6-14 years) £35
Experiences from £8.50 per person
Kids Go Free at the Shell Grotto
February 10-18, daily 11am-4pm The Shell Grotto, Grotto Hill, Margate
Kids 16 and under go FREE with a paying adult between 10th -18th February
Tickets Adult Ticket £4.50, Concession Ticket (Over 60s, students, registered disabled, armed forces) £4
The WonderWorks Scalextric Race
February 11-15, from 10am-2,30pm, The WonderWorks (at Hornby Hobbies) Margate
This half-term, rev up the excitement and join a thrilling Scalextric Race Event.
Get ready to experience the ultimate in miniature racing fun and be in with the chance of winning a Scalextric set worth £149.99, with more prizes for 2nd and 3rd places. The race takes place in the shop area, it costs £2 per person and is on from Sunday 11th – Thursday 15th February, 10am – 2:30pm.
Half Term at Monkton Nature Reserve
Enjoy the freedom of Monkton Nature Reserve – literally, because it’s free to visit during February, excluding half-term events
The 16-acre oasis, reclaimed from a former chalk quarry, is just the place to revitalise mind and mood. Which trails do you fancy – dinosaurs and fossils, sculptures, or woodland? Relax in the Cabin café and find vintage treasures in the popular second-hand bookshop.
Sessions: £3 for members and £5 for non-members
Tuesday 13th:
11am – Conservation Station (suggested 8+) Green energy in action. Budding builder? Here’s a challenge. Build a simple cricuit to light a bulb with the sun and wind. Run a clock using fruit or veg. Light a bulb with a hand-held turbine. FULLY BOOKED
1pm – Winter Trees, Lantern and Trail. Collect twigs to make a tree. Add ‘snow’ using paint and cotton wool. Make a pine tree lantern. Identify winter trees. FULLY BOOKED
Thursday 15th:
11am – Leaf Globes. Find fallen leaves on the reserve. Chose shaped cutters to prepare your leaves. Create a natural leaf globe to take home. FULLY BOOKED
1pm – Apple Bird Feeders. Make an apple bird feeder. Craft rocking birds. Take a pot of meal worms to feed to robins as you spot birds on the reserve.
Friday 16th:
11am – Egg Carton Geodes. No time to wait a thousand years? These geodes are quick and fun to make. A geode is a plain rock that forms with beautiful crystals inside. View real geodes. FULLY BOOKED
1pm – Fox Tales. Watch footage of the reserve’s curious foxes. Find the foxes and their fun, fox facts in the Education Garden. Fashion a fox from a cardboard plate.
Tide & Seek Storytime
February 15, 10am – 11am, Kinder Collective, 8 Nelson Place, Broadstairs
Sophie Jones of Tide and Seek Beach School is back for another fun-filled storytime
Sophie shares two of her favourite books which celebrate nature for little ones: A Good Place and Don’t Worry Little Crab.
The relaxed session will last about half an hour, it’s floor-seated and open to all ages. Please book a ticket for each child attending so numbers can be safely monitored.
This event is free to attend but you can donate to Mama to Mama, Thanet’s only baby bank. When you book your ticket, you will receive a list of priority items that would be so helpful to the users of Mama to Mama. Alternatively, you can donate your preferred amount by card in store on the day.
Turning Red (PG)
Carlton Cinema Westgate
A 13-year-old girl named Mei Lee turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited.
Now until February 15. Details here
Abstract Photography
Now until February 14, 10.30am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-4pm Sunday, York Street Gallery, Ramsgate
Abstract Photography by Laura Drury.
A selection of Laura’s work of familiar views, abstracted by a beautiful colour.
Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction, 1950 – 1970
Now until Monday 6 May , Turner Contemporary Wednesday to Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Taking in work from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, and including everything from brutalist sculpture to textile arts, Turner Contemporary’s new exhibition finds women wrestling with the post-1945 world.
Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction, 1950 – 1970 includes more than fifty artists.
Lillyputt Minigolf Broadstairs
Lillyputt is open every day during half term, 10am-4pm(ish)!
It has 12 championship holes and a lucky 13th hole.. The Garden Cafe is also open, serving a full menu of tasty treats, from classic toasties, rolls and tea cakes, to the amazing sweet and savoury crepes and their freshly ground coffee.
Entry, adults £6, Under 10s £4.80
https://www.minigolfbroadstairs.com/
Lost Island
Angry gods, chattering monkeys, a mineshaft that plunges downwards ‘forever’ and a host of interactive features can be found by players at the second Lost Island adventure golf course in Margate.
Based at the Flamingo on Margate seafront the new addition takes crazy golf into escape room territory.
Opening hours and admission
Mon– Thurs
10am – 8pm
Fri – Sun
10am – 9pm
Adventurers £8 – ages 14 and over
Explorers £6 – under 14s
Mini Explorers £4 – under 1 metre tall
Students and OAPs £6 – NUS card required, Monday to Friday
Early Bird £6 – arrive before noon, Monday to Friday
Adventure Team Ticket £27 -4 x Adventurers
Family Ticket £23 -2 Adventurers + 2 explorers
Groups of 6+ £6 each person
Active Ramsgate
If getting outdoors and keeping active is your pastime of choice, then Active Ramsgate features activities such as cycling routes, walking trails, birdwatching and kayaking.
The Contra Trail: Ramsgate to Pegwell Bay
Sea It All: Ramsgate to Broadstairs
Town Rounders: Regency, Royal and Riviera
Beach Roamer: Ramsgate to Margate
The Way of St Augustine: Ramsgate to Canterbury
England Coastal Path: Ramsgate to Camber
Augustine Camino: Rochester Cathedral to Ramsgate
Active Ramsgate not only features scenic walking trails, but also family-friendly cycle routes and even kayak routes, all in downloadable, easy-to-use format. New for 2021 is the Pier to Pier Cycling Trail
Download a copy of the latest Active Ramsgate leaflet
The Spitfire and Hurricane Museum
Displaying the two iconic war planes, and also holding a host of objects and artefacts telling the story of life in and around Ramsgate during WWII. Central to the display are the iconic Spitfire Mk XVI and Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc.
Free entry. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am to 4pm
Revolution skate park and climbing
Offering 3 huge warehouses, crammed full of all types of ramps for beginners and expert riders alike. Users can Skateboard, Scooter, Inline Skate and BMX, all in the safety of the state-of-the-art, immaculately maintained, indoor environment.
Alongside the Skatepark is a further warehouse, which houses the Climbing Centre, and is packed with a diverse range of colourful walls, suitable for all levels of climber.
Housed in between these facilities is a Skate & Surf & Climbing shop with everything you could ever need, along with a snack bar for refuelling between activities.
All staff are fully trained, friendly, passionate and happy to help every visitor have a great time.
Rascal Bay Adventure Golf
Manston Road, Ramsgate
Designed in Sweden, the adventure encounters pirates, cannons, an octopus, snakes, skulls, a cannibal’s cooking pot, a crashed jeep, rocks, a volcano, dinosaurs, waterfalls, dinosaur eggs, a treasure chest, crocodiles and two rafts that the whole family will love!
Also available for parties, corporate events and private hire.
Adults: £8.75 Children: £6.50 Groups: £32 (4 adults) Family: £25 (2 adults + 2 children) Under 3s £3
Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm Sat & Sun 9am-5pm
Little Seaside Town
High Street, Ramsgate
A centre for children and families, unlike traditional soft play centres, it promotes imaginative role play in a stimulating play “town” environment.
Each themed set is full of play props, costumes and toys to encourage children to explore and make believe. Everything at Little Seaside Town has been carefully designed to be as realistic as possible, so they can experience and act out real life scenarios.
Open 7 days per week 9.30am – 5.30pm
Dinky Town Thanet
Pysons Road, Ramsgate
Check Facebook for latest opening times/prices.
Wednesday – Friday 10am to 2.30pm
No booking system – operating on a walk in basis only
Dinky Town is a children’s indoor play centre created to enhance the fun and educational experience imaginative role play brings to a child’s early years.
Dinky Town is suitable for those from walking up to around age 7. Website
Kids Bright House
Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday 10am-3pm; Wednesday & Friday 10am-5:30pm *
Kids Bright House is a family-run, indoor play area for kids from 0 – 11 years.
There is a baby area for babies under 2, and a host of other indoor fun for children over 2.
No need to book
Toddler group and Tortoise visit every Monday 10am-12pm & Thursday 12:30pm-2:30pm
For more information See Here.
Free Adult with:
Babes-in-arms £2
Child £6
Extra Adults £1.50 each
Sandwich & Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve
Sandwich Road, Cliffsend
Of international importance for its bird population.
The site includes Pegwell Bay Country Park, a little gem with stunning sea views, a play area and picnic spot with mobile refreshments nearby – perfect for family fun in the fresh air
Further afield
Come Eat With Me
Three Thanet artists and one from Westmarsh are exhibiting in an unusual exhibition inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
“Come Eat With Me” features icon-inspired roundels by twenty artists in the event at Rochester Cathedral. The thought-provoking exhibition also includes vessels based on first century pottery. Individual circular artworks are displayed upon The Great Fenland Oak , the Nations Table.
Barry Page , John Hughes and Brian Homewood, from Thanet, and Sandra Dean from Westmarsh are among those with pieces in the display.
Commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, for the Dominican convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, ‘The Last Supper’ was completed by Leonardo da Vinci around 1498.
The mural depicts the story told in St John’s Gospel and shows the reactions of the Twelve Apostles in the moment after Jesus has revealed that one of them is about to betray him.
Come Eat With Me is a modern look at the mural and its subject.
The exhibition is free and is on from Saturday, February 10 to Saturday, February 17, 10am to 4pm
Find details here https://spiritartsuk.wixsite.com/website-15
