Faversham is a market town on a tidal creek, home to the Shepherd Neame brewery and Standard Quay, with Brogdale Collections and the Oare marshes close by.
Photo: Chris Whippet, CC BY-SA 2.0This self-guided detective trail sends you around historic Faversham town centre and along the creek, cracking around 18 clues to solve a murder mystery at a local brewery. Along the way you pick up the town's brewing, gunpowder and brick-making history. The 2.2 mile loop takes about 2 hours and suits families with children aged 6 and up, as well as groups of adults.
Image: Kent Police MuseumKent Police Museum, inside Faversham's historic police station, tells real stories of crime, punishment and policing in Kent. Step into original Edwardian cells, look at genuine case files, uniforms and equipment, and try hands-on displays about how crimes were solved. It is free, suits families and takes about an hour.
Photo: David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0Faversham's charity-run community pool, with indoor swimming all year and a heated outdoor lido with family fun pools in summer. It opened after a public fundraising campaign more than 60 years ago and still relies on visitor income.
Image: Shepherd NeameShepherd Neame's guided tour takes you round its historic Faversham brewery to see how its Kentish ales are made. The 80-minute visit includes the Old Brewery Store, with vintage delivery vehicles, a recreated cooper's workshop and old pub signs, and ends with a tutored tasting in the Visitor Centre bar. Evening tours with supper and beer and food matching nights are also offered.
Image: Standard QuayStandard Quay is a historic quayside on Faversham Creek, now home to more than 20 independent businesses. Browse antiques and vintage shops, eat at the Secret Garden Tea Room or a wine bar, and walk along the creek past moored boats. It suits couples and browsers, and fills a relaxed morning or afternoon.
Photo: pam fray, CC BY-SA 2.0A large independent food hall on the edge of Faversham, a couple of minutes from the M2, with a history going back more than 175 years. It is known for one of the UK's biggest cheese and charcuterie counters, a Pasture for Life butchery and a café that cooks with produce from the shop floor.
Photo: Roger Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Maison Dieu began in the 13th century as part of a royal hospital and pilgrims' rest house on Watling Street, the road to Canterbury. The flint and timber-framed building is now a small volunteer-run museum of Roman and Saxon finds from around Ospringe. The 2026 season ends at the end of October.
Photo: Dr Astrid Stilma, CC BY-SA 4.0The remains of an 18th-century gunpowder works on the edge of Faversham, now a nature reserve where old mill buildings sit among woodland and the leats that once powered them. Coloured trails lead past the ruins to the sound of birdsong and running water.
Image: Brogdale CollectionsBrogdale Collections near Faversham is home to the National Fruit Collection, which it describes as the world's largest fruit collection. Walk the heritage orchards on your own or join a guided tour, then pick up apples and pears from the Tiddly Pomme shop or stop at the Courtyard Cafe. On many Sundays the Faversham Miniature Railway runs too.
Photo: Doyle of London, CC BY-SA 4.0In a field beside the A2 west of Ospringe stand the low ruins of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval chapel of Stone-next-Faversham. Its walls take in part of a 4th-century Roman mausoleum, which English Heritage says makes it unique among Christian buildings in England. Finds from the Roman cemetery nearby are on show at Maison Dieu, under a mile away.
Image: Kent Wildlife TrustOare Marshes is a Kent Wildlife Trust reserve of grazing marsh, reedbed and saltmarsh on the Swale, internationally important for wading and wetland birds. Walk the circular footpaths and settle into the viewing hides to watch the birds come and go. It suits birdwatchers and walkers and takes an hour or more.
Image: Huckleberry WoodsHuckleberry Woods is a small, rustic farm near Faversham where micro pigs, miniature donkeys, teddy bear sheep, pygmy goats and alpacas roam freely around an old orchard. Book a relaxed 2-hour visit, add an experience such as a micro pig or donkey walk, then enjoy tea and cake at the mini cafe while children use the little play area. It suits families and animal lovers who want a quiet, uncrowded day out.
Image: Mount EphraimMount Ephraim is a family-owned country house estate between Faversham and Canterbury, with ten acres of Edwardian gardens and wide views over the Kent countryside. Stroll the borders, stop at the tea room and bring the dog. It suits couples, families and garden lovers for a relaxed half day in the spring and summer season.
Image: Belmont House and GardensBelmont is an elegant 18th-century house by Samuel Wyatt in the countryside south of Faversham, home to five generations of the Harris family. Guided tours reveal an armoury, paintings by Cazabon and a remarkable clock collection, while the award-winning gardens include a walled garden, pinetum and kitchen garden. It is a seasonal visit, closed through the winter.
Image: Woodland TrustVictory Wood is a 140 hectare Woodland Trust site planted between 2005 and 2008 to mark 200 years since the Battle of Trafalgar, on the edge of the ancient Blean woods. Walk the permissive paths to see the full-size footprint of HMS Victory marked out in oak posts, follow the Discovery Trail and climb to the viewfinder sculpture for views to the Isle of Sheppey and the Thames Estuary. Allow a couple of hours for a good walk.
Image: Doddington Place GardensDoddington Place Gardens covers ten acres of landscaped gardens in the grounds of a Victorian mansion near Faversham and Sittingbourne, recognised by English Heritage as historically important. The gardens have opened for the National Garden Scheme for more than 50 years and suit a gentle afternoon finished off at the tea room.
Image: Elmley Nature ReserveElmley is a 3,300 acre family-run farm and National Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, one of the most important UK sites for breeding wading birds. Drive the self-safari track, walk the marked trails to the hides and look for hares, birds of prey and water voles. Allow half a day, and bring a picnic as there is no cafe.
Image: Whitstable Museum and GalleryWhitstable Community Museum and Gallery is a volunteer-run museum telling the town's stories of diving, oysters, fishing, shipwrecks and shipbuilding. Large exhibits include the Invicta locomotive, a 1948 whelk boat and an 1867 fire engine, with hands-on activities for children from age three. It suits families and takes about an hour.
Image: Visitor Information Centre, 12 Market PlaceA family-friendly Hallowe'en guided ghost walk through Faversham on 31 October 2026, led by a guide who shares local spooky stories. It starts from the Visitor Information Centre at 12 Market Place and suits families with children of appropriate age. Check the event page for times and booking.
Image: Old Brewery StoreA talk by Andrew Richardson, Kent Finds Liaison Officer, on a well-preserved 6th-century sword found in a high-status grave at an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Canterbury, along with ongoing excavations at the site. It takes place at the Old Brewery Store in Faversham on 12 November 2026, with doors opening at 6.30pm and the talk running from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. It suits adults interested in archaeology and local history.
Image: Old Brewery StoreA talk by Tess and Ian Brown on the gunpowder and explosives industry in Faversham, from its origins to its decline and its impact on the town and wider county. It takes place at the Old Brewery Store in Faversham on 14 January 2027, with doors opening at 6.30pm and the talk running from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. Suited to anyone interested in local industrial and military history.
Image: Old Brewery Store, FavershamA talk at the Old Brewery Store in Faversham on 11 February 2027, running from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm with doors at 6:30 pm. Dr Declan Wiffen and Tina Hagger look at the story of seed merchant George Roberts, who settled in Faversham in 1948 after being a footman, companion and lover of William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp, and at an overlooked part of the town's LGBTQ+ history. Tickets are free for Faversham Society members and £5 for non-members, and booking in advance is recommended.
Image: Old Brewery Store, FavershamA talk on Faversham's reputation in the Elizabethan period and the play Arden of Faversham, given by Professor Catherine Richardson and Dr Sheila Sweetinburgh. It takes place at the Old Brewery Store in Faversham on 11 March 2027, from 7.30pm to 9.00pm, with doors opening at 6.30pm. It suits anyone interested in local history or early English drama.
Image: Old Brewery StoreMike Cosgrove gives a talk on Faversham between 1901 and 1914, looking at how residents lived, worked and spent their leisure time during a period of change and optimism. The evening runs from 7:30pm to 9:00pm at the Old Brewery Store in Faversham, with doors opening at 6:30pm. It suits anyone interested in local history.
Image: Car Park Faversham Station | APCOAA festive guided walk starting from the car park at Faversham station on 20 December 2026. The route takes in Kent countryside around Syndale, and it suits families and walkers looking for a seasonal outing. Booking is required through the event page.
Photo: Roger Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0To close its 2026 season, the volunteer-run Maison Dieu museum hides spiders for children to find, with sweet treats as the prize. Along the way you learn how the festival of All Hallows grew from Roman-era roots into modern Halloween.
Image: Brogdale CollectionsA hands-on half-term session in the heritage orchards of the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale. Children taste and pick different apple varieties, help prepare and press them, and take home fresh juice in a reusable Brogdale bottle.
Image: Kent Police MuseumKent Police Museum, inside Faversham's historic police station, tells real stories of crime, punishment and policing in Kent. Step into original Edwardian cells, look at genuine case files, uniforms and equipment, and try hands-on displays about how crimes were solved. It is free, suits families and takes about an hour.
Photo: David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0Faversham's charity-run community pool, with indoor swimming all year and a heated outdoor lido with family fun pools in summer. It opened after a public fundraising campaign more than 60 years ago and still relies on visitor income.
Image: Shepherd NeameShepherd Neame's guided tour takes you round its historic Faversham brewery to see how its Kentish ales are made. The 80-minute visit includes the Old Brewery Store, with vintage delivery vehicles, a recreated cooper's workshop and old pub signs, and ends with a tutored tasting in the Visitor Centre bar. Evening tours with supper and beer and food matching nights are also offered.
Image: Standard QuayStandard Quay is a historic quayside on Faversham Creek, now home to more than 20 independent businesses. Browse antiques and vintage shops, eat at the Secret Garden Tea Room or a wine bar, and walk along the creek past moored boats. It suits couples and browsers, and fills a relaxed morning or afternoon.
Photo: pam fray, CC BY-SA 2.0A large independent food hall on the edge of Faversham, a couple of minutes from the M2, with a history going back more than 175 years. It is known for one of the UK's biggest cheese and charcuterie counters, a Pasture for Life butchery and a café that cooks with produce from the shop floor.
Photo: Roger Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0Maison Dieu began in the 13th century as part of a royal hospital and pilgrims' rest house on Watling Street, the road to Canterbury. The flint and timber-framed building is now a small volunteer-run museum of Roman and Saxon finds from around Ospringe. The 2026 season ends at the end of October.
Image: Kent Police MuseumKent Police Museum, inside Faversham's historic police station, tells real stories of crime, punishment and policing in Kent. Step into original Edwardian cells, look at genuine case files, uniforms and equipment, and try hands-on displays about how crimes were solved. It is free, suits families and takes about an hour.
Image: Standard QuayStandard Quay is a historic quayside on Faversham Creek, now home to more than 20 independent businesses. Browse antiques and vintage shops, eat at the Secret Garden Tea Room or a wine bar, and walk along the creek past moored boats. It suits couples and browsers, and fills a relaxed morning or afternoon.
Photo: Dr Astrid Stilma, CC BY-SA 4.0The remains of an 18th-century gunpowder works on the edge of Faversham, now a nature reserve where old mill buildings sit among woodland and the leats that once powered them. Coloured trails lead past the ruins to the sound of birdsong and running water.
Photo: Doyle of London, CC BY-SA 4.0In a field beside the A2 west of Ospringe stand the low ruins of the Anglo-Saxon and medieval chapel of Stone-next-Faversham. Its walls take in part of a 4th-century Roman mausoleum, which English Heritage says makes it unique among Christian buildings in England. Finds from the Roman cemetery nearby are on show at Maison Dieu, under a mile away.
Image: Kent Wildlife TrustOare Marshes is a Kent Wildlife Trust reserve of grazing marsh, reedbed and saltmarsh on the Swale, internationally important for wading and wetland birds. Walk the circular footpaths and settle into the viewing hides to watch the birds come and go. It suits birdwatchers and walkers and takes an hour or more.
Image: Woodland TrustVictory Wood is a 140 hectare Woodland Trust site planted between 2005 and 2008 to mark 200 years since the Battle of Trafalgar, on the edge of the ancient Blean woods. Walk the permissive paths to see the full-size footprint of HMS Victory marked out in oak posts, follow the Discovery Trail and climb to the viewfinder sculpture for views to the Isle of Sheppey and the Thames Estuary. Allow a couple of hours for a good walk.
The rest of the 26 places we list within 12 km, closest first.
