Swanborough Lakes Luxury Lodges - Fun Days Out

SEA LIFE Brighton opened in 1872 as Brighton Aquarium and is the world's oldest continually operating aquarium. It was designed by Eugenius Birch, who also designed the West Pier, and it sits on the seafront. Inside, the High Victorian Gothic interior survives, and you can wander through the restored Victorian Arcade.

You'll see sharks, jellyfish, clownfish and seahorses, plus giant green sea turtles. There's a Rainforest Adventure zone, and in the Rockpools you can get hands-on with native ray and shark eggs. The seawater tanks are filled from the nearby sea twice a day. For something different, the glass bottom boat glides over the Ocean Display, and there is also a virtual reality experience. It suits anyone curious about sea life or Victorian history.

Tip: Book a timed entry slot online in advance; you can reschedule if your plans change.

Anne of Cleves House is a timber-framed house in the centre of Lewes, given to Anne of Cleves at the end of her short marriage to Henry VIII, although she never lived there. Inside, you can look around well-preserved rooms including a Tudor kitchen, a light parlour and a bedroom with a four-poster bed. There's a selection of dressing-up clothes to try on, and a collection of historic domestic objects that shows how people lived in Sussex.

The museum also has one of the best exhibitions on Wealden iron making, with large machinery and a collection of iron fire backs. Outside, the garden follows a traditional Tudor planting scheme, with herbs, shrubs and fruit trees. The cafe is run by Patisserie Lewes, and you're welcome to bring a picnic to eat in the garden.

Tip: There's no on-site parking, so use one of Lewes's public car parks, or take the train: the station is a five-minute walk away.

Monk's House is a 17th-century weatherboarded cottage in the village of Rodmell, near Lewes. It was the country retreat of Virginia and Leonard Woolf, who bought it in 1919 and welcomed Bloomsbury Group friends here. Inside, you can wander through rooms full of Bloomsbury Group treasures, including works by Vanessa Bell, with guides in each room. The ground floor includes the sitting room, dining room, kitchen and Virginia's bedroom.

Outside, the cottage garden has perennial borders, brick paths, a productive orchard and climbers trailing across flint walls. At the bottom of the garden is the small wooden lodge where many of Virginia's novels took shape, with views across to Mount Caburn. Walkers can reach it on foot along the river from Lewes or Southease station, or from Charleston Farmhouse, home of Virginia's sister Vanessa Bell.

Tip: Pre-booking is essential for everyone, so book your slot before you travel. Don't rely on the postcode for sat nav, as it can send you down the A26 to an impassable level crossing; follow the directions via Kingston or Newhaven instead.

Charleston, in the village of Firle, was the country home of the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and for decades a meeting place for the Bloomsbury Group. The rooms on show are covered in their work, with murals, painted furniture, ceramics, textiles and paintings. The collection also includes pieces by artists such as Renoir and Picasso.

Outside, the walled garden mixes Mediterranean influences with cottage garden planting, and has mosaics, box hedges, ponds and sculpture. Modern galleries run a programme of Bloomsbury and contemporary exhibitions, and the Outer Studio displays the Famous Women Dinner Service.

There is a shop selling Bloomsbury-inspired art, homeware, fabrics, books and stationery, and The Threshing Barn café is in one of two restored barns. Events and workshops take place through the year, including the Charleston Festival each May.

Tip: Check the Charleston website before you set off, as the site closes at times between exhibition seasons.

Lewes Castle is a Norman castle built after the Battle of Hastings by supporters of William the Conqueror. Unusually, it has two mottes, a layout shared in England only with Lincoln Castle. Climb the steps to the top of the Keep for panoramic views across Sussex, learning about the fortress and its part in the town's story as you go.

Next door, the Museum of Sussex Archaeology displays artefacts from prehistoric to medieval Sussex, plus temporary exhibitions. A model of the town and a short film tell the story of Lewes. There are two gardens in the grounds, including the enclosed Gun Garden, and you can bring a picnic. See if you can spot the very special cannon. Most visitors spend between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours here, and the train station is a five minute walk away.

Tip: Access is limited and the keep has many steps, so it isn't suitable for wheelchair users or anyone with limited mobility. Booking ahead is advised on event days.

The Royal Pavilion is a Grade I listed former royal residence in the middle of Brighton, built as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, who later became George IV. Its Indo-Saracenic exterior, with bulbous domes, chhatri-topped minarets and cusped arches, is the look from Nash's 1815-1822 remodelling, and it has often been compared to the Taj Mahal.

Inside, the decoration was heavily influenced by Chinese and Indian fashion, and the Music and Banqueting Rooms are known for their distinctive tented roofs. Gardens surround the building. It's a good choice for anyone curious about Regency history, or about how Queen Victoria disliked Brighton and the town bought the Pavilion from the government instead.

Tip: Next door is the Brighton Dome, the former royal stables, converted to a concert hall, so look at both buildings.

Farleys House & Gallery was the Sussex home of the photographer Lee Miller and the surrealist artist Roland Penrose, who moved there in 1949 and lived there for 35 years. Over that time they built up a collection of contemporary art, including works by their friends Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Joan Miró.

You can take a guided tour of the house, then explore the galleries, including the Lee Miller Gallery, and the sculpture garden. A changing selection of artworks is shown in the house, and the galleries hold regular exhibitions. Light lunches, cakes and refreshments are served in the gallery cafe, or you can bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden. Dogs on leads are welcome in the sculpture garden.

Tip: Book your timed house tour slot online in advance; the tour isn't suitable for children under 12, and tickets can't be moved or refunded.

Harbour Park is a children's amusement park on the beach at Littlehampton, next to the working harbour and marina. It has been a family fixture since 1932 and is aimed mainly at primary school children. Outdoor rides run seasonally, and there are also arcades and an indoor soft play area, so it works whatever the weather.

For older children and adults, the Treasure Quest Escape Room puts up to six players aboard an old pirate ship to solve puzzles and find the Silver Wolf pirate's treasure. Players must be 8 or over, and at least one must be an adult. Younger children can try Toddler Town, with role-play rooms such as a supermarket and a vet. The Harbour Kitchen inside the soft play area serves burgers, fish and chips and children's meals, and there is an ice cream outlet too.

Tip: Rides only open on certain dates and times, so check the opening times calendar on the Harbour Park website before you go.