Kent with Kids: The 10 best indoor attractions to entertain the kids on a rainy day!

It can be so hard to entertain the kids with the good old British weather! So, if you’re looking for something to do on a chilly or rainy day in Kent, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve included lots of activities for older kids as well, as it can be even trickier to amuse them once they get too old for play-centres!

I’ve rounded up our favourite rainy day places to visit, to keep the kids amused over the winter months, on wet weekends and during the school holidays – when summer doesn’t always show up!

So here are the 10 best indoor attractions in Kent for rainy day family fun (with little mini reviews)… from indoor golf, to ninja courses, castles, roller skating, pool inflatables, family bowling discounts, cinema deals and more – I’ve got you and the kids covered! 

1. Lost Island Indoor Adventure Golf Margate, Kent

We stumbled across Lost Island indoor crazy golf after a day out in nearby Broadstairs turned wet! It’s actually deceivingly larger than it looks from the outside, and a real gem if you want to play crazy golf when our British summer has other ideas!

The 18 hole crazy golf course is engaging and well thought out – it starts off easier and gets trickier near the end, but it’s not too challenging and the whole family can have a go. We all really enjoyed it.

Address: Flamingo Arcade, 17 Marine Gardens, Margate CT9 1XJ

2. Kent Roller Disco

Finn and Lola often go to Kent Roller Disco which runs from various venues around the county. They really enjoy it and it’s an inexpensive way to pass a chilly or wet afternoon! The discos are held in large halls or venues, with a DJ and disco lights to make it fun. Skates can be rented from the roller disco from children’s size 10, to adult’s size 12 – so it’s suitable for all ages once the kiddies have big enough feet and are comfortable taking part.

The price (£6.50-£8.50 depending on the location) includes all safety gear (helmets and knee / elbow / wrist pads) and skate hire, but you can also wear your own if you’d prefer. Each disco lasts 90 minutes which is plenty of time to wear the kids out! I’d highly recommend Kent Roller Disco – it’s great fun and much cheaper than lots of other kids’ activities!

3. Hyperspace Laser Tag, Folkestone, Kent

Hyperspace Laser Tag is a 3,000 square foot indoor Laser Tag arena – and it’s blooming good fun for adults and kids! The arena has high and low areas, places to hide and lots of different routes to take – it’s the perfect place to have family fun when the weather is rubbish. Finn and Lola love it!

Hyperspace is suitable for children aged 8 and above, over 1.2m. And, if the grown ups would prefer to have a rest while the kids play, then there’s a cafe with a viewing screen available. Scores are recorded for teams and individuals – so everyone can get super competitive and check those out afterwards!

Address: Unit 3, Centurion Park, Caesar’s Wy, Folkestone CT19 4AH

4. Dover Leisure Centre Swimming Pool Inflatables, Kent

The pool inflatable session at Dover District Leisure Centre is one of Finn and Lola’s favourite things to do! It runs on weekends and school holidays, and is available for children age 5 and up. (All children are given a life-jacket to wear making it absolutely fine for the younger ones even if they aren’t yet confident swimmers.)

The lifeguards are always really friendly and helpful – and fun too, chucking buckets of water over the kids which they think is hilarious! The pool is also well kept and clean, and my children both say that it’s warmer than other pools that we’ve been to which is a bonus!

Sessions are £10pp – each session is an hour long, allowing for a 15 minute safety briefing and 45 minutes on the equipment. Children under 8 must be accompanied by someone age 16+ but kids over the age of 8 can use the equipment unattended. Parents are able to watch from a seating area overlooking the pool – so if your kids are a little older then you can relax in peace whilst they have fun! The leisure centre is also home to a Clip n Climb and other sporting facilities (things like badminton) if you want a whole day of indoor entertainment!

Address:  Fitness Fields, Whitfield, Dover CT16 3FZ

5. Kidz Planet Soft Play, Folkestone, Kent

My two spent a large chunk of their younger years having loads of fun at Kidz Planet soft play in Folkestone. (It’s right next door to Hyperspace Laser Tag too if you’ve got little and older ones to amuse.) We’ve not visited Kidz Planet for a while now, as my two are now too big for it, but if you’ve got a child aged around 10 and under then it’s a brilliant rainy day option.

The huge warehouse has a massive soft play area with tunnels and slides for the older ones, a smaller area for toddlers, a drop slide, a cafe, a ball pit and a rocket train ride. Each session is a couple of hours, so you can head home afterwards knowing that the kids are well worn out – and (before I had to go gluten-free) this was always my favourite place to get a cheese toastie – Kidz Planet toasties are the best! 😂

Address: Unit 1-2, Centurion Park, Caesar’s Wy, Folkestone CT19 4AH

6. Chatham Bowl, Kent

Bowling is a great way to pass the time on a rainy day – and it’s an activity that the whole family can enjoy too! There are plenty of different bowling alleys in Kent, and I have to admit that we’ve often used the Hollywood Bowl in Ashford as it’s not too far to travel, but I’ve included Chatham Bowl in my top ten because I recently discovered that they do a really good family bowling offer, and we had a brilliant time!

Available all day everyday, use their drop down menu when booking (select latest offers) to book a family hour for £25 (+ £5pp for extra kids). This makes it more affordable than many other bowling alleys, though lots of them offer food options too – so be sure to check out the offers section wherever you choose to book.

Address: The Pentagon Shopping Centre, Chatham

7. Ninja Warrior Adventure Park, Chatham, Kent

Ninja Warrior UK is child heaven – it’s basically a giant warehouse filled with a huge inflatable obstacle course, and there’s also a ninja assault course which reminds me of the gladiator TV show! Finn and Lola were exhausted and super sweaty by the time they’d finished their two hour stint – it’s 2 hours for the price of 1 on a Sunday evening – but they really loved it and it’s a great way to wear the kids out! They happily went straight to bed when we got home! 😂

Ninja Warrior is suitable for children aged 5 and above, though under 8s should be accompanied. On the assault course next to the inflatable, there were some bits my two (aged 10 and 12) struggled with, so that’s definitely not for the younger ones. But, it’s a great place for the kids to let off steam when the weather’s rubbish, and good fun for teens and adults too!

Address: Maritime, Chatham ME4 4LL

8. Tenterden Leisure Centre, Kent

Tenterden Swimming Pool is a great place to hide out from bad weather – with waves and a flume as well as the pool, it’s one of my children’s favourite places to swim. They have family changing areas too, which makes things easier with the kids, and shallower play areas for toddlers. Tenterden pool is a good option for entertaining the whole family.

If the weather brightens up, there’s also a brilliant play park just before the turning for the leisure centre, so you could pack up a picnic and make a day of it if you’re lucky enough to get a bit of sunshine too! (Photo taken from the pool’s own website.)

Address: Recreation Ground Rd, Tenterden TN30 6RA

9. Dover Castle, Kent

Dover Castle is actually a pretty good rainy day attraction – the vast castle itself is interesting to explore, and can be a good place to shelter from the wet weather. If you’ve got an English Heritage membership you’ll be able to visit at no extra cost (family passes are around £10 each month), and if not Blue Peter Badges will give free entry to the children to make your day out more affordable.

The best bit about Dover Castle has to be the wartime tunnels – whilst they aren’t suitable for younger children they are really engaging and immersive if you have slightly older children or teens to entertain. We’ve been into the tunnels several times and it never fails to be interesting!

Address: Castle Hill Road, Dover CT16 1HU

10. Kent Cinemas

There are lots of cinemas in Kent, so if the weather is bad then snuggling up to watch a movie might be a good option. Here’s how to visit Kent cinemas on a budget:

• Cineworld now offer an ‘adult and child deal’ which makes things more affordable as adults pay kids prices. Alternatively, the ‘movies for junior’ showings are just a few pounds, or use your Tesco Clubcard Vouchers to see a movie for free. Rochester Cineworld and Dover Cineworld generally have cheaper ticket prices than the Ashford branch too, so compare prices between the different cinemas before you book.
• Ashford Picturehouse also accept Tesco Clubcard vouchers, and have some family deals from around £23 depending on the day that you want to visit.
• Folkestone Cinema is a lovely little independent cinema which offers off-peak tickets for just £5.50 each.
• There are also Odeon cinemas in Chatham and Maidstone. If you have Amazon Prime, you can get two tickets for £10 on Monday-Thursday screenings once a month with Odeon – which could be good for cheap school holiday entertainment.

Looking for some ideas for free days out in Kent? Check out:

Kent with Kids: The 15 best FREE family days out in Kent!

Want to save on lots of family days out?

Join Kids Pass

Kids Pass is a fantastic way to save on the cost of family days out with the kids, and holidays too! The best bit is that you can trial it for 30 days for just a quid! Using their app, you can save on the go and search for things to do and restaurants near you. It’s a great option for trips away, weekend fun and the summer holidays, even if cancelled afterwards.

The perks are:

Travelling in Kent with the kids?

If you’re in the South East, kids can travel on the train for just a quid –  making getting away, or having days out, so much more affordable. For all of the info you need on how to benefit from this deal, check out my post on Southeastern Rail.

Need to entertain the kids this summer at home?

Download my free, printable 30 day kids’ activity calendar for lots of ideas on how to keep the little ones busy on a budget without even leaving the house!

And for lots of money-saving UK getaway and school holiday tips, you’ll want to read:

Cheap days out with the kids: 20 ways to have fun on a budget in the school holidays!

UK family travel on a budget: 25 ways to have a cheap staycation holiday!

How can my child get a Blue Peter Badge? Enjoy over 200 UK free days out to UK attractions!

Are Butlins holidays good? Butlins Bognor Regis vs Minehead Review – and money saving tips!

Frugal family days out: The 10 best FREE places to visit in London with kids!

Where should we visit in Cornwall with kids? A review of 5 popular attractions!