The Eastbourne Easter Round-Up!

Eastbourne has a basket-full of great ideas for fun family days out this Easter, from exploring the Redoubt Fortress’s Easter trail, to the opening of Drusillas Park’s new water attraction, wondrous South Downs walks and trails and much more, if you're looking for an egg-citing Easter break, then make your way to Eastbourne for a whole lot of fabulous family fun!

Eastbourne’s Redoubt Fortress is hosting a free Opening Weekend on 26 and 27 March, with the museum being completely free entry for all! Explore the museum and the brand new exhibition, For Hearth, Home and Honour?, which children can discover through an interactive detectives kit! Plus, go in search of the Redoubt Rabbit who is hiding in the fortress and discover some fun spring facts en-route on the Redoubt's Easter Trail from 25 March – 10 April. All those who find the rabbit will receive a chocolate treat at the end of the trail!  

Pop next door to the Pavilion and solve the mysteries of Eastbourne's Bronze Age story, in a brand new exhibition for 2016, Making Tracks: Eastbourne's Bronze Age Mystery, complete with a rebuild of part of the UK's largest Bronze Age track-way. 

The Seven Sisters Sheep Centre, which is now open for lambing season, will make for the loveliest of spring time experiences! The traditional farming centre is open for visitors to enjoy the miracle of birth, join in feeding time and pet new born lambs from 5 March – 2 May!

For more Easter trails, head to Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters from 25-18 March, going in search of hidden clues on Belle Tout and Lookout Hill and answering trivia questions and completing challenges, where afterwards you'll be rewarded with a delicious Cadbury Easter bunny back at the Visitor Centre! 

From 24 March - 10 April Bateman’s country house also have a Cadbury Easter Trail allowing visitors to explore the former home of writer Rudyard Kipling, in a hunt for a chocolate reward at the end! 

Drusillas Park, is getting set to 'Get Wet' as it opens its newest attraction this Easter! Get Wet, is a new splash pad collection of thrilling water jets, spiraling sprays, twirling streams and palm trees, so as the weather warms up, there are now even more reasons to head to the UK's best small zoo! The park also welcomes The Gruffalo for his debut appearance at Drusillas on 30 March, plus many more favourite characters this Easter from Hello Kitty to The Fat Controller.

On Easter Sunday (27 March), jump on board the Easter Eggspress at the Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway and ride around the pretty country park on a steam locomotive, one eighth of the original size, receiving a delicious Easter egg when alighting the train.

Knockhatch Adventure Park celebrates Easter with an Easter Extravaganza of fun trails and egg hunts, alongside its usual family offering of outdoor adventure play, large petting farm, a boating lake and much more!

Why not take a lovely long family walk along the South Downs Way on any day this bank holiday weekend? Hike from Eastbourne to Alfriston, breathing in the fresh Eastbourne air and drinking in the beautiful scenery. Stop off along route in Jevington for a warm and cosy rest at the Eight Bells pub, to refuel on locally brewed real ales and delicious traditional pub grub.

And of course, Eastbourne’s 1930’s Bandstand will be hosting its annual free Easter Sunday concert with traditional concert music from the town’s own Eastbourne Silver Band. Come along and join in with the celebrations at the Bandstand from 2.30pm on 27 March.

So if you're heading to Eastbourne this weekend, you'll be completely spoiled for choice for ways to spend your days! Happy Easter! 

For more information on all Easter events go to www.VisitEastbourne.com.

Put the Spring Back in Your Step in Eastbourne!

Today is an absolutely beautiful day in Eastbourne, and with the temperature warming up and the sun shining daily, the team at Visit Eastbourne has become extremely excited for Spring, inspiring this week's blog post!

Daffodils are starting to pop up in places all around the town, and a walk in the fresh Eastbourne air is the perfect way to get in touch with nature this Spring. Whether it's taking in the sea air with a walk along the promenade, or a longer country walk over the South Downs, your senses will be spoiled with the wonders of Spring time in Eastbourne. Why not make a day of it and enjoy a coastal walk over the Downs, walking the 17.5 kilometers from Eastbourne to Alfriston? Pack a picnic and find a sunny spot for lunch, or refuel at the Eight Bells pub in Jevington, who serve delicious seasonal food and locally brewed ales.

Another essential South Downs Spring time experience, is the beginning of the lambing season at the Seven Sisters Sheep Centre. Not just for children, everyone can enjoy the heart-warming experience of seeing new life come into the world, in the form of four-legged white fluffy animals. Lambing season begins on 7 March, continuing through until 4 May. In this time, meet 50 different breeds of sheep, help to bottle feed the lambs at feeding times of 11.30am and 3.30pm, and hopefully see some lambs being born in the lambing yard! For an extra special outing, experience the life of a farmer and attend night time lambing, at exclusive bookable time-slots.

For a magical Spring evening, attend one of the two remaining 'Stargazing for Everyone' nights at the Redoubt Fortress. The Eastbourne Astronomical Society are sharing their extensive knowledge of the dazzling night sky, providing telescopes and binoculars for all to use. Jupiter, stars and craters on the moon; all of these can be seen from the gun platform of the Redoubt on 28 February from 7pm and 28 March from 8pm. These events are free to attend, making for a great family outing or a romantic evening for two - just make sure to wrap up warm!

Visit the emotive World War One exhibition of Summerdown Camp - the UK's first and largest convalescent camp which opened in Eastbourne 100 years ago. The exhibition, which uncovers the stories of the thousands of injured soldiers who recovered at the camp and working women who nursed them back to health, is open at Eastbourne Pavilion from 16 March until 15 November. A special commemorative event will be held on 8 April, 100 years to the day that the camp opened. Step back in time and experience the daily life of Summerdown Camp residents. Take part in basket making and embroidery, two vital therapies undertaken at Summerdown; try on a 'Blue Boys' uniform, have a guided tour of the exhibition and talk to relatives of camp soldiers about their ancestor's experiences.

Towner has a very moving exhibition from Israeli artist, Ori Gersht, on throughout the Spring; visit the free exhibition from now until 26 April. Take in the beauty of the two major moving image works, Evaders (2009 from the Towner collection) and The Forest (2005), along with a series of mesmerizing large scale photographs; all tracing the journey of writer and poet, Walter Benjamin through the Pyrnees in his escape from 1940's Nazi regime.

With Easter not too far away, now is an egg-cellent time to start making plans for the Easter weekend and school holidays. Eastbourne Miniature Railway Park will have free Easter Eggs (while stocks last) for all children riding the railway over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. The Bandstand will hold its much-loved traditional annual Easter Sunday Concert (5 April). Enjoy the sounds of the Eastbourne Silver Band with family and friends from 2.30pm. The Seven Sisters Country Park are holding a special Easter family event on March 30. Children aged 5-11 can get creative, decorating eggs with paint, glue and more, sow seeds to celebrate new life this Spring and follow a wildlife Easter trail through the woods.

Look out for more inspiring ways to spend Spring days in and around Eastbourne!