Exploring Crawley, West Sussex

A town full of adventure and activities for the whole family!

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Crawley tilgate park

Crawley is an expansive town located in the heart of West Sussex, a wonderful place with plenty of activities for the kids to enjoy!

Crawley is a small town in West Sussex, England. Though, don’t let its size fool you because there is certainly more to this town than may meet the eye. If you’re taking a day trip to Crawley, spending a long weekend there or perhaps even going on holiday, you’ll find that there’s plenty to see and do. Particularly, if you have children. There are a wide range of activities and adventures in Crawley, sure to excite kids of all ages. Let’s look at some of the best things to do here. 

Adventures For Kids

You’ll find a few different adventure activities in Crawley that could be fun for the whole family. There are outdoor climbing courses. Here, you’ll be able to test your skills, swinging, climbing and even zip lining to different areas. It’s great fun, though admittedly not brilliant for people with a fear of heights. 

If you would rather keep your feet firmly on the ground while still having a fantastic adventure, you might want to try laser tag. Laser tag in Crawley is great fun with courses designed to ensure that each battle is action packed. Or, for younger kids, there are also a variety of soft play areas, perfect for running around without fear of injury. 

Parks And Picnic Areas

Do you want a day out away from the hustle and bustle of the city? If that’s the case, you might want to think about heading to Tilgate Park. This beautiful stretch of green has a stunning lake which provides the perfect place to feed the ducks. You will also find a variety of nature trails and gorgeous gardens. Make sure to keep an eye out for some of the beautiful flowers dotted around these gardens. They are a treat for the eyes and give the whole area a wonderful, fresh aroma. 

Alternatively, you can take a trip to Buchan Park. This beautiful green wonder is packed full of wildlife and even more nature trails. It’s a great place for a spot of birdwatching, The tracks are a tad uneven in places, but if you don’t mind a climb, you can get an absolutely breathtaking view of some of the surrounding lakes. 

Take A Step Back In Time 

If you are interested in exploring the history of the local area, you’ll be pleased to hear there are numerous museums as well as ancient architecture to explore. One of the best museums is aptly titled ‘Wings.’ Here you’ll find airplanes and and flying machines dating back through the ages. This fascinating museum has information on the planes that were used during the World Wars as well as the first planes to fly in Britain. It’s not to be missed for history buffs and could be rather enlightening for kids. 

Aside from this, there are numerous architectural sites to explore around Crawley as well as lost caves and caverns. Here, you can see how people of the past used to live, and it really does feel as though you are taking a trip back through time. 

Two Wheels Are Better Than Four

If you are tired of driving around Crawley’s head to Deer Leap Park. There you will find over 240 acres of dedicated to mountain biking. Don’t worry if you don’t have a mountain bike with you. You’ll be able to rent one right here, and after that, you can take on one of the many paths through the park. The trick to mountain biking is to keep your legs and knees bent, particularly when going over the larger bumps in the track. 

Get Lost

There are a few family farms scattered around the outskirts of Crawley. One, in particular, has in incredible, massive maze. You could easily spend at least an hour trying to get through this, and since they regularly hold maze runs after dark too, there’s never a shortage of difficulty here. If patience isn’t your strong point, you can always try some of the other activities instead. There are tractor rides, animal petting zoos and plenty of other fun filled activities that the kids will love. 

Some farms and country parks offer more adventurous and exciting activities too like quad biking. Hop on a bike, make sure you don’t mind getting too muddy and let your wild side loose. Or, join the family trying a competitive activity like clay pigeon shooting. You’ll need to be a great shot to hit the target. 

We hope you see there’s a huge variety of activities waiting for families willing to explore the town of Crawley.