Showing 1–5 of 5 free attractions in Hastings
Parks and PlaygroundsAlexandra Park Hastings
BeachesHastings Beach
MuseumsFishermans Museum
MuseumsShipwreck Museum
MuseumsHastings Museum and Art Gallery
Free Family Days Out in Hastings
Hastings has three free museums, which for a town of its size is a lot. Hastings Museum and Art Gallery is the general collection, Shipwreck Museum and Fishermans Museum are both about the sea and both small. That maritime pair is the reason to come: two specific, compact collections that a child can finish. Outdoors there are two entries, Alexandra Park Hastings inland and Hastings Beach on the front, giving three indoor against two outdoor.
Two small museums about shipwrecks and fishing, a park and a beach make a coherent day rather than a list of options. Do them in that order and the beach becomes the reward.
Free days out in Hastings: FAQs
Are the small maritime museums worth separate visits?
They cover different things and both are short, which is exactly why they work with children. Shipwreck Museum is about what the sea takes and Fishermans Museum about the working life built around it, and neither asks for more attention than a young child can give. Small volunteer-supported museums often keep seasonal or limited hours, so confirming the day's opening is more important here than at a civic collection.
What is the beach like for a family?
Hastings Beach is a shingle beach with a working fishing fleet on part of it, which is more interesting to look at than sand and considerably harder to walk on. Shingle is tiring for small children and unkind to bare feet, so footwear matters. Tide, wind and where the boats are will shape the visit more than anything on a listing, and swimming should never be assumed to be supervised.
Is the park a destination or a stop?
Alexandra Park Hastings is a large Victorian park running inland from the town, which makes it more of a walk than a playground visit, with formal planting, water and open ground along its length. Used as a route it works well as the transition between the town and somewhere quieter. Used as a single stop for a toddler it is fine but no more remarkable than any decent local park.