17 Fun & Unusual Things To Do In Margate

Last Updated on 13th May 2024

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17 Epic Things To Do In Margate, Kent This Year

Are you planning to spend a weekend in Margate but you’re not sure where to start when it comes to putting an itinerary together? Check out this huge list of the best fun and unusual things to do in Margate UK!

Margate is a place that’s been on my UK bucket list for many years now and while I can’t quite remember what first triggered my interest in it, I do know that when we were planning our South Coast England road trip, I wanted to spend at least a few hours in Margate.

Famed for being home to the awesome Dreamland Margate amusement park, as well as beautiful stretches of beach, plus plenty of cool bars and restaurants, Margate is a hip and happening place to visit in Kent.

I’ve known people to spend days at a time in Margate and while I’m sure you probably could, especially if you’re on holiday there, we only spent one day in Margate and even though I could have probably stayed a little longer, I think that it was enough time to soak up most of what the town has to offer.

If you’re looking for inspiration on the top attractions in Margate, take a look at my list of unusual things to do in Margate in one day below!

Is Margate UK worth visiting?

Margate is definitely worth visiting if you want to spend a few days at the seaside, playing in the arcades, eating delicious fish and chips and relaxing on the beach! Check out all the fun and unusual things to do in Margate on a weekend trip below!

Unusual things to do in Margate summary

Dreamland Margate
Peter’s Fish Factory
Margate Main Sands
Old Town
The Old Kent Market
Margate Harbour Arm
Shell Grotto
Strokes Adventure Golf
Margate Caves
Turner Contemporary Art Gallery

1. Visit Dreamland Margate

Dreamland Margate is considered to be the oldest surviving amusement park in the UK, at over 101 years old and when a plan to close it down came into force in 2003, it triggered a ‘save Dreamland’ campaign that meant it successfully reopened in 2015 after years of restoring the Grade II-listed Scenic Railway, Grade II-listed cinema complex and Grade II-listed menagerie cages and is now one of Kent’s most popular attractions.

Home to traditional amusement park rides such as the Waltzer, the Ghost Train and dodgems, plus a giant Ferris wheel and an indoor rollerblading rink, Dreamland is a thrill-seeker’s dream.

Most of the rides and attractions at Dreamland Margate are open for the summer months, usually between the end of April and the end of September.

2. Eat fish and chips at Peter’s Fish Factory

As a proud Northerner and Yorkshire girl, I literally cannot believe that I’m about to admit this, but the fish and chips we had from Peter’s Fish Factory were not only the best fish and chips we had on our Southern England road trip, but they’re probably the best fish and chips I’ve had in a very long time.

We’re incredibly proud of our fish and chips (and of course, lashings of curry sauce!) up here in the north, but the ones we had from Peter’s were ridiculously good and they only cost £5!

Wherever you plan on eating in Margate, change your plans immediately and head straight to Peter’s Fish Factory!

3. Spend some time on Margate Main Sands

Margate is renowned for its lovely beach, but unfortunately, the weather didn’t play ball during our visit so we were cursed with grey skies and drizzle when we first arrived, meaning that the beach looked a little tired and dreary.

Thankfully, the weather did pick up an awful lot throughout the day, which led more and more people to venture down to Margate Main Sands for a frolic on the beach and a paddle in the sea.

4. Take a stroll through Margate Old Town

*Picture above not relevant to Margate Old Town.*

Margate’s Old Town isn’t quite as cool as the main seafront area and it does have a bit of a mixed reputation, depending on who you ask, but it’s probably worth enjoying a little wander through the Old Town while you’re there, especially if you’re visiting for a few days and you want to check out some of the other places to eat and drink as well.

5. Grab a bite to eat at The Old Kent Market

Speaking of great places to eat and drink in Margate, I’d still probably recommend Peter’s Fish Factory as the number one place to eat if you’ll only be having one meal there, but if you do get the chance to grab another bite to eat, make sure you check out The Old Kent Market.

This former cinema is home to numerous food vendors selling a variety of cuisines such as Greek food, pizzas, bagels, and burritos and is even home to a tiny pub. It’s pretty small and cosy inside, but it’s got such a lovely vibe to it and it’d be the perfect place to hang out if you happen to visit Margate on a rainy day.

6. Enjoy the views from Margate Harbour Arm

The Margate Habour Arm is an old stone pier that dates all the way back to 1812 that curves around The Bay and offers views of the beach and seafront.

Here you’ll find the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery (more on that below), as well as The Harbour Arms Bar and the Lighthouse Bar which are great places to drink on a lovely, sunny day in Margate.

7. Get an ice cream from Melt Gelato

When it comes to the sweet versus savoury debate, I nearly always choose something savoury such as bread or crisps over a chocolate bar. However, when it comes to anything chocolate orange-flavoured, I’m such a sucker and I have to try whatever is flavoured with chocolate orange.

While in Margate, we came across Melt Gelato and I saw that they had orange ice cream listed as one of their flavours and while it wasn’t quite a combination of my two favourite flavours, it was good enough for me!

Melt Gelato also had a vast range of other yummy ice cream flavours as well, including white chocolate (that would have been my second choice!), cherry, watermelon, honeycomb, mint choc chip, pineapple, salted caramel, Bailey’s and tonnes more!

8. Spend your money at the Flamingo Amusements

Going to the amusements at the seaside and spending an absurd amount of money on the 2p slot machines and crappy arcade games was literally my favourite thing to do when I was a kid and thanks to Margate’s offering of The Flamingo Amusements, you can live out your childhood days by spending silly amounts of money playing games that you’ll inevitably never win!

More unusual things to do in Margate in one day

As I mentioned above, we only spent a day in Margate and even then, it was probably only actually four or five hours in total, so we didn’t get to tick off absolutely every attraction or activity while we were there.

However, when I was researching for our trip, I put together a huge itinerary of things to do in Margate that I’ll happily save for the next time we visit. Check them out below.

9. Visit Shell Grotto – Margate things to do

Shell Grotto was discovered by chance all the way back in 1835 and it’s thought that the Grotto’s curved walls are donned with over 4.6 million shells!

Tickets to Shell Grotto are only £4.50 for adults and £2 for children, so it’s a great and affordable activity to enjoy in Margate on a rainy day.

10. Take a dip in Walpole Bay tidal swimming pool

The Walpole Bay tidal swimming pool spans an impressive four acres and it’s an awesome place to hang out in Margate during the summer months.

11. Explore The Hornby Visitor Centre – unusual things to do in Margate

If you’re visiting Margate with kids in tow, the Hornby Visitor Centre is a place that can’t be missed as it’s home to weird, wonderful and rare collections of toys from famous brands such as Scalextric, Airfix, Corgi and of course, Hornby. It’s also home to a vast collection of Model Railways and miniature trainsets which locomotive fanatics are sure to love!

12. Watch a performance at the Theatre Royal

Fans of the theatre will love a trip to the Theatre Royal while in Margate to see live performances of shows such as Footloose and Macbeth. The theatre isn’t really my thing, so I wouldn’t be too bothered about watching a show, but if you’re a fan of live performances, the Theatre Royal is supposedly an awesome place to catch a show.

13. Play a round of mini-golf at Strokes Adventure Golf

Another activity to enjoy if you’ve got kids in tow (or if you’re just a big kid at heart!) is Strokes Adventure Golf; an 18-hole miniature crazy golf course overlooking Westbrook Bay.

This also makes for a fun and romantic thing to do in Margate if you’re visiting the seaside town as a couple!

14. Enjoy a picnic in Dane Park – the best Margate attractions

Dane Park isn’t exactly Margate’s answer to Central Park, but it’s a nice enough place for a little mooch around and let the kids run off some steam while you enjoy a yummy picnic.

15. Discover Margate Caves

The Margate Caves are thought to date all the way back to the Iron Age and then the caves are thought to have been used for mining in the 1700s. They’ve been welcoming visitors to the caves since 1863, but they were closed in 2004 and only recently opened back up again in 2019.

Tickets to the caves are only £4.50 for adults and £2 for children so it’s one of the more unusual things to do in Margate if you’re visiting on a budget.

16. Visit the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery – what to do in Margate

Art galleries really aren’t my thing, so while I’d heard plenty of great things about the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, it wasn’t somewhere that I was desperate to visit in Margate. However, the Turner art gallery is considered to be one of the very best things to do in Margate, so if you are an art lover, you might want to consider adding this to your itinerary.

17. Find your way out of The Escapement Margate

Of course, an escape room isn’t something that’s entirely exclusive to Margate, but The Escapement is definitely one of the best things to do in Margate when it rains.

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Have you ever been to Margate, Kent? Is it somewhere that you’d like to visit one day? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.

17 Fun & Unusual Things To Do In Margate – Kent, UK