Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum

Two aircraft that changed the course of history sit in a quiet corner of Kent near Birchington, and they're worth seeking out if you've got even a passing interest in the Second World War. The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum houses original examples of both fighters - the machines that won the Battle of Britain - displayed with the kind of reverence they deserve.

You'll walk around these restored aircraft at your own pace, getting genuinely close to the engineering that kept Nazi bombers at bay. The Spitfire is the more famous, sleeker thing, but the Hurricane actually did more of the heavy lifting during 1940, which the museum doesn't shy away from explaining. There's enough technical detail here to satisfy the aviation obsessives, but it's not so dense that younger visitors or casual history tourists will feel lost.

Allow an hour minimum, longer if you want to read everything properly. The museum works brilliantly as a half-day stop rather than a full day commitment - perfect if you're basing yourself at Birchington Vale Holiday Park or any of the other local parks like The Foxhunter or Dog & Duck Leisure Park. It pairs well with a coastal walk along this stretch of Thanet, giving you something more substantial than just beaches and arcades.

Admission details and exact opening times aren't widely publicised online, so ring ahead before you go. Worth the detour if you're staying in the area, though it's not quite worth a day trip on its own.