Just a short drive away from the airport is the fantastic Chessington World of Adventures, one of the UK’s largest theme parks that promises fun for all the family. You can hang upside down and spin round and round on Rameses Revenge, take a ride on the Dragons Fury rollercoaster, and let your children get their first taste of a rollercoaster ride on Vampire. There’s even a fabulous zoo and a Sea Life centre here!

Address: Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NE
Phone: 0871 663 4477

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Epsom Racecourse is where the iconic Derby Festival takes place. A full racing calendar takes place here every year, so if you’ve never been horse racing before why don’t you give it a try?

Address: Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom Downs, Surrey KT18 5LQ
Phone: 01372 726 311

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If you love horseracing you could take a trip to Lingfield Park Racecourse for the day. The well known Derby Trial takes place here. You can watch National Hunt, Flat and All Weather racing. It makes a great day out so why don’t you find out what races are taking place whilst you’re in the area? You could explore the beautiful Surrey countryside at the same time!

Address: Racecourse Road, Dormansland, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6PQ
Phone: 01342 834800

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One quaint theatre really close to Gatwick Airport is Archway Theatre. It’s so named because it’s actually located underneath the arches of the railway line at Horley. There are only 95 seats here and only 10 productions take place each year, so find out what’s on!

Address: Horley, Surrey RH6 7NQ
Phone: 01293 784398

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Here is Gatwick Airport Train Station. This is linked directly to the Southern Terminal. If you are flying into or from the North Terminal, you will get the chance to use the free monorail service to get from the train station to the terminal. You can catch the Gatwick Express to London Victoria from here, as well as trains to places like Croydon, Brighton and Reading!

Address: Crawley, West Sussex, UK RH6 0RD
Phone: 0845 711 4141

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The South Terminal is Gatwick Airport’s oldest terminal. It’s here that you’ll catch flights with airlines and charter carriers like EasyJet, Virgin Atlantic, Monarch Airlines and Thomas Cook Airlines. If you head to the Metro cafe or Est Caffe you can watch the aircraft taking off and landing as you wait to board your flight. Alternatively you can shop in famous brand stores like Ted Baker, Animal and Fat Face. You mustn’t forget to pick up some tax free bargains in World Duty Free either! If it all gets too much, relax with a drink in J D Weatherspoons!

Address: Gatwick Airport, West Sussex RH6 0NN
Phone: 0844 892 0322

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This is the North terminal of Gatwick Airport that opened in 1988. It’s mainly used by airways and chartered airlines like British Airways, EasyJet, First Choice Airways and ThomsonFly. In the lower departure lounge you should stop to admire William Pye’s Slipstream and Jetstream - modern art that cascades water down giant cones to create ripples and waves. Gatwick Airport’s newest pier, Pier 6, which opened in 2005, offers you great views across the airport. You’ll also find a huge range of shops, bars and restaurants including World Duty Free, Harrods, Hamleys, Costa Coffee, the Aqua Champagne and Wine Bar, Yo Sushi and Garfunkels.

Address: Gatwick Airport (LGW), Horley, West Sussex RH6

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You can’t go to Gatwick Airport without stopping off at the Gatwick Aviation Museum in nearby Charlwood. You’ll find a fantastic collection of British Aircraft here including English Electric, Blackburn and Percival. You may have to book an appointment in advance!

Address: Lowfield Heath Road, Charlwood, Surrey RH6 0BT
Phone: 01293 862915

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This is where the stunning Lowfield Heath Windmill was moved to, to make way for Gatwick Airport! The grounds are open all your round for visitors and you may be lucky enough to come here on an open day when you can see inside the windmill itself!

Address: Charlwood, Surrey

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Right on the outskirts of Gatwick Airport is Grade II listed St Michaels Church. This is practically all that remains of the village of Lowfield Heath that was demolished to make way for Gatwick Airport. You will find beautiful examples of mid Victorian stained glass windows here, including the Rose West window.

Address: Milton Road, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 9RP
Phone: 020 8647 1201

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If you fancy seeing theatre, dance, music, comedy, films or exhibitions why don’t you find out what’s on at The Hawth in Crawley one evening? This is one of South England’s most lively arts venues so it’s well worth a visit!

Address: Hawth Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 6YZ
Phone: 01293 553636

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If you want more than duty free shopping you should come to County Mall in Crawley for the day. You’ll find loads of high street stores here to splash your cash in, as well as plenty of places to stop off a bite to eat or a quick drink.

Address: Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1FP
Phone: 01293 611975

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Take a trip to the Crawley Museum Centre. This compact museum that attempts to illustrate Crawley’s history is housed in an annexe of beautiful Goff Park House.

Address: Goffs Park House, Old Horsham Road, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 8PE
Phone: 01293 539088

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Leave the hustle and bustle of Gatwick Airport behind and escape here to Buchan Country Park. Go for a walk, take a picnic or watch the wildlife – you’ll find it all here in 170 acres of woodland, heath and meadow!

Address: Horsham Road, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 9HQ
Phone: 01293 542088

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Escape to the peace and tranquillity of Tilgate Forest Country Park for a few hours. You can amble along the woodland walks, take a look at the walled garden, and even visit the animal collection (including ponies, pigs, deer and snakes) in the Nature Centre.

Address: Tilgate Drive, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 5PQ
Phone: 01293 521168

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Let’s say you’ve a flight to catch and a few hours spare; maybe even a day and a quick stopover. Let’s say you’ve done London lots, and don’t want to spend the money on travel into town. What is there to do? Well, there’s a whole town nearby that’s got plenty on offer and is a delightful bite of Britain’s best.

Address: The Drive, Horley, Gatwick Airport, London, RH6 7NQ

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Ever dreamed of racing in the Formula 1? It’s unlikely to actually happen, right? Well, step forward Let’s Race!, which is the UK’s only full-motion Formula 1 simulator in the UK. Get yourself down as an individual or a group and sample first-hand their state-of-the-art racing facilities.

Address: 59/61 Brighton Road, Horley, Surrey, Gatwick Airport, London RH6 7HJ
Phone: 01293 826 800

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