Welcome To Things To Do In Clacton

People come from miles around to visit and find things to do in Clacton and it offers a little something for everyone. Whether its walking on the beach, strolling up the promenade or having a cream tea in  one of the many cafes, Clacton has plenty of things to do. If your looking for things to do with the kids, then look no further! Here we pride ourselves on having Clacton Pier, being the largest pleasure pier in the UK and Europe covering a staggering 6 1/2 acres. It’s been completely revamped in the last 7 years and undergoing upgrades continuously! Costing millions but now what a fantastic place to visit with all the brand new rides, go cart track, fantastic state of the art amusements arcades, an updated Sealife Aquarium where you can see local sea life, from Bass to Smooth Hounds, Crabs, Lobsters, Eels, and various other fish and crustaceans. Also other tropical fresh and salt water fishes from around the world along with a wide variety of turtles.

With Theatres and a vast variety of amusements including pool tables and bowling- you’ll be spoilt for choice with things to do here! If you are looking for a show to see then check out our entertainment category.

The Leisure Centre in Clacton holds the opportunity to go swimming if the sea isn’t your thing. You can play badminton, football, basketball, tennis or even go to the gym for a workout. Check out our sports and leisure sections to find out more. There’s so much for all the family to do here such as Adventure Golf, Bingo, cinemas, Theatres, Kids adventure play grounds, Night clubs along with Restaurants that include, American, Turkish, Mexican, English, Italian, Chinese, Traditional fish and chips and still so many more! You can’t find more things to do in Clacton than right here on this website.

About Clacton On Sea

Clacton-On-Sea is the largest town on the Essex sunshine coast. In the summer It becomes a bustling yet affordable seaside resort. It’s boasting an array of different entertainment facilities, shopping amenities and an outlet village. Just some of the main attractions include; The Iconic Clacton Pier, Amusement arcades, Pavilion Fun park, Ten-pin bowling centre, Popular Golf Clubs, High street Restaurants, Both the West Cliff & Princes theatres and Two large secondary schools. Clacton offers an annual events program such as Fete’s, Fairs, Carnival and Air show. Transport links make Clacton extremely accessible to the A12, Regular train links into London Liverpool St Station and a busy Airfield.

Clacton On Sea beaches have  had £36,000,000 spent on them in regards to the coastal protection scheme. The beaches have had sand pumped onto them from off shore and estimated to be over one million tonnes. This now offers greater protection to the coast line from Clacton to Holland on sea. In regards to visitors to Clacton, it means they have a dry beach to play and sunbath on all day! The tides do not affect the beaches as they are approximately six feet higher than before. This now means families can spend the whole day on the beaches. We’re very lucky as these are sand beaches unlike other beaches such as Brighton who have very stony beaches.

Clacton has also been voted one of the best beaches in the UK. It’s right next door to St Osyth which has been given the title of ‘driest place in England. So no rain mixed with sunshine, a pier and beaches are all the components you need to make a lovely family holiday. Clacton On Sea just so happens to be the largest town in the Tendring district and with being a seaside resort, you will find that the summer months is when Clacton really thrives as the beaches and amusements just flood with people to come enjoy themselves! Since Butlins is no more in Clacton, the holiday parks and entertainment in the town centre has just taken over. The port of Harwich is just a stones throw away and can take you to new locations if you want to do some exploring. There are just so many things to do in Clacton!

Clacton Shopping

Shopping in Clacton, I don’t know where to start, Of course you have the town which is just full of different shops for all sorts of different items. You have all of your main branded stores but you also have a lot of privately owned businesses that don’t sell just the usual things that you would expect so keep your eye out for any hidden treasures. Also, something that is quite individual, there is a cafe that sells shabby chic furniture right out of the store so make sure you do keep your eyes peeled.

So the town offers you everything you would expect shopping wise and more but Clacton is also home to The Factory Outlet which has recently had renovations and now looks amazing, just a very short bus journey or drive from the town centre. You can find even more shops here plus some cafes and restaurants. There’s also plenty of parking so no need to worry about that, just go get shopping!

The Surrounding Areas

Another great thing about a visit to Clacton On Sea is that you are just down the road from Holland on Sea, Frinton and Walton on Naze too. So whilst you’re here in Clacton don’t forget to visit the neighbouring beaches and towns. Jaywick has some of the most beautiful beaches on the East coast. It still has the original sand dunes.

Saint Osyth is in the area too which has some great sites to see and is steeped in history. The Saint Osyth Priory is there which is 900 years old. It leads down to Seawick where you can enjoy some local pubs, entertainment and attractions, golf and a fantastic Sunday market where you can buy all types of items and food. There are some lovely cycle routes on the seafront. From Saint Osyth you can cycle all the way to Walton on Naze with the sea and sandy beaches to your right and up to Holland on Sea. There’s some serene landscape for you to take walk’s. Head up to the farthest point in Walton on Naze which is perfect for crabbing and looking out for the wildlife.

Let’s not forget all of the Martello tower‘s along this coastline. There are a couple that are there as museum’s but Martello Tower F has beautiful tearooms where you can stop for tea’s, coffee’s, cakes and sandwiches etc. You can sit outside in the grounds surrounded by a 17 foot walled moat which is the only one in Essex. Although already mentioned, visiting Clacton Pier which is the largest pleasure Pier in Europe. It’s a fantastic day out all on its own so if you get a chance come up and visit us in Clacton on Sea you will be assured a great time. One last thing, we have a fantastic car boot. It’s called the late-riser car boot and is open three times a week including Saturday and Sunday. There’s just so many things to do in Clacton.

Local Events

On a Wednesday evening in Great Bentley you can enjoy a motorcycle night. Lots of motorcycle enthusiasts gather here every week on the largest village green in the UK. Turn up here and see hundreds of motorbikes. Grab a burger, have a nice drink in the plough pub and mingle with all the other motorbike enthusiasts. It really is a pleasant way to spend a summers evening.

Walton on the Naze Pier has had a full refurbishment. They’ve spent a fortune updating and improving the Pier there. If you’re in the area you must make sure you have a day out at Walton Pier. The marina is home to some amazing boats and yachts. Just down the road from here we have Frinton on Sea with their unique shops. If you walk around the streets there it’s like going back 50 years with some beautiful homes and streets. Sports fans will be happy to know that in Frinton there is a high quality golf course, tennis club and cricket club.

The beaches from Holland right the way down past Clacton have been raised so that you can sit on the beach all day long without having the tide come in.

Historical Finds On The Coast

We recently went to a museum in Cambridge to discover that there were arrowheads which were found on the beach in Clacton. The oldest wooden spear was found in Clacton on Sea in 1911 and is thought to be over 400,000 years old. Probably the oldest spear or javelin in the world used for hunting. Not many people realise that this part of the coast is famous for many old artefacts, arrowheads, spears, sharks teeth being found. Walton On The Naze is a popular spot for visitors to search for sharks teeth and prehistoric bones.

Martello Tower F which is available to hire is a massive staple in Clacton’s history. Inside the tower you can find a quaint dog friendly cafe and tea rooms which offers afternoon tea and snacks. At the tower they will be hosting events such as fright nights, escape from the tower and medieval nights. It’s going to be great for networking events etc and this is located on the seafront just in front of the hospital which has just had a major rebuild.

Tendring council has many events from networking to recruitment shows trying to help with the economic development of Tendring. 
A big plus with Clacton is the simplicity of travelling to or from London. You can get a train from Clacton straight to Liverpool Street via a few stops. So if you work in London it’s not a problem to live in Clacton. Another great benefit is the prices of homes here. Consider the prices of homes in London to Clacton you can see why so many people who work in London but live in Clacton.

Have the peace, the fresh air, the beaches, the open spaces and just travel to London daily. If more people visited Clacton to see all the benefits of living in this area compared to living in London or other major cities then many would move here.