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Rare Breeds Centre
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Rare Breeds Centre

See all things to do
See all things to do
Rare Breeds Centre
4.5
#1 of 12 things to do in Woodchurch
Farms
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
100 ACRES OF FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY! We are a working farm that’s open to the public every day! Meet the friendly animals in the Children’s Barn to say hello and pet our rabbits, guinea pigs, piglets and mini goats. Learn more about them from our friendly farm team. See our many other animal friends from majestic Rhona, a beautiful Shire Horse, to Mini the Shetland, our donkeys, pigs, sheep, and goats. Take the big red trailer to explore more of the farm including Rainbow Wood and our adventure playgrounds. Enjoy our hilarious pig racing every day, browse our gift shop and enjoy freshly made food and gourmet coffees in the Granary Restaurant. Visit our butterfly tunnel in the summer to see lots of species of colourful butterflies flitting about as well as chrysalises which you could see hatching! The Rare Breeds Centre is run by Canterbury Oast Trust providing training and skills in animal care, horticulture, customer service, art and catering, to adults with learning disability.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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See what travellers are saying
  • CathTeague
    Folkestone, United Kingdom13 contributions
    Falconry Experience
    We took my 8 year old Godson for a Falconry Experience. It was brilliant! Colin the Head Falconer was superb. He gave us lots of facts and answered all our questions with great knowledge! We all got the chance to handle 4 birds and fly a Harris Hawk to the glove. A unique birthday present and very good value especially as it included our entry ticket price. Highly recommend.
    Visited April 2023
    Written 2 April 2023
  • Steven W
    England, United Kingdom77 contributions
    Good family day out
    The rare breeds centre Woodchurch Kent is in a great rural setting on a very large country site with plenty of parking. It’s a great venue for families especially those with younger children. There is a wide variety of farm & barnyard animals to see including many types of pigs & chickens. There a a great emphasis on animal welfare & lots of fun hands on education. The petting zoo area is especially popular with the children. The site includes a large indoor soft play area, useful on rainy days, a great outdoor play park & a woodland challenge trail course. There is also a fort & some zip wire slides & tractor rides to enjoy. Depending on the time of year special events such as at Easter & Halloween are also hosted . There is a cafe facility & gift shop onsite too. Well worth a visit.
    Visited November 2022
    Written 7 April 2023
  • Shona T
    Kent, United Kingdom40 contributions
    Enjoyable day with family
    Went to centre with the family on Good Friday. Whole experience was fun and enjoyable for all of us. Although the centre was busy there was lots to see and do, tractor ride, petting animal area, birds of prey flying display and lots more animals to look at. Also on site there are toilets, plenty of hand washing facilities, different parks for children to play in and a cafe and other snack facilities. But i must admit the topping on the cake was the pig race, it was great fun and all of us from age 4 - 59 had great fun watching the race. Also finally i found all the staff friendly and approachable. All in all a good day out.
    Visited April 2023
    Written 8 April 2023
  • Sophie B
    12 contributions
    Awesome place to go
    Took my nephew here who is 5 and it was great! Awesome day out with so much to do. Loads of play parks and animals to look at. The food was amazing too! We had a burger each and the restaurant there and we were amazed by how tasty it was. Will definitely be back!
    Visited November 2022
    Written 13 April 2023
  • GeminiOne
    228 contributions
    Highly suggest day out here
    Such a lovely place to visit for all ages so many things to do and see the petting farm was lovely. The pigs put me off eating bacon lol but they looked happy and well fed. Definitely visit again and highly suggest. Lots of picnic tables too and the cafe food was ok too!
    Lisa
    Thank you so much for this lovely review. I'm very glad you had such an enjoyable time. If you come back during summer holidays, you can try out our new pig washing!
    Written 8 August 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 May 2023
  • T O
    10 contributions
    Awesome!++
    The new butterfly enclosure! Totally amazing! Very humid so be warned but amazing to walk around with tropical plants everywhere and beautiful butterflies from around the world flying around you! Pig race was so cute with children involved and the pigs loved it. Great cappuccino from the coffee bar made fresh. Petting area had a lovely lady who introduced all the animals to us by name and truly loved her job, what a credit! Highly recommend to everyone of all ages. Take a picnic as loads of benches and acres of space to chill and eat. They are doing a grand job and the animals are so well looked after. A real credit to the staff and owners for making it a remarkable day! Thank you all! Truly.
    Lisa
    Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are glad you had a great time!
    Written 10 July 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 4 July 2023
  • Moira P
    6 contributions
    A great day out
    A fantastic day out as a surprise trip for my husband. Well worth the money and so sad that they will no longer be doing these experiences from next week, the centres loss. Colin was exceptional, very knowledgeable and my husband thoroughly enjoyed the full day. Thank you Colin for such a great day and for making such happy memories with such beautiful creatures. You are very lucky to have such a great job working with such beautiful birds of prey.
    Lisa
    Thank you for this lovely review. We are very sorry to have had to close our falconry and birds of prey experiences and glad you had the opportunity to experience one before we sadly had to say goodbye to Colin and these amazing birds.
    Written 3 August 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 21 July 2023
  • nicole D
    2 contributions
    Rainy day doesn't stop us having lots of fun
    I took my twin daughters to the rare breed centre yesterday despite the really bad weather we all had a great time. Just meant more puddles for my children to jump in. I couldn't believe how much there was to do. I felt it was very SEN friendly too. my girls both have ASD and it was perfect for them very quite and each section was very safe. We will be back
    Lisa
    I'm so glad you all had a lovely time Nicole. We love the rainy weather here too :) Thank you so much for the lovely review.
    Written 8 August 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 6 August 2023
  • Cthor
    Canterbury, United Kingdom11 contributions
    Brilliant family day out
    I live locally but haven’t been to the rare breeds for a few years. We went for a family day out- two kids 6&4 and had a great relaxed day out here. Lots of opportunity for kids to really get close with animals, love the pig pen they can get into with piglets. You can easily spend a whole day here- picnic areas and gardens throughout- small cafes and a refectory too. It doesn’t have a commercial loud feeling like other places can and it is very well set up and organised. Two large and interesting play areas, a decent woodland obstacle course, tractor rides, walks and butterfly tunnel, plus lots of unusual breeds of chickens, ducks and hatching chicks to see. Pig racing in the afternoons. There is soft play to end the day and grab a few minutes to yourself. Would really recommend x
    Lisa
    Thank you so much for your lovely review Camilla!
    Written 5 October 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 25 August 2023
  • Brian P
    Tonbridge, United Kingdom247 contributions
    Excellent visit
    Our first visit and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day. The whole site is extremely well cared for and plenty of things to see, plus excellent catering facilities. The mid morning cappuccino was superb. We would agree that the signage in the woodland walk could be improved, but this did not detract from our enjoyment. All the staff were friendly and they all appeared to be enjoying their work. Well worth a visit and We will definitely return.
    Lisa
    Thanks so much Brian. Glad you had a great time! We do plan on updating our signage soon - it could definitely do with a refresh!
    Written 5 October 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 5 September 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
653 reviews
Excellent
474
Very good
130
Average
28
Poor
8
Terrible
13
Phil W
Norwich, UK111 contributions
Lovely place
Oct 2023 • Family
Went with daughter and 2 grandchildren (10 and 6) myself and wife, what a lovely place nice farmyard animals, facilities to was hands after touching animals etc tractor ride pig racing. Its a oast charity so has housing for disabled ppl onsite and believe they also employ disabled ppl as well,which I find really nice what a great thing to be done. Lots of friendly staff and the shows with fartwoofer and her gentleman sidekick were really entertaining and made ppl laugh, kids and adults alike, would recommend the place to anyone.
Written 26 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
neddy
12 contributions
We love it here
Aug 2023 • Family
We love the rare breeds and come fairly regularly as we have memberships, meaning we can stay all day or just pop in for a little while! Great activities during holidays etc and overall we love it, the only negative thing i will say (and I feel bad saying it) is the food has got SO expensive. I understand everything has gone up in price and you need to make a profit but for many families it just isn't affordable. I'm sure the children's lunchbox is now nearly £8?! I used to able to buy food but we mostly just bring our own now because it just isn't doable for us.

Otherwise a lovely day out for all.
Written 1 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
We're so glad you enjoy your memberships with the Rare Breeds Centre and have registered your unhappiness with our restaurant prices. We hope to see you back soon... maybe for our Halloween entertainment between October 21st and 29th? It will be extra fun for no extra price 😊
Written 5 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Larry
Northiam, UK3 contributions
Great day out!
Aug 2023 • Family
Took the grandkids for a day out at the Rare Breeds Centre and they absolutely loved it! There's loads to see and lots for younger children to take part in. My granddaughter loved the butterfly tunnel. Thank you.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thank you so much for the lovely review Larry. We're so glad your grandkids loved their visit and hope to see you again soon. 😊
Written 5 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brian P
Tonbridge, UK247 contributions
Excellent visit
Sep 2023 • Couples
Our first visit and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day.
The whole site is extremely well cared for and plenty of things to see, plus excellent catering facilities. The mid morning cappuccino was superb.
We would agree that the signage in the woodland walk could be improved, but this did not detract from our enjoyment.
All the staff were friendly and they all appeared to be enjoying their work.
Well worth a visit and We will definitely return.
Written 5 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thanks so much Brian. Glad you had a great time! We do plan on updating our signage soon - it could definitely do with a refresh!
Written 5 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cthor
Canterbury, UK11 contributions
Brilliant family day out
Aug 2023 • Family
I live locally but haven’t been to the rare breeds for a few years. We went for a family day out- two kids 6&4 and had a great relaxed day out here. Lots of opportunity for kids to really get close with animals, love the pig pen they can get into with piglets. You can easily spend a whole day here- picnic areas and gardens throughout- small cafes and a refectory too. It doesn’t have a commercial loud feeling like other places can and it is very well set up and organised. Two large and interesting play areas, a decent woodland obstacle course, tractor rides, walks and butterfly tunnel, plus lots of unusual breeds of chickens, ducks and hatching chicks to see. Pig racing in the afternoons. There is soft play to end the day and grab a few minutes to yourself. Would really recommend x
Written 26 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thank you so much for your lovely review Camilla!
Written 5 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
34612017
London, UK99 contributions
Nice visit
Aug 2023 • Couples
Nice visit and lots to do for little ones. Woodland walks could do with better signposting as you don't want to go back and get a trail map once you get to the wood
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thank you for this helpful feedback. We are looking into improving our signposting.
Written 16 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
nicole D
2 contributions
Rainy day doesn't stop us having lots of fun
Aug 2023 • Family
I took my twin daughters to the rare breed centre yesterday despite the really bad weather we all had a great time. Just meant more puddles for my children to jump in. I couldn't believe how much there was to do. I felt it was very SEN friendly too. my girls both have ASD and it was perfect for them very quite and each section was very safe. We will be back
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
I'm so glad you all had a lovely time Nicole. We love the rainy weather here too :) Thank you so much for the lovely review.
Written 8 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Moira P
6 contributions
A great day out
Jul 2023 • Couples
A fantastic day out as a surprise trip for my husband. Well worth the money and so sad that they will no longer be doing these experiences from next week, the centres loss.

Colin was exceptional, very knowledgeable and my husband thoroughly enjoyed the full day. Thank you Colin for such a great day and for making such happy memories with such beautiful creatures. You are very lucky to have such a great job working with such beautiful birds of prey.
Written 21 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thank you for this lovely review. We are very sorry to have had to close our falconry and birds of prey experiences and glad you had the opportunity to experience one before we sadly had to say goodbye to Colin and these amazing birds.
Written 3 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
T O
london10 contributions
Awesome!++
Jul 2023 • Family
The new butterfly enclosure! Totally amazing! Very humid so be warned but amazing to walk around with tropical plants everywhere and beautiful butterflies from around the world flying around you! Pig race was so cute with children involved and the pigs loved it. Great cappuccino from the coffee bar made fresh. Petting area had a lovely lady who introduced all the animals to us by name and truly loved her job, what a credit! Highly recommend to everyone of all ages. Take a picnic as loads of benches and acres of space to chill and eat. They are doing a grand job and the animals are so well looked after. A real credit to the staff and owners for making it a remarkable day! Thank you all! Truly.
Written 4 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are glad you had a great time!
Written 10 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cfenfox
Ramsgate, UK28 contributions
Perfect family day out
May 2023 • Family
Where should I start, I went with my mum and my almost 2 year old son. On arrival we were greeted by two lovely helpful ladies at the admissions. The facilities were well located and there are handwash stations throughout the site. The Childrens barn was brilliant, my little one loved getting to see some of the animals up close, and it was great to see the staff and volunteers keeping a watchful eye. The play parks are well planned out and cater to all ages. The pig race was also great fun. The butterfly house is spacious and fresh with lots of butterflies fluttering about. They’re running craft sessions and tractor rides through half term too.
The woodland walk was lovely and peaceful listening to different bird calls, and I should imaging looked stunning when the bluebells were in season. The whole site is well laid out and not overcrowded and the memberships and entry fees are really reasonable.
Written 31 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Thank you so much for this absolutely lovely review. We are very glad you enjoyed yourselves so much. The woodland walk is really beautiful when bluebells are in season. I hope you can come and see them :)
Written 8 August 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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RARE BREEDS CENTRE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Rare Breeds Centre
Rare Breeds Centre is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Restaurants near Rare Breeds Centre: View all restaurants near Rare Breeds Centre on Tripadvisor