For our latest day out we went to a Kent attraction that first welcomed visitors 40 years ago.

Kent Life offers families a little trip into the past - with historic buildings to explore, a farmyard and gardens - and not a screen in sight.

The 28-acre site was once part of the Allington Castle estate, owned by Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Later known as the Cobtree Estate, the land came into the hands of the Tyrwhitt-Drake family and Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake inherited it from his father in the early 1900s.

In 1951, a charitable trust was established to safeguard the estate’s future. When Sir Garrard died childless in 1964, it was gifted to the people of Maidstone.

Two decades later, work began on transforming the former Sandling Farm into a heritage attraction.

In 1983, Kent County Council and Maidstone council joined forces to create what was then known as the Museum of Kent Life, telling the story of the county’s rural past. The attraction opened on July 6, 1985.

Over the years, at-risk buildings from around the county have been saved and rebuilt at Kent Life. The first was Vale Farm Barn which was was reconstructed on site in 1990, followed by Petts Farmhouse, Ulcombe Village Hall, Lenham Cottages and Cuxton Chapel.

Today, the attraction still has all these buildings, as well as being home to pigs, goats, sheep, horses, alpacas and lots of other farmyard animals.

There’s also a large outdoor play area, indoor soft play, owl displays, pottery painting and other entertainment.

Kent Life is located just off the M20/A229 and is easy to find. There is a large free car park, and it was a short walk up the path to the entrance.

At the front desk we were given a map, a list of what was on that day and we paid £1.50 each for two bags of animal feed.

First on the agenda was a trip on the tractor ride. This went past the hens, turkeys and the big top tent, before it circled back and made its way to the top of the farm, passing the sheep, pigs, goats, alpacas and horses along the way. It was a good way to see what the farm had to offer for the rest of the day.

My daughter loved every bumpy minute of it and was waving at people as we went past, and it was lovely to see people waving back.

Next, we visited the farmyard. Here there are a variety of animals including ducks, a Shetland pony, a very noisy cockerel who was strutting about, and a highlight for the kids - newborn lambs that you could stroke. There is also a large shed with guinea pigs and rabbits.

You can’t feed the animals in the farmyard. If you want to do that you have to head up the hill to the other enclosures, which is where we went next.

The goats came trotting over straight away and Max and Millie enjoyed feeding them. Just be careful to protect your bag of animal feed - one greedy goat snatched it out of Millie’s hand and ate the whole lot - including the paper bag! Luckily, Millie saw the funny side.

At the top of the farm is also where the old village hall, cottages, the chapel and farmhouse are located so we spent some time exploring these.

The cottages are furnished as a home may have looked during the Second World War and there’s also a cobbler’s and a 1940s-style grocery shop with the fittings and contents taken from Piper’s store in Hawkhurst, which traded from 1897 to 1986. I tried my best to teach the kids some history but Millie was more interested in playing shops.

We had taken a picnic so ate this on one of the many benches next to the playground. There are also other spots on the grass if you take a picnic blanket.

If you want to purchase food, there is The Pantry in the Playbarn soft play area serving hot and cold snacks and drinks, or the 1950s-inspired Dotty’s Tea Room halfway up the hill, which has indoor and outdoor seating.

We popped into the tea room after lunch to buy the children some ice creams and there was a very tempting choice of homemade cakes.

After lunch, we spent some time in the playground, the soft play and then Mr Moo’s messy play area, which was the only part of the attraction I thought needed some work - the aprons, pots and pans were all missing. We also visited the owls and the meerkats and met the rabbits in the petting corner.

For more ideas of how to entertain your kids this half-term, see our other Family Friendly Kent reviews here

In the school holidays there are magic shows and discos in the big top tent located next to the playground.

During half-term next week there will be owl flying demos, a critters cuddle corner and orienteering. They also have a visit by the children’s character Bluey coming up on Saturday, June 21.

Look out for dinosaur days, an ice cream festival, a Hey Duggee day and a 1940s weekend later in the year. You can find out more about upcoming special events here.

Like most family attractions, your way out was back through the shop so we stopped for a browse. The children both picked something from the pocket money stand which offered toys and other items for just £3 each, which I thought was a great idea.

Food and drink: There was a good choice of hot and cold food and drinks on offer. I can’t rate the standard as we took a picnic, but the homemade cakes in Dotty’s Tea Room looked delicious. There are plenty of places to enjoy a picnic to save some cash *****

Toilets: These are located in the car park, near the farmyard and by the tea room so you don’t have to walk far to find one *****

Parking: Free and plenty of spaces. If it’s busy you might have a little walk as you’ll be in the overflow car park but it’s not far *****

Cost: Ticket prices can vary depending on the time of year, if it's a weekday, a weekend or a school holiday. A family ticket for two adults and two children is £40, £43 or £48 depending on when you go. We paid £43 - about the same price as our last family trip to the cinema, and we got a whole day out *****

Kids’ verdict: Millie, who is six, loved the whole day and gave it five out of five while Max, who is 10, only gave it a three but I think that’s because the attraction is more suited to younger children. Millie said: “There is lots of do at Kent Life. The tractor ride was great, but be warned, it is a bit bumpy.” *****

Location: Kent Life is in Lock Lane, Sandling, just outside Maidstone. Use the postcode ME14 3AU. If you want to extend your day, it is right by the Malta Inn Beefeater pub, and there’s a nice walk along the river.