Ten places worth your time in Worthing, each checked this week: five Green Flag gardens with free entry, the pier staying open through repairs, and what the lido is doing.

Worthing’s best days out are cheap. Five of the borough’s parks and gardens hold Green Flag awards and none of them charges to get in, the museum has just reopened, and the pier is free to walk. What follows is ten places, each checked against its own operator this week, with the prices and hours they publish rather than the ones a listings site remembers from three years ago. If you are driving in, note that council car park charges rise on 24 August.

Decision helper for days out in Worthing: free options are Worthing Pier, Highdown Gardens, Beach House Park, Denton Gardens, Marine Gardens, Field Place grounds and Colonnade House; paid options are Splashpoint Leisure Centre at £9.40 an adult swim and shows at the Connaught, Pavilion and Assembly Hall

1. Worthing Pier

Free, open all year, and open right now despite the scaffolding underneath it. The pier closed suddenly in October 2024 after storm damage to its supporting piles, and has since carried a temporary steel support. The permanent repair began this August: engineers are replacing the piles and foundations from below the deck during each month’s spring low tides, which is precisely why the pier can stay open while they do it. The job is forecast at up to £550,000 and due to finish before the end of autumn. The landing stage, used mainly by the town’s fishing community, has already reopened with new handrails.

2. Highdown Gardens

The one to see if you only see one. A chalk garden on the Downs above Ferring, created by Sir Frederick Stern, given to the town in 1968 and run by Worthing Borough Council ever since. Entry is free and it opens every day of the year: 10am to dusk, which in August means 8pm, dropping to 10am to 4pm in midwinter. There are free car parks at the top and bottom of Highdown Rise, both with 2.1m height barriers, and three disabled bays by the entrance. Free guided tours run every Thursday, 2pm to 3pm. Highdown Rise, off Littlehampton Road, BN12 6FB. It held its Green Flag award again in 2026.

3. Worthing Museum & Art Gallery

Reopened after a year in which its collections were moved and protected while the building was connected to the town’s heat network. It holds a nationally significant costume collection alongside Sussex art and artefacts. Open Wednesday 10am to 5pm, Thursday 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 5pm, with galleries clearing 15 minutes before closing. Details and what is on at wtm.uk.

4. The Connaught, the Pavilion and the Assembly Hall

Worthing Theatres and Museum, the independent charity that runs the museum, also runs three venues: the Connaught Theatre on Union Place, the Pavilion Theatre on the pier and the Assembly Hall. Between them and the museum they drew more than 250,000 visits in 2025/26, across theatre, live music, comedy, dance, cinema and family shows. In July 2026 the council agreed a new five-year, multimillion-pound funding package covering 2027/28 to 2031/32, so the programme has a floor under it. Box office 01903 206206.

5. Splashpoint Leisure Centre

The seafront pool, run by the charity South Downs Leisure at 60 Brighton Road, BN11 2EN. Public swim prices for 2026 are £9.40 for an adult, £5.90 for a junior and £5.90 concession for over-60s, with member rates of £7.55 and £4.75. Swim sessions are best booked before you turn up. It is one of the buildings being connected to the Worthing Heat Network in the current phase of works.

6. Beach House Park

A Green Flag park just back from the seafront, best known for its bowling greens and the Palm Court Pavilion. Free. If you want to be more than a visitor, there are volunteer mornings on the first Tuesday of every month, 10am to midday, meeting at the Green Flag by the Palm Court Pavilion; no equipment or experience needed.

7. Denton Gardens and Marine Gardens

Two small formal gardens on the seafront side of town, both Green Flag winners in 2026 and both free. Each has an active Friends group, the Friends of Denton Gardens and the Friends of Marine Gardens, which is generally the sign of a park that is looked after rather than merely mown.

8. Field Place Manor House and Barns

Eight acres of landscaped gardens around a historic manor house at The Boulevard, BN13 1NP, run by South Downs Leisure. Free parking, including disabled bays, and a free outdoor children’s play area. The house and Pavilion Barn work mostly as a wedding and events venue, so check what is on before you plan a visit, but the grounds are a Green Flag site and a genuinely pleasant hour.

9. Colonnade House

The town’s gallery and studio space, run by the council in partnership with the Adur & Worthing Trust, showing work by local artists. Its exhibitions currently extend outdoors: the exterior of the West Buildings Shelter, the locally listed heritage structure about 500 metres west of the pier, is used to display local artwork. The council opened that site to expressions of interest in August 2026, with proposals invited until 20 September, so the shelter’s future is genuinely undecided.

10. The beach, and what is happening to it

Worthing’s beach is shingle, and the groynes that hold the shingle in place have just been rebuilt. An Environment Agency scheme costing almost £5m, to which the council added £400,000, ran for eight months from Seaview Road east to Brooklands Park and finished in July 2026, fitting new pile extensions and planks. A few more planks are still to go on, paused deliberately until after the school summer holidays. The council is monitoring shingle levels and will move extra shingle onto the beach if it does not build up on its own.

One to check before you go: Worthing Lido

The lido on the promenade is in transition and partly shut. Its long-serving head tenant closed the amusements and children’s rides in the central area earlier this year for safety works, then decided the investment needed exceeded his resources and ended his tenancy. From the week of 7 August 2026 the council took over and began a programme of essential repairs, including preparing the central open-air area for use again. The café and the other independent businesses at the lido are trading as normal. A new tenant will be sought once the repairs are done, with more detail promised later in 2026. Do not plan a day around the amusements yet.

Frequently asked questions

Is Worthing Pier open?

Yes. Permanent repairs to its piles began in August 2026, but they are being carried out from below the deck at low tide, so the pier remains open. Completion is expected before the end of autumn.

What is there to do in Worthing for free?

Worthing Pier, Highdown Gardens, Beach House Park, Denton Gardens, Marine Gardens, the grounds at Field Place and Colonnade House are all free. Five of those hold Green Flag awards for 2026.

How much is it to swim at Splashpoint?

£9.40 for an adult, £5.90 for a junior or an over-60 concession, at 2026 prices. Members pay £7.55 and £4.75.

Is Worthing Museum free to visit?

The museum reopened in 2026 and is open Wednesday to Saturday, late until 8pm on Thursdays. Check current admission and exhibitions on wtm.uk before you go.

Is Worthing Lido open?

Partly. The café and independent businesses are trading, but the central amusements area is closed while the council carries out repairs after the previous tenant left in August 2026.

Sources

Prices and opening hours checked against each operator on 10 August 2026. Confirm before travelling.