With the price of almost everything shooting up, it feels increasingly harder to find a decent day out for free.

Thankfully, Heritage Open Days gives the public a chance to see behind the secret doorways of some of Kent’s lesser-known attractions and enjoy exclusive one-off tours of popular sites - all without spending a penny.

The event is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with the theme of Routes, Networks and Connections, highlighting how people and ideas have moved around the country and come together throughout history.

There are around 5,000 different events taking place across the UK from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 15, including a huge selection right here in Kent.

Here are some of our top picks to enjoy…

CARRIAGE MUSEUM, Maidstone

Amy Bracey, carriage expert and curator with the Carriage Foundation, is taking visitors on a behind-the-scenes tour of Maidstone’s Carriage Museum. These early forms of transport will be on display, with Amy providing a fascinating history of how they developed through the years. The museum isn’t open to the public during these dates, so this really is a unique opportunity to learn more about the exhibitions inside.

Details: Wednesday, September 11 at 1.30pm and Thursday, September 12 at 10.30am and 1.30pm. Find out more here.

CHATHAM HOUSE, Rochester

This historic house has been the subject of a significant renovation project for the past four years and, for one day only, it’ll be open for the public to see the newly-decorated interior. The building dates back to the 18th century and has had a variety of uses, from its time as a brewers’ mansion for the Hulkes family, who ran the brewery on Hulkes Lane until 1912, to being a homeware department of Featherstones in the 1920s.

Details: Sunday, September 15 from 11am to 4pm. Find out more here.

DOVER COLLEGE AND DOVER PRIORY

The dining hall of Dover College is the only Norman refectory in the world still used for its original purpose and has been an important backdrop for historical events since its inception in 1130. In 1154, King Stephen died there on his way back from France and the Bayeux Tapestry was supposedly hung from the walls while, years later, one of Turner’s most famous paintings featured the site, which was once the Ancient Priory of St Martin.

Details: Saturday, September 7 at 11am, 12pm and 1pm. Find out more here.

ITALIANATE GLASSHOUSE, Ramsgate

This Grade II listed monument was built on the grounds of Sir Moses Montefiore’s 22-acre estate, East Cliff Lodge, in 1832. The glasshouse was renovated in 2005 by the present owners and is now open, along with the beautiful gardens, for visitors to find out more about the lives of the estate’s former inhabitants.

Details: Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15 from 12pm. Find out more here.

ROMAN MUSEUM, Canterbury

Delve beneath Canterbury’s modern city centre and discover the bustling Roman town of Durovernum Cantiacorum. The guided tour of the Roman Museum includes the remains of an original Roman townhouse, ornate mosaics, historical artefacts and an exploration of the timeline tracking the current city as we know it today back to its original Roman streets.

Details: Sunday, September 8 from 11.30am. Find out more here.

SALOMONS MUSEUM, Tunbridge Wells

In 1937, Vera Salomons donated the family estate, a picturesque country home designed by Decimus Burton in the 1800s, to Kent County Council. However, she insisted that two rooms be kept as a memorial to her brother, father and great-uncle and these rooms now form the Salomons Museum. As part of Heritage Open Days, there will be a talk at the museum to share the history of the three generations of the Salomons family and a tour of parts of the house that are not usually open to the public.

Details: Sunday, September 8 from 2.30pm. Find out more here.

SANDOWN CASTLE, Deal

Sandown Castle is one of Henry VIII’s Castles of the Downs, which also includes Walmer Castle and Deal Castle. The northerly end of the 2.6-mile-long fortress was originally built to protect Deal’s harbour during the Tudor period and has a fascinating 500-year history. The guided tour of the community gardens will give visitors a glimpse into what the castle would have looked like in its prime, and also discover if anything from the original structure remains on the site.

Details: Sunday, September 8 from 2pm. Find out more here.

You can find a full list of events on the Heritage Open Days website.