25 family days out over Easter Weekend
Easter isn’t just about chocolate and cake. It can also be a time for dazzling blasts of sunshine, beautiful birdsong and all the fresh, dewy colour that reminds us after winter’s gloom that being outdoors can be just wonderful. Nature’s kaleidoscope shifts, revealing bright sprays of daffodils, carpets of primrose, pearl-smooth magnolia blooms and fields alive with pogoing lambs.
The long weekend gives us the time we need to shake off the dullness of the colder months. While it may be foolish to leave home without a coat, you can doff the woolly hat and pull out the panama or ribboned bonnet before setting out for an Easter picnic and an afternoon of egg-rolling and bunny-spotting. Of course, you can improvise your own entertainment, but there are plenty of events planned for families over the coming weekend all over the country, and many have bunnies and eggs as their theme. And aside from traditional pastimes, there are new exhibitions to squeeze in, a chance to play at pirates or medieval knights, and opportunities to meet spring’s cutest newborns.
Here are 25 activities for families to enjoy over the Easter weekend.
Easter trails
Alice in Wonderland, Wiltshire
They’re mad as hatters down at Longleat Safari Park, where colourful characters bring Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland to life. Celebrate an un-birthday, make origami roses for the Queen of Hearts’ Love Maze or pot mini-golf balls in curious Tulgey Wood. Eggs are scattered about containing a riddle to solve, while there is also the usual array of animals to spot, from talking parrots to gorillas, leaping sea lions, wolves, tigers and lions.
April 1-16, adult £39.95 (child £29.95)
Conifox’s Easter Festival, Scotland
Look out for a magic shed in Conifox Adventure Park, which leads to Hoppity Hollow, where the Easter Bunny lives. Children must avoid the big bad wolf while wandering a maze in search of lost bunnies, then they can tackle a field of inflatables at Bouncy Burrow. Those with energy left can compete in the Easter-lympics. The park lies on the edge of Edinburgh, in Kirkliston.
April 1-10, adult £13.95 (child £18.95)
Spots and stripes hunt, Merseyside
The egg hunt at Knowsley Safari Park educates youngsters about animals’ coats and markings, with six large eggs hidden about the grounds. Children are given a map and stickers. The park has beasts that include Amur tigers and offers both walking and drive-through safaris, plus a baboon bus service for those without wheels.
April 1-16, adult £22.50 (child £19.50)
Peter Rabbit experience, London
Children can walk with Beatrix Potter, meeting Benjamin Bunny, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and a certain blue-jacketed rabbit on an outdoor adventure in Covent Garden. Lasting 50 minutes, the show features live performance and poetry in a quest to save Jemima Puddle-Duck. Tickets include writing to Beatrix Potter and a themed reading corner.
Until April 16, adult £21 (child over 2, £21)
Hurdles race, West Sussex
The Grade II-listed gardens at Borde Hill are set among heritage parkland and are bursting with magnolias, camellias, hellebores and rhododendrons in spring. During Easter, children (ages 3-8) can explore through the eyes of Ludo the lamb, on a trail collecting clues. It ends with a race over hurdles, after which children who know the code word can win a mini egg ice cream.
April 1-16, adult £10.50 (child £7), trail £4
Easter bonnets, Cumbria
If the sight of chubby cheeks beneath a wide-brimmed pile of tissue-paper flowers isn’t enough to entice you to Allan Bank, the villa also overlooks Grasmere and was home to Wordsworth. An Easter bonnet parade takes place daily and materials are available to make one. There’s an art gallery, an Easter-themed trail and possible sightings of red squirrels in the woods.
April 8-16, adult £7 (child £3.50)
Museum Easter trails, Wales
Become a detective bunny via a crafting activity at St Fagans National Museum of History or at the National Museum in Cardiff, then count the eggs that are located around the galleries. Joint challenges across Wales’s free museums include spotting the difference between bunnies on display and finding a tiny golden egg for a bonus win. The National Museum has impressionist art and dinosaur skeletons, while St Fagans has more than 40 re-erected historical buildings in the grounds.
April 7-10, trail £4
Superworm at Wakehurst, Sussex
Elastic hero Superworm, star of the Julia Donaldson book, is lurking in the ornamental gardens and woodland at Wakehurst (and also at Kew Gardens). Sculptures of the character are dotted about, along with interactive activities based on the story. There is also a trail that introduces children to the superpowers of plants in bloom.
March 30 - April 23, adult £14.95 (child free)
Giant egg hunt, Shrewsbury
Monster-sized, brightly painted eggs have been scattered all about Shrewsbury’s market town. There are 12 in total to be found as part of a free walking trail. They shouldn’t be too hard to spot – they’re 5ft high. Collect a clue at each one to solve an Easter riddle and win a chocolate treat.
April 3-16, free
Easter in the walled garden, Norfolk
Performances of classic children’s tale, The Velveteen Rabbit, are taking place in the pretty walled garden on the Holkham estate. A “cottontail trail” teaches children to distinguish between rabbits and hares, while those feeling peckish can browse the Easter food, drink and gift market being held on Easter Saturday and Sunday.
April 7-10, entry adult £9 (child £4.50)
Lakeside Easter trail, Northumberland
The arts and crafts house, Cragside, is powered by hydraulics and clings to the hill in a fantasy landscape above Tumbleton Lake. The grounds feature cascades, an iron bridge and some of the tallest trees in the country. An Easter trail, with activity stations, hugs the lakeshore. Families can join an egg-and-spoon race along the way, make bunting, play musical instruments made from foraged materials and contribute to a wishing tree.
April 1-16, adult £22 (child £11)
Easter animals
Lambing festival, Northamptonshire
Get up close to wriggly, woolly, orphaned lambs on the Chester House Estate, where they can be bottle-fed, much to the delight of younger children. The farm’s livestock team will be around to answer questions about the lambing season. Take a map afterwards to hunt for giant eggs or sit and decorate a chocolate lolly with sweets.
Various dates until April 30, £15
Meet a camel, Warwickshire
For something different, try a meet-and-greet with the UK’s largest camel herd at Joseph’s Amazing Camels. The gang includes both dromedary and Bactrian camels and some of them are celebrities, having worked with Disney, the BBC and Marvel. The farm also sells camel’s milk and camel’s milk soap. During the hour-long session, guests can feed the camels carrots, take photos and learn all about them from a guide.
Call to book, £30
Lambing experience, North Yorkshire
Acklam Farm is a small working sheep and cattle farm that offers lambing experiences in the Yorkshire Wolds. At Easter, families can feed the lambs and perhaps even witness one being born, if the timing is right. Warm cold hands with a complimentary cup of hot chocolate at the end of the one-hour experience.
April 1-10, adult £12 (child £9)
Kids and lambs, Kent
Baby goats join the newborn lambs at Kent Life Heritage Farm Park, a 28-acre working farm, where children can watch bottle-feeding demos, paint a pot and watch a show in the Big Top. The park is home to a vintage village and tells the story of Kent farming, with 200 farmyard animals, indoor and outdoor play areas, gardens and orchards.
April 1-16, adult £12 (child £12)
Animal shows, Devon
It is the live shows, such as the sheep race, sheep-shearing and duck trials, that make the Big Sheep park in North Devon a hit with families. Along with an Easter trail and lamb-feeding, there are other furry friends to meet on a tractor safari, plus there’s a soft play zone and swan-shaped pedalos to guide around the lake.
Until April 15, £14.95
Easter fun
Egg-rolling, Lancashire
Families have been rolling hard-boiled, painted eggs in Preston’s Avenham Park since 1867 and the event is still hugely popular. Eggs are rolled on the hour, every hour (and are more often of the chocolate variety these days). Other treats to expect on Easter Monday include an Easter bonnet workshop and competition, puppet shows, African drumming, plus egg-marbling crafts.
April 10, free
Island escape, Shrewsbury
You’ve seen escape rooms, well this is similar but on an island. Older children will enjoy the adventure of setting out in a boat to complete building and code-breaking challenges on Alderford Lake. Solved the mystery? Then head for a spin around the new roller disco. Younger ones can follow woodland paths around the lake to find Easter eggs.
Until April 16, entry £1.50; escape island £15; roller disco £10
Dragon egg quest, Coventry
Young adventurers should head to St Mary’s Guildhall, which will be decked in banners in Coventry’s Cathedral quarter, to accept a challenge and learn how to become knights of the realm. Clues hidden about the historical attraction will reveal the whereabouts of mythical treasure, with magic eggs to find along the way too.
April 1-16, adult £10.80 (child £5)
Eggstravaganza at the palace, Cotswolds
The Walled Garden on the Blenheim Palace estate will host appearances from the Easter Bunny over the weekend, while also staging balloon-modelling, bubble shows, circus skills and a vintage variety show. Children love the permanent features of the Palace’s 2,000 acres too – zooming around two miles of yew trees in the Marlborough Maze and riding the miniature train.
April 7-10, adult £22.50 (child £11.50)
Blackpool Brick Festival, Lancashire
Lego fans are taking over the Winter Gardens in Blackpool this Easter. The venue is keen to welcome brick builders of all ages with life-size displays, speed-building competitions, a wide range of Lego sets old and new, and a dedicated construction area.
April 8, adult £7 (child £5)
Easter learning
The Cave Art of Lascaux, Bristol
Tech-mad children aged seven and above will love travelling back 21,000 years in time to the caves of Lascaux, in France, to view Stone Age art. The journey takes place at Bristol Museum via virtual-reality headsets that allow time-travellers to experience the paintings of hundreds of animals in 3D, while also having expert analysis on hand.
April 1-Sep 10, adult £15 (child £10)
The trebuchet returns, Warwick
A towering, wooden arm of kinetic rage, the trebuchet at Warwick Castle is Britain’s biggest siege machine and it’s back with a brand new show for Easter. “Legend of the Trebuchet” is a tale about unlikely heroes who use the weapon to defend the castle in front of their audience. Leave time to also explore the castle’s ramparts, dungeons and playgrounds.
April 1-Nov 5, over 3s £34
Easter at sea, Belfast
Step on HMS Caroline, a First World War ship, to be regaled by sea shanties before settling down to some maritime-themed arts and crafts. Storytelling sessions set a historic scene while an Easter trail celebrates Blucher the rabbit, who once lived on board as the ship’s mascot during wartime.
April 7-10, adult £9 (child £7)
Who were pirates? Cornwall
A major new exhibition investigates the lives of 18th-century pirates and opens at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in time for Easter. Children can meet Long John Silver, dance a hornpipe with Horatio Pugwash and then uncover the dark history and truth about pirates of the Caribbean. A pirate academy is open weekdays too.
March 31-Dec 31, adult £15.50 (child £7.75)
