So that’s it. The first half term of school done. It’s been a bit of a strange one hasn’t it? We continue to live ‘with’ Coronavirus with lockdown and restrictive measures meaning that things aren’t quite the same. There are plenty of activities going on in and around Warwickshire during the school holidays. Here are some ideas of what you can do during the October Half Term in Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Coventry and the surrounding areas.
Warwickshire October Half Term Ideas for Warwick, Leamington, Stratford, Coventry & the Surrounding Areas
Museums and Libraries
Coventry
Where’s Wally? Spooky Museum Search, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry. 9th October – 1st November 2020. Herbert Art Gallery & Museum are part of the national Where’s Wally? Spooky Museum Search, organised by Kids in Museums and Walker Books, to celebrate the release of the new Where’s Wally? book, Spooky Spotlight Search. Can you find Wally in their collections? Pick up an activity sheet and get a spooky bookmark if you do! FREE.
This Makes That With These – Whacky Wonders at Coventry Transport Museum, Coventry – 27th & 29th October 2020. Have you ever wondered what’s inside a toaster, computer mouse, kitchen scales, or toys? This is an opportunity to embrace and discover your child’s engineering skills using a variety of everyday items. £6.43 per child (including accompanying adult).
Make & Play Engineers – Ooblecks at Coventry Transport Museum, Coventry – 28th October 2020. Discover characteristics of different materials in fun and experimental ways. Then, make your own outrageous oobleck, and take it home to keep playing. £6.43 per child (including accompanying adult)
Gaydon
October Rocket-Fuelled Half-Term Fun – British Motor Museum, Gaydon – Saturday 24th October – Sunday 1st November 2020. This October half-term at the British Motor Museum we’re asking the question Where’s Wally? and having fun with Rocket Science! They’ve come up with a range of COVID safe activities for you to enjoy during your visit, including a family tour to help you explore the Museum via your mobile device and an activity bag to take home! Their ever popular Science Shows are back with Pickle & Pumpkin having science fun every day apart from the 28th October. On 28th October there will be a rocket workshop with MOD Kineton. There is also a Where’s Wally? museum hunt, and for those that can’t make it or don’t want to visit in person, science experiments to do at home. Admission charges apply for visiting the museum, see website for details.
Stratford-upon-Avon
Halloween 2020 at Tudor World, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 17th October 2020 to Sunday 1st November 2020. There is a spooktacular Halloween planned at Tudor World. The spookiest day and night events. By day – Halloween quiz with prizes and fortune-telling. By night – ghost tours. See website for further details, prices and opening hours.
Open Day at Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick – Thursday 29th October 2020. Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Lord Leycester Hospital is hosting a FREE OPEN DAY and providing exciting activities specially designed for children and families. Pre-booking required. (NOTE: at time of writing, this has now sold out, but do keep an eye on their page for future events).
Bats and Eyeballs Craft Packs from Market Hall Museum, Warwick – Monday 26th – Friday 30th October 2020. After the success of their fabulous packs over Lockdown (see our review here), the Market Hall Museum are offering some spooky Halloween based craft packs for the October Half Term. £5. Pre-book a pack and pick-up time via Eventbrite.
Warwickshire Libraries via Zoom
Magicians Brew with Magical Teller of Tales Pyn Stockman, Warwickshire Libraries via Zoom – Saturday 31st October 2020, 10am-11am. The Golden Apples are going missing and the King doesn’t know what to do.But at half past midnight feast two brave children journey deep into a forest filled with talking creatures and the threads of Spider Webs. There they meet magical birds and defeat terrible witches in this amazing adventure. With plenty of opportunities to join in! This spooky tale is suitable for children aged 6+ and their families. Book via Eventbrite. You can find Pyn online at her website,Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Outdoor Activities
Alcester
Miniature Railway Halloween Special at Hillers Farm Shop, Alcester. 31st October & 1st November 2020. Avonvale MES will be running their annual Halloween special miniature railway rides at Hillers Farm Shop. Hillers is also open including the maize maze, a sandpit and a cafe. Pre-booking essential.
Coventry
Ryton Pools Country Park, Coventry – Even though their usual provision of events is off the menu, a visit to Ryton Pools Country park is always nice. You can walk around the lakes and enjoy the two fantastic playgrounds here. The car park is currently also cashless and contactless. A bonus is that there are footpaths all the way around so suitable for buggies, bicycles and scooters!
Monster Trail, Coventry City Centre – From Friday 24th to Saturday 31 October 2020, eight massive, mischievous monsters will be descending on Coventry and taking over rooftops in the city centre. This imaginative and colourful trail is completely free of charge, and families are encouraged to take on the role of ‘Monster Detectives’. Their job is to search the city centre to see if they can find all the mischievous brutes, give them names and, if the detectives are brave enough, even take photos with the monsters. See website for details of where to find them!
Kenilworth
Spooky Kenilworth Castle, Kenilworth – Saturday 24th October – Sunday 1st November 2020, 10am-5pm. Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Kenilworth Castle. Follow the trail to solve creepy clues and gather round to listen to spooky stories. There’s a frighteningly fun fancy dress competition every day – just come in your scariest outfits to be in with a chance of winning. Enjoy spooky tales of spells and wizardry as you discover Kenilworth’s links to witchcraft at Master Vance’s Guide to Witches. Plus, meet the Warickshire Witchfynders and listen to the tale of the Witches of Blackstairs Mountain. Admission charges apply.
Pumpkin Picking at Pumpkins R Us, Stoneleigh Park nr Kenilworth. 10th-31st October 2020. At Pumpkins R Us they have the most amazing array of pumpkins for you to choose from – every size, colour and shape you can imagine. Join them to pick your pumpkin, find your Halloween decorations in their shop and tuck into a tasty treat in their on-site cafe.
Leamington Spa
Leamington Pumpkin Path, Leamington. 24th – 31st October 2020. A trail of pumpkins will be carving its way through Leamington town centre to lead families on a treat of a treasure hunt to celebrate Halloween.
Stratford-upon-Avon
Halloween Pumpkin Trail at Charlecote Park (NationalTrust), Charlecote nr Stratford. 24th October – 31st October 2020. Join Charlecote for their very own Home Grown Halloween trail this half term. Things look a little different this year, but there’s plenty of fun for all the family this autumn. You can access the trail between 9am and 3pm. Pre-booking essential.
Welcombe Hills, Stratford. One of the most well-known monuments is the obelisk in the Welcombe Hills. For fresh air and socially distanced fun, why not take the walk as a family and explore this wonderful landscape? You could even take a delicious picnic and eat it in any of the many picturesque spots.
Warwick
Hedgehog Family Workshop – Hill Close Gardens, Warwick – Thursday 29th October 2020. Join the team at Hill Close Gardens for a family friendly workshop all about hedgehogs. Follow the trail around the gardens, make some autumn arts & crafts creations and there will also be story time! Pre-booking essential.
Pumpkin Spooktacular – Hatton Adventure World, Hatton – Saturday 24th October 2020 – Sunday 1st November 2020. There is lots of fun to be had at Hatton this half-term including a haunted house, zombie marsh, pumpkin carving and Zoobee’s Halloween show. Admission fee applies.
The Haunted Castle – Warwick Castle, Warwick – Saturday 24th October 2020 – Sunday 1st November 2020. Join the ghosts, ghouls, wizards and witches of Warwick Castle this October and prepare for a Halloween adventure brimming with spooky tales, scary fun, and daytime themed attractions and activities for all ages. Search the spooky mansion, navigate the Haunted Hollows and discover even more quirky characters in their spellbinding shows live on the Dead Centre Stage! Limited availability, tickets must be pre-booked online.
Clubs & Classes
Coventry
Artventurers Family Art Classes, John White Community Centre, Coventry – various dates in October and November 2020. The Halloween lantern workshop is proving particularly popular. See website for further details, limited availability.
Stratford
Peace Poppies – a home project to complete from Escape Arts, The Old Slaughterhouse, Stratford-upon-Avon – closing date Saturday 31st October 2020. Escape Arts are aiming to create a colourful, but fitting Remembrance installation in the window spaces at Debenhams. We invite you to draw, colour, paint or collage individual poppies using any materials and media of your choice to contribute to this important, collective piece of artwork. Your poppy can be up to A4 in size and made from anything you choose. Templates available on their website.
Warwick
Halloween & Bonfire Specials – Arty Splats Warwickshire – Chase Meadow Community Centre, Warwick – various dates in October and November 2020. Wonderful messy play, circle time with songs, bubbles a fabulous experience to share with family and loved ones (suitable for babies & toddlers). Older gentle siblings (up to age 8) are welcome to join. All children must hold a ticket. Limited places on some events and waiting lists for others as these have proved very popular!
Wootton Wawen
Family Bubble Workshops, The Chocolate Shed, Yew Tree Farm Craft Centre, Wootton Wawen – Various Dates. The Chocolate Shed specialises exclusively in running brilliantly fun and sticky chocolate making workshops. They are currently offering workshops to family bubbles. See website for details.
Let’s Animate: Cartoon Cutouts – Fargo Village, Coventry – Tuesday 27th October 2020. Come along to the Let’s Animate studio and enjoy making an animated film from your own drawings. Filmmakers will design and build a short animated scenario from their own drawings, that will then be brought to life using stop frame animation.
Let’s Animate: Crazy Claymation – Fargo Village, Coventry – Wednesday 28th October 2020. Come along to the Let’s Animate studio and enjoy making an animated film from plasticine. Filmmakers will design and build a short animated scenario, that will then be brought to life using stop frame animation. Open to all ages, families welcome, over 7’s can attend on their own. £15 per person. Pre-booking essential.
Let’s Animate: Brilliant Brick Flicks – Fargo Village, Coventry – Thursday 29th October 2020. Come along to the Let’s Animate studio and create your very own LEGO Brick stop frame animation. Filmmakers will devise a short scenario, build sets, animate their scene, add sound effects and edit their creations. £15 per child age 7+. Pre-booking essential.
Leamington Spa
Royal Spa Centre, Leamington – currently closed.
Stratford upon Avon
The Haunting at Magic Alley, Stratford – For ages 6 and above. Enter the Enchanted Manor if you dare and complete the Halloween quest by torch light. Make your way through the haunted rooms avoiding the things that go bump in the night and possibly the odd zombie! There is a prize if you get out alive! Sound and lighting effects are used but this is not a scare attraction so no one will jump out at you. £8 per ticket.
Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford – The Swan Theatre & Other Place are currently closed.
Warwick
Playbox Holiday Workshops – Playbox Theatre, Warwick. There are a number of exciting workshops for all ages at Playbox this October half term, including The Lord of the Rings, Wizard School, Grimm Tales and Winnie the Witch. There is something for all ages from 3 upwards. The Dream Factory is an exciting place to be!
Best of the Rest
Leamington Spa
Dinky’s Play Cafe, Leamington Spa – Dinky’s is a delightful cafe in Leamington complete with baby area and soft play frame suitable for age 3-8 year olds, so you can enjoy a coffee whilst your little ones are entertained. Pre-booking essential.
Stratford-upon-Avon
JNB Gymnastics Academy, Pathlow, Stratford-upon- Avon – JNB are now reopen and are now offering the following: Mum, Dad and Me, Bouncebox (a new trampoline hall!), JNB Dance & JNB Gymnastics.
Warwick
Jump In Trampoline Park, Warwick – Looking for things to do in the half term holidays? Come to Jump In Trampoline Park Warwick. Who doesn’t enjoy school holiday activities that are fun for both kids and adults? Jump In trampoline and adventure parks has Fangtastic special events throughout October. Half term & Halloween brings big fun with a host of extra activities. Jump, climb, play, dance, make and dress up! Pre-booking essential.
Other Ideas
The school holidays are certainly looking different this year. Who knows too whether homeschooling will be upon us again either? We hope we’ve provided you with a few ideas of how to keep the kids entertained. Some other things that you can consider are:
We hope that you manage to have lots of fun with your families. Let us know what you get up to or if there’s any more activities you can suggest in the comments box below or by joining the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. If you’ve enjoyed reading this or other blog posts, please do consider buying me a coffee online here. Take care and have a great half-term!
