The ultimate guide to a fun family day out!
Looking for options to keep the kids entertained this half term? Well, look no further, because we've got you covered with our pick of some of the best attractions available this term. From Halloween haunts to immersive lifesize board games, there's something for the entire family this holiday!
Advertisement. We earn commission from some links on this page. When you click on a link, our affiliate partner sets cookies - you can opt-out here. Our full disclosure notice is here.
Pumpkin Forest at The Auckland Project
The brand new Pumpkin Forest is a special night-time event taking place at Auckland Palace in County Durham. Guests can explore over 600 hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins featuring a range of themes and designs, along with hundreds of chrysanthemums and decorative gourds thoughtfully displayed within the newly renovated gardens of Auckland Palace.
Auckland Palace and the rest of the route will be adorned with handmade scarecrows, hay bales and other autumnal and festive motifs, giving families of all ages plenty of entertaining picture opportunities and experiences to enjoy. For those feeling peckish, tasty food and drink will be available at outlets across the trail, including seasonal light bites and hot cider and creamy hot chocolates.
Entry to the Pumpkin Forest takes place every 30 mins from 6pm to 8pm, where it’s open daily between 28th – 31st October.
Tickets are £15 for adults, £11 for a child (under 16 years old) and free for under threes and carers.
Monopoly Lifesized
Bring an exciting spin to the Halloween holiday to keep the kids busy this October in Monopoly Lifesized in the heart of London, where you’ll travel around the lifesized board earning as much money as you can by completing escape room style challenges within 90 minutes. The game also includes never-before-seen tasks and puzzles for players to get stuck into.
Tickets cost from £39, and you can save up to 20% this half term!
The London Dungeon
This Halloween, the London Dungeon dares guests to call on sinister spirits in a brand-new terrifying show, Séance. Marking 50 years of the much-loved London attraction as the Home of Halloween, Séance is billed as its scariest show yet as the London Dungeon’s own medium takes guests on a journey through the paranormal.
With 14 horrifying shows and thrilling rides, it promises to bring the city’s dark history to life delivering ample scream-drenched stories and fear-inducing shocks for a truly terrifying experience.
Tickets are available online from £30 for adults, and from £24 for a child.
Warwick Castle
During the daytime, ghostly inhabitants will take over the Warwick Castle grounds and appear through the Haunted Hollows, while lively characters take to the stages to entertain families, with quizzes, discos, silly songs, and sorcery...just be careful you’re not pulled on stage by the Grave Diggers comedy act!
And there is plenty more to get your teeth sunk into. There’s something quite unusual about the vintage toys dwelling in the attic of Warwick Castle, with their special performances throughout the day, whilst the Witches of Warwick Live Show is a complete heart-stopper! The Dead Centre Stage features a whole host of entertainment, with DJs, bands, circus acts and comedy for everyone….and watch out for the Headless Horseman who is watching from the sidelines.
Tickets from £22 if booked in advance.
Jurassic World: The Exhibition
Jurassic World: The Exhibition is a family-friendly exhibit in Manchester, based on one of the biggest blockbuster franchises in cinema history. Visitors walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore richly themed environments, encounter a life-sized brachiosaurus, velociraptors, including fan-favourite Blue, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
And for the first time in the UK, guests will also witness the armoured adult Ankylosaurus, and the ferocious Carnotaurus. Guests will be able to imagine what it would have been like to roam amongst these breathtaking creatures, and even interact with baby dinosaurs, including 'Bumpy' from the popular animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
Children's tickets (aged 3-15 years) get a £6 discount on all days. Adult tickets start from £19.
Madame Tussauds London
Get closer than ever to your favourite A-listers at Madame Tussauds London as you attend the ultimate fame experience – rub shoulders with Hollywood superstar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in the Awards Party, grab the mic and perform with the likes of Drake and Dua Lipa in the Impossible Festival, and feel like royalty yourself as you attend a private audience with Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in The Royal Palace experience. All before saving the world with The Avengers in the Marvel Hall of Heroes.
Hitch a ride like no other as you hop into an iconic black cab and journey through the capital’s history on the Spirit of London ride.
Tickets available from £29 per person if booked in advance.
Peppa Pig at Paultons Park
Paultons Park, including Peppa Pig World, is transformed with thousands of pumpkins and Halloween-themed decorations this half term. The park’s spooky makeover is complemented with frightfully fun shows and interactive experiences, including the all-singing and dancing The Great Halloween Mystery Show. New for 2024, the Spirit Squad Ghoul School, teaches younger guests secret moves and ghost-busting grooves, perfect for dancing along to spooky music at The Little Monsters Ball.
Families can enjoy Paultons Park at dusk with late-night openings on Tuesday 29th, Wednesday 30th, and Thursday 31st October 2024, with tickets from £43.50.
Beamish Museum’s Halloween Evenings
Enjoy a special spine-tingling experience as Beamish Museum is transformed into The Un-living Museum of the North.
Play the night away with fiendishly family-friendly fun in our 1950s welfare hall. The cobbled Edwardian street is home to more than just townsfolk at Halloween, meet the newest inhabitants and enjoy some enthralling entertainment across the museum.
No tricks here, just delicious treats from Herron’s Bakery, Jubilee Sweet Shop and The Sun Inn, and don’t forget to visit the Fairground for a spin on the thrilling rides!
Tickets cost £21 for adults and £13.50 children (aged 2-16).
Golden Hour at the London Eye
Experience 360-degree views of the capital on the London Eye. Situated in the heart of the city, you are at the forefront of London’s most spectacular landmarks. Wave hello to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and St Paul’s Cathedral on the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel at 135 metres high! This October half term, hop aboard during golden hour and see the beautiful sunset over the city, as the London Eye stays open until 8.30pm.
Tickets available from £29 if booked early.
If you click on a link on this page, you'll be opening an external website. ITV has no control over these external websites and has no responsibility for the content, subsequent links and how your data might be used therein. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.