Half term & Halloween family fun in Shakespeare Country
Celebrate Halloween and the October half term from Saturday 26 October – Sunday 3 November with a host of spooky family events in Shakespeare Country. Carve pumpkins, enjoy Halloween trails, watch a Horrible Halloween show, take part in a lantern lit ghost tour, listen to scary stories and for the very brave, the chance to sleep overnight in a ruined historic castle. With so much on offer, Shakespeare Country offers all the ingredients for a fantastic spooky short break this October!
Follow clues at Shakespeare’s Birthplace to find famous speeches in ‘O treacherous villains’. On the 3 November at 3:30pm see Shakespeare Aloud! actors perform a potted performance of Macbeth. There’s something foul in the deep, dark woods at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage & Gardens with the Macbeth Trail. Enjoy scary story-telling in the woods on the 31 October at 11.30am & 2.30pm. Head over to Mary Arden’s Farm for Halloween-themed activities every day of the holidays. On the 1 November from 6pm - 8pm join the creepy farmland to meet the ghosts of times gone by with Friday Fright Night! Please telephone 01789 293455 to book. Follow a spooky Shakespeare quote to find the Halloween bear at Nash’s House & New Place or take an evening walk around Stratford-upon-Avon ending at Hall’s Croft with wine and hot drinks on the 26 & 31 October at 6pm. Suitable for children aged 10 plus.
Tudor World in Stratford-upon-Avon has lots of tricks or treats for every age from the 19 October - 2 November. The museum will be dressed for this spooky time of year when the veil between this world and the next is said to be at its thinnest. Activities include a Halloween trail with a trick or treat prize and Horrible Halloween shows. Early in the evening Mr G Buster will make an appearance for the family ghost tours and then at 6pm the lights will be switched off for the lantern lit ghost tours. Late tours will take place on the 19, 26 and 31 October. Admission £5.50 adults, £2.50 children (7 and under are free with an adult), £4.50 concession and £12.50 for families up to 3 children. The quiz, prizes and shows are all included in the entry price. The family ghost tours are extra at £5 adults, £3 children and £13 for a family of 4 and £7.50 for the lantern lit tours.
Hatton World near Warwick will be hosting a pumpkin event from the 26 October - 3 November. Every child will receive a FREE pumpkin with daily carving competitions in their brilliant, but slightly spooky themed marquee! Plus there will be Hatton’s Pumpkin Hunt with a prize badge and Hatton’s Halloween Pumpkin House. For further information please phone 01926 843 411.
Enjoy a Halloween Trail at Stoneleigh Abbey from the 29 – 31 October and follow spooky clues to earn a sweet prize. On the 30 October at 7pm & 7:45pm, join the costumed guides for tales of the darker side of the Abbey’s history encompassing murder and madness. Pre-booking is essential. Tickets cost £18 per person and can be booked by calling 01926 858535. Not recommended for under-16s. During the winter on select Mondays, clear away the cobwebs with an afternoon winter history lecture. Local historians will give talks on different aspects of the history of the Abbey and the surrounding area. Talks take place at 2pm and include tea and cake.
As part of their Deer Festival, Charlecote Park will host a ‘Family Deer Park Safari’ on the 27, 28 & 29 October at 11am & 2pm. Enjoy a tractor pulled trailer ride through the park and learn all about the deer and sheep which live in the parkland. Pre-booking advised to avoid disappointment, call 01789 470277. Tickets £5 (adult) & £3 (child). From 26 October – 3 November join the Halloween Pumpkin trail and solve clues that are dotted around the grounds. Those that solve the spooky question can claim a prize! Cost is £2 per trail.
Take part in a ‘Spooky Halloween Trail’ at Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden from the 19 October - 3 November. Find the creepy clues hidden around the grounds and solve the challenge to win a terrible treat! On the 26, 27 and 31 October at 7pm & 8pm, join a Halloween Ghost Tour to hear tales of dark deeds, ghostly apparitions and scary happenings. (Over 16s only) £15 per person. Members £12 per person. Booking essential, call 0870 333 1183. Ghosts & Ghouls Challenge for Kids runs from the 28 October – 1 November. Children can scare themselves with creepy crafts, spooky activities and ghost hunting galore! On Thursday 31 October bring the family for a sleepover for those brave enough! Activities include a tour, evening meal, twilight walk and spooky stories in the Gatehouse plus a hearty breakfast. Suitable for families with children aged 8 + Adults £85, children £70, family £240. Members: Adults: £75, children £65, family £215. Camping beds provided but not bedding.
The Heritage Motor Centre is inviting families to enjoy a month of family fun activities themed around transport in miniature this October. Highlights include seeing miniature planes at the Large Model Aircraft show and miniature trains at The Great Electric Train show plus during half term week there will be LEGO Technics drop in activities, a Children’s Digital Photography workshop, Halloween family crafts and miniature Steam Engine rides.
Listen to a talk on photography by James Kerr, an award winning photographer at Hill Close Gardens in Warwick on the 23 October at 6.30pm. James will explain how he has achieved quality photographs in the winter months and will illustrate his talk with examples of his work taken for Robert Colvile’s book “Shakespeare’s Scenery. Tickets cost £12 including a glass of wine and canapés. Email centremanager[at]hcgt.org.uk.
Find out all about birdlife, from owls to falcons, garden birds to ducks and swans at various libraries throughout the county during half term. Discover why some of them migrate for winter and what sort of birds you might find outside your window. Make a bird mobile to hang up at home and take away a mini bird feeder to feed the birds throughout the winter in your garden. £2.50 per child, £1 for under 5’s. No need to book for Market Hall but library events must be booked in advance. Visit St Johns Museum in Warwick on Friday 1 November from 10.30am – 3.30pm and investigate some great inventions of the past. Be a great inventor and create some new machines of your own. Tickets £2.50 per child.
If you fancy something different for half term try Mr Karting's popular School Holiday Special Offer, a 3 x 10 minute session for just £20. All safety equipment is supplied, plus a full National Karting Association safety briefing and lap time print out at the end of every session. Minimum age 8 years and minimum height 52 inches.
For accommodation, special offers and more information visit the official website: Shakespeare-Country.co.uk.
