Celebrate autumn with a short break in Shakespeare Country
Celebrate Halloween and a host of spectacular events and attractions with an autumnal break in Shakespeare Country.
Take part in ghost hunts, explore dungeons, carve pumpkins, celebrate the English apple with ‘Apple Day’, stroll through vibrant autumnal gardens, enjoy theatrical performances or simply relax in front of log fires in traditional inns.
On the 24 November the Royal Shakespeare Company will open its doors to the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatres following a 4 year redevelopment as part of a £112.8 million Transformation project. Visitors will be invited to rediscover and explore the building, which will have a brand new 1,000 seat thrust stage auditorium, 36 metre high Tower, new exhibition spaces, new places to eat and drink, including Rooftop Restaurant and Riverside Café and terrace, restored 1930s features and improved public areas including the new Weston Square. Visitors will be able to take part in a series of preview events and activities which will help test the spaces, while throughout the opening period Matilda, A Musical plays at The Courtyard Theatre.
Rumoured to be the haunting ground for many a tortured soul and with nearly 1,000 years of history, Warwick Castle is the perfect venue to spend Halloween. The Haunted Castle returns for its 3rd season as spooktacular characters take centre stage from 16 – 31 October. The Haunted Hollows Trail will return whilst headless spirits will roam the Great Hall and State rooms and Merlin will cast his spells from on top of the mound.
Visit Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden this autumn and tread the floors where kings and queens once danced and dined at this beautiful castle ruin. From 23 – 31 October children can experience a ‘spooktacular’ experience when the basement of Leicester’s Gatehouse is transformed into the ‘Dungeon of Doom’. Younger visitors will be invited to follow a trail of cryptic clues around the site to solve the Halloween mystery. Adults can test their nerves with a Haunted Tour taking place each evening from 29 – 31 October. The eerie tour takes visitors through the grounds and gatehouse to hear terrible tales of dark deeds, ghostly apparitions and scary happenings.
Join the Tudors at Mary Arden’s Farm on Sunday 3 October for the annual Apple Day - a celebration of our favourite English apples! Enjoy a big bite of countryside fun with the largest ever programme of crafts, activities and entertainment to welcome the harvest season. As well as apple identification, apple games, apple tasting and an apple day trail; this year’s highlights include a hog roast and a country market showcasing unique crafts and local produce. The Shakespeare Houses are hosting a number of exciting daily activities during the half term. With witches’ trails, archaeology sieving, pumpkin carving plus the chance to learn about the deadly Plague, there is plenty to entertain the entire family!
Children of all ages can get up close and meet some of the insects which reside at the Stratford Butterfly Farm, home to the largest live insect display in the world. Talks and handling sessions take place daily during half term with a Halloween theme. Visitors of all ages can hold and learn more about some of the Farm’s inhabitants such as Giant Stick Insects, Giant Millipedes and Giant African Snails.
Spend Halloween in one of the most haunted buildings in England at The Falstaff Experience in Stratford. The annual Falstaff Halloween Festival takes place from 23 – 31 October with pumpkin carving classes, quizzes, grim reaper ghost tours and ghost hunts with guest mediums. Are you brave enough to join in?
Enjoy a special ‘Halloween Ghost Walk’ on 31 October with Stratford Town Walk around historic Stratford with magical entertainers. The ghost walk includes a rare evening visit to 'haunted' Hall's Croft, for a tour and glass of mulled wine. Hall’s Croft was the home of Shakespeare's daughter Susanna, and her husband Dr John Hall, an eminent physician. Hear the mysterious story of the lady with orange hair and a spoon that flew through the air!
Autumn is a colourful season at Warwick's Hill Close Victorian Gardens with its fine display of flowers and varieties of old fruit trees. Taste some of the more unusual old apple varieties at Apple Day on Sunday 17 October along with tree dressing, apple competitions, quizzes and a demonstration of tree grafting. Visitors can also enjoy browsing around the country craft stalls and find out more about beekeeping and making honey. Special activities for children will take place in the new children's garden, Kid Zone.
See the National Collection of Asters in their prime at Upton House from 18 – 29 September with “All about Asters”! Take a tour in Blackwell’s wood and view the autumn trees and toadstools with “Autumn Trees and Toadstools” on Sunday 17 October. ‘It’s Civil War’ takes place on 24 October to commemorate the nearby battle of Edgehill. Come face to face with the sights and sounds of the English Civil War with 17th century living history and dramatic displays by a regiment from the Sealed Knot. Enjoy ‘Family Fun for Halloween’ on 30 & 31 October with spine-chilling Halloween activities and a terrifying trail!
Celebrate Pumpkin Week from 23 – 31 October at Hatton Country World. Having grown thousands of pumpkins there’s a free pumpkin for every child with daily pumpkin carving and a Pumpkin Hunt. Find out about the bees whilst watching them in their observation hive, see candle rolling demonstrations and more at the Warwickshire Bee Keepers County Honey Show on 2 October. Take part in the Hatton Multi-Terrain Family Run on 3 October which will appeal to competitors of all abilities!
Visit Hidcote Manor Gardens for an apple pressing demonstration on 23 & 24 October and uncover top tips for collecting apples for juicing and sample with a taste test. ‘Halloween Happenings’ takes place on 30 October with something for everyone to uncover in the pumpkin trail. Come dressed in costume and get in for free! Enjoy two spine-tingling performances inside the manor house with ‘Chloe from the Midnight Storytellers’ on Thursday 28 October and Thursday 11 November.
On 24 October the Heritage Motor Centre plays host to the ‘Large Model Aircraft Show’ with over 100 large radio controlled model aircraft on display including a Wellington, Lancaster, Vulcan and Victor Bombers all with wingspans from 10ft - 22ft. During half term there are plenty of activities to enjoy including go karts, a miniature roadway, 4x4 experience plus The Big Draw on 28 October and free 'spooky fact' family tours with Halloween themed activities on 31 October.
Wander around an exciting exhibition entitled “Kurt Tong: In Case it Rains in Heaven” at Compton Verney from 13 November – 12 December. The Chinese have believed for centuries that, when people die, they will need to take earthly possessions with them into the afterlife. This tradition continues today, with relatives creating and burning paper versions of personal objects. Kurt Tong’s photographs document the creation of these fascinating paper objects before they are burnt. Visit the “Swinging ‘60s weekend” on 13 & 14 November for a display of stories and images collected and a celebration of the 1960s.
There are skeletons rattling and spooky story-telling this Halloween at Blenheim Palace! The resident spooky skeleton has lost his body parts in ‘The Maze of Bones’ which visitors need to find in the world’s largest symbolic hedge Maze from 23 – 31 October. A spooky miniature train ride from the Palace brings visitors to the Pleasure Gardens for an ‘All things Halloween’ spooky hunt. Have a go at Pumpkin ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ making in the Garden Café by buying your own pumpkin to gouge out and create a spooky design to take home.
For accommodation, brochures, special offers and more information visit the official website: shakespeare-country.co.uk
