It’s Easter and if you want a break from chocolate and eggs-cellent puns, we have 15 alternative days out to do with your kids. Try anything from saving Superworm at Kew Gardens to dinosaur adventures and even a safari created just for Easter 2023. Egg-cited?
Celebrate Easter at the American Museum, Bath
Bath’s Easter in America
Bath is hatching all sorts of fun for Easter this year. Expect egg hunts aplenty, but also Easter basket weaving and afternoon teas with (purists look away now) chocolate hot cross buns!
We think Easter at the American Museum sounds like a perfect treat. An egg hunt with puzzling clues, plus egg installations and all in the daffodil strewn gardens of the only museum of its type in the UK. We’re also told there are lambs in the parkland, just for a bit of extra cute.
Where: American Museum & Gardens, Bath
When: 1 to 16 April from 10.30am
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An eggducational Easter safari
For an eggducational day out head to Knowsley Safari in Preston where they’re putting a twist on tradition with the Spots & Stripes Safari Egg Hunt.
It’s a quest and who doesn’t love questing? This one involves finding six giant eggs hidden around the Foot Safari. As kids puzzle their way around, they also learn about the importance of animal markings from Knowsley’s ‘eggsperts’. All young questers get stickers and maps on arrival and a special chocolate surprise at the end.
As an added bonus, this is also the home of the UK’s longest safari drive and foot safari. So if you want to follow the sensational Amur Tiger Trail or see meerkats, giraffes and many more wild wonders, this is the place to be for Easter.
Where: Knowsley Safari, Preston
When: 1 to 16 April from 10am to 5pm.
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Get down with dinosaurs at ROARR!
When nothing but dinosaurs will do, you want ROARR! for a whole heap of Easter excitement this April. Rainbow and Rhymes is the theme, so you’ll find the park packed with costumed characters. So come and help little Bo Peep find her sheep, sing along with Old MacDonald and follow the colourful Easter Trail. Then go seeking on the Rainbow Egg Hunt to find prizes like books, toys and annual passes to ROARR!
The #1 dinosaur themed adventure park in the UK, ROARR! covers 85 acres and features 25 dinosaur themed attractions including, Dippy’s Splash Zone, the daring Predator High Ropes course, Valley of the Dinosaurs. So we are recommending it for Easter, but really, a day out here is great fun any time of year.
Where: ROARR!, Lenwade, Norwich
When: 1 to 17 April from 10am to 4pm
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Free-form cave exploration, Easter at Wookey Hole
Big Easter Event at Wookey Hole
Forget the Easter Bunny, come meet the Wookey Hole Easter Witch instead. According to legend this is her favourite time of year and she’s treating kids to all sorts of fun.
Apart from encounters with this generous icon, families can roam around and explore the famous caves at their own pace. Plus friendly guides are on hand to answer questions. The Wookey Hole Circus is performing three times a day and there’s also a brand new 4D cinema, as well as mini-adventure-golf and an Easter Egg Hunt.
Where: Wookey Hole, Wells
When: 1 to 16 April from 9.30am to 4pm.
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Hop aboard Audley End Railway
Enchantment doesn’t come more fairy tale than a ride into the magical woods on the Audley End miniature train.
To add to the excitement, kids have their own I Spy sheet to spot bunnies and chicks along the way. Keep eyes wide open for nests laden with colourful eggs and we’re told there’s a high chance of glimpsing a flying carrot plane! Final stop is in Wonderland where young passengers get to meet Alice, the Easter Bunny along with his furry friends. And of course, there are gifts for all too.
Where: Audley End Railway, Saffron Walden
When: 1 to 16 April from 9.30am to 5pm
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Visit Wonderland at Mead Open Farm
Lamb bottle feeding is back at Mead Open Farm this April. If that isn’t captivating enough for kids, Easter Wonderland will probably do the trick.
Fall down the rabbit hole, meet Alice, The Mad Hatter and The Queen of Hearts. Then catch the White Rabbit’s interactive show, ‘Stop the Clock’. Plus every Wonderland wanderer who completes the Easter trail, wins a chocolate egg.
Where: Mead Open Farm, Leighton Buzzard
When: 1 to 14 April from 11am to 5pm
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Peter Rabbit Easter Adventure, Covent Garden
Meet Peter Rabbit at Covent Garden
Travel back to an olden day Covent Garden, overflowing with flowers, fruit, vegetables and Peter Rabbit!
This spectacular event brings the world of Beatrix Potter to life in 50-minutes of pure theatre where kids meet their favourite characters and help Miss Potter herself solve the Peter Rabbit puzzle.
The show has been created just for Covent Garden and might be the most magical event of all this Easter, so catch it if you can.
As well as the performance, there’s also an Activity Area packed with creative play. Plus, kids aged between 4 and 9 years can learn to drive a mini-Rover at Mr McGregor’s obstacle course.
Where: Covent Garden, London
When: 1 to 16 April from 11am to 3.30pm
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Wroxham Barns Spring Fling
Spring has sprung big style at Wroxham Barns Junior Farm in Norfolk. So if Easter is less about chocolate and more about cute animals and the chance to see newly born lambs, this is the place to be.
As well as the chance to see cuddly babies, there are also donkeys, pigs, ponies, alpacas, goats and guinea pigs to visit. The farm Maternity Ewe’nit has 35 pregnant sheep in residence this April, so if you’re lucky you might witness lambs being born. And naturally, because it’s Easter, there’s an egg hunt too as well as live shows by farm characters, Barney & Bella.
Where: Wroxham Barns Junior Farm, Hoveton, Norwich
When: 1 to 17 April from 10am to 5pm
Easter Bunny Fly-In, Old Warden Aerodrome
Easter Bunny Fly-In and Egg Hunt
The annual Easter Bunny Fly-In is back at Old Warden Aerodrome this spring. All eyes on the skies from 11am on 8 and 9 April to spot the legend himself making the grandest possible entrance.
Then kids get to follow the Easter Bunny’s helpers into Shuttleworth Gardens for a monumental Egg Hunt. Find three, take them to the Discovery Hub and claim a chocolate surprise.
Where: Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade
When: 8 and 9 April from 10am
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English Heritage Easter Escapades 2023
Easter Escapades with English Heritage
English Heritage are escapading from Stonehenge to Whitby Abbey, Carisbrooke Castle and Audley End House this Easter.
Four days of fun are planned at eight sites around the country, and families can look forward to storytelling, traditional games, activities, races and live performance. So just find your nearest English Heritage Escapade spot and let the fun begin.
Where: English Heritage sites from Dover to North Yorkshire
When: 7 to 10 April 2023
Discover the Children’s Garden at Kew
Turning nature into a fabulous adventure is what the Children’s Garden at Kew is all about. Set in area the size of 40 tennis courts, it invites kids from 2 to 12 years to explore, discover and learn about plants and how they grow.
More than 100 mature trees add to the beauty of the space, and there’s even a child-size canopy walk around a 200-year-old oak at the heart of the garden.
Families are welcome to visit and you don’t need to pre-book. From now until October, the garden also offers quiet sessions for children with special educational needs aged between 2 and 12.
Where: Kew Gardens, Richmond, London
When: 7-days a week from 10am to 7pm
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Children’s workshops at York Cocoa Works
Learn to make chocolate at York Cocoa Works
We can’t think of anything more Eastery than picking up some chocolate making skills with the masters at York Cocoa Works.
Easter Egg & Bunny Chocolate Bar Making Workshops are running from now until 16 April for kids aged 5 and over.
Where: York Cocoa Works, York
When: 1 to 16 April, daily for 1 hour, 15 minutes.
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Outsize Easter fun at Blenheim Palace
Easter Eggstravaganza at Blenheim Palace
Another fantastic line up of learning experiences are planned for this April at Blenheim Palace. Kids can pick up circus skills, try their hand at balloon modelling and master the art of bubble performance.
When they’re not expanding their knowledge, all sorts of other fun stuff is also up for grabs. There are egg hunts, of course, but also trampolines, a vintage variety show and special appearances from the Easter Bunny.
Where: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
When: 7 to 10 April, 10am to 5pm
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On the giant Easter Egg trail
Giant Eggs at RHS Garden Bridgewater
The ultimate egg hunt is on at RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford this April. The 156-acre garden has been taken over by enormous, painted eggs trying to hide themselves in among the plants. The trail is an amazing experience for kids and ends with chocolate treats, of course.
As well as the incredible eggs, Bridgewater are also laying on fun craft activities for the whole family during Easter.
Where: RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford
When: 1 to 16 April, from 10am to 5pm
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Save Superworm at Kew Gardens this Easter
Save Superworm at Kew Gardens
Superworm is at Kew Gardens for Easter and he’s hiding from Wizard Lizard. So he needs all the help he can get from his friends. This new adventure from the books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler takes kids on an incredible trail through the world’s of plants and animals and around the magical springs gardens at Kew.
The fun trail also incorporates learning experiences, so even parents can expect to pick up some new knowledge this Easter.
Where: Kew Gardens, Richmond, London
When: 1 to 16 April, 10am to 4pm
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