There are some lovely things going on in and around York this October half term, from the BFG to trick or treat tours, creepy crafts to electrifying illuminations and of course pumpkins galore. Here’s our pick of the best.
Enjoy spooky games, a pumpkin patch hunt, face painting, pumpkin carving and more at Beetle Bank Farm this half term.
Beetle Bank Farm, Murton, York YO19 5XD
Open daily, 9.30am - 5pm (10am - 5pm Sat/Sun)
Journey through Mother Shipton’s Enchanted Forest to break the Witch’s curse. Come in your best Halloween costumes for the daily costume competition at 2pm. Actors will be stationed as characters in the park to interact with children and help families complete a themed adventure trail. Fun for all the family every day from Saturday 27th
Mother Shipton's Cave, Knaresborough HG5 8DD
27th October to 4th November 2018
Family (2+2) £22
Meet the Big Bad Wolf at the Yorkshire Museum this October Half Term! Take a trail around the museum as they look at some age-old myths surrounding wolves, from the Romans and Vikings to the ideas of werewolves and shapeshifters. Then if you dare …. Meet the Big Bad Wolf and join in the debate:
The Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, York YO1 7FR
27th October-4th November 2018
Adult £6.81, accompanying under 16s free and YMT Card holders free
Private Wood from Pocklington is waiting to enlist you in the Army. Are you ready to travel with him overseas leaving Blighty behind? Find out about his story and how tough daily life was for one of our own troops on the Western Front. Become a Tommy in the Trenches, build your own trench and
York Castle Museum, Eye of York, Tower St, York YO1 9RY
27th October-4th November 2018
£10 adult; accompanying under 16s free; YMT Card holders free
Everyone’s favourite giant, the BFG, arrives at York Art Gallery this October. Roald Dahl fans old and young will enjoy this exhibition of original Quentin Blake illustrations. Curated by Blake himself, you’ll see rare illustrations that never made it into the book. See how this much-loved character developed and enjoy the chance to see some
York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York YO1 7EW
12th October to 24th February 2018 (half term activities 27th October to 4th November)
Adults £7.50; under 16s free
Engineering has become pretty cool recently, and the National Railway Museum’s electrifying half term activities might just inspire a new generation of scientists, engineers and experimenters. At Future Engineers, children can get hands-on with activities that will set their imaginations alight and spark their creativity. Entry is free, as always, with a small charge for
National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York
27th October to 4th November 2018
Free admission
There’s just as much fun to be had at York Maze in October as during the summer months. The giant maze may be gone, but there’s plenty else to do, with over 20 attractions, rides and shows and pumpkin carving (free pumpkin for every child too: bonus!).
York Maze, Elvington Lane, York YO19 5LT
27th October to 4th November 2018
Family of four £54 (if bought online)
Enjoy 2-for-1 admission if you head to Flamingo Land in fancy dress – visit the website for details. There’ll be a Greatest Showman concert at 5pm each day, too (free with a standard day ticket, or £10 for an evening ticket, which permits entry to the park from 4pm). That’s on top of the usual
Flamingo Land, Kirby Misperton, Malton YO17 6UX
13th October to 4th November 2018
Family of four £109 (if buying online)
It’s harvest festival time at Nunnington Hall from 18th to 21st October, with displays and trails, apple juicing and bobbing battles. From 23rd October, don your ghost-hunting hat and follow the haunted trail. Find potion ingredients to make a spooky spell or make a creepy craft. For a proper scare, join a Fright Night ghost
Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, York
Family of four, £23.65
Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park will be filled with magical creatures for the half term, as their annual mythical beasts sculpture trail returns for a third year. We went last year and really enjoyed it. Spot mandrakes and mermaids, kelpies and kappas, and then meet some real life creepy creatures such as lizards and
Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park, Askham Bryan College, Yo23 3FR
Family of four £22.50
During half term week (27th October to 4th November (closed Monday)) there’ll be garden trails, creepy crafts, scary beasts and twilight walks, spine-tingling storytelling and costume parades. Feeling brave? Join a twilight tour of Treasurer’s House or go during the day for Halloween stories, crafts and spooky trails.
Beningbrough Hall, Gallery & Gardens, Beningbrough, York YO30 1DD
27th October to 4th November 2018
Family of 4 £34.50 (National Trust members free)
Discover weird and wonderful creatures of the medieval imagination and their uses in magic and protective charms. Head down the spooky snickleway to one of our favourite hidden gems to discover creatures that would have been used in medieval medicine, charms and spells, and the truth behind the power of eye of newt or venom
Barley Hall, Coffee Yard, York YO1 8AR
30th & 31st October 2018
Join the spooky scarecrow trail at Lotherton Hall, where opening hours extend to a star-lit 8pm (last entry 6.30pm) during half term. Visit Skeletown and enjoy even more activities on Halloween Fun Day, 31st October. The many play areas are perfect for running off some steam, and don’t forget to visit the penguins and flamingos
Lotherton Hall, Off Collier Lane, Aberford, Leeds LS25 3EB
27th October to 4th November 2018
Family of 5 £22.50
Sure, you could just chuck a pumpkin in your shopping trolley on your next trip but where’s the fun in that? Why not head out to our favourite farm shop in Stamford Bridge to pick your own from the huge pumpkin patch? While you’re there, remember there’s the cafe that serves home-cooked seasonal food and
The Balloon Tree, Stamford Bridge Road, York YO41 1NB
Open daily
Think you know the Piglets Pumpkin Festival? Think again! New for 2018 is the end-of-day laser disco. There’s also pumpkin carving, the mysterious maze challenge, the spooky mischief manor and the legendary ride to the pumpkin patch where you can take your pick from over 10,000 home grown pumpkins. The Magic Hatter will be appearing
Piglets Adventure Farm, Towthorpe, York YO32 9ST
27th October to 4th November 2018
Family of 4 from £33.80
Join a candlelit tour of Brodsworth Hall for spooky (family-friendly) stories and the chance to explore after dark. Look behind you and keep your wits about you! Tours last an hour and a bringing torch is a very good idea. Daytime fun at Brodsworth includes the chance to meet a Victorian undertaker!
Brodsworth Hall, Doncaster
27th October to 4th November 2018, weekends only
Family £26
Uh oh. Castle Howard has been taken over by a gang of ghostly pirates and ghoulish zombies and they’re on the lookout for new recruits! Hidden deep within Castle Howard’s burnt out wing lies the ancient cure to zombification. There’s a hoard of lost pirate treasure waiting to be unearthed in the woodland and an
Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA
27th October to 4th November 2018
Was Snow White’s apple venomous or poisonous? Did Dory get bitten or stung? Delve into the lives of toxic creatures at The Deep this October half term (20 October to 4 November) and find out which animals use venom and which use poison. Don’t miss the interactive shows at 11am, 1pm and 3pm to discover how
The Deep, Tower Street, Hull
20th October to 4th November 2018
The York Dungeon becomes The Home of Halloween, but there’s no need for younger children to miss out. The Trick or Treat Walking Tours return from the 27th to 31st October at 11am, 2pm and 4pm each day and are great fun. Designed for children under the age of 10, you’ll be taken on a
The York Dungeon, Clifford Street, York
27th to 31st October 2018
This Shocktober half-term, York’s SHOCKolate Story are celebrating the scariest time of year with their ever-popular walking Trick or Treat Tour. Join Count Fectionery and the maniacal Miss Terry to hear terrible tales along the spooky streets of York, joining ghoulish games and savouring sinister samples. Along the way, hidden histories of some ghastly confectionery
York's Chocolate Story, King's Square, York
20th - 31st October 2018
Children £5.99, adults £4.99