Great days out and fun things to do during the Easter holidays in south Warwickshire
Baby Animals
12th to 27th April
Hatton Adventure World, ticket prices at https://adventure.hattonworld.com/
Centre of attention this Easter at Hatton Adventure World is the Spring Arrivals Marquee and Farmyard Favourites which are full of adorable baby chicks and ducklings, cheeky piglets, cute bunnies and mischievous kid goats, alongside dozens of little lambs. Children will even have the chance to feed and handle baby chicks whilst some may be lucky to witness a sheep giving birth, a magical moment they will never forget.
Meanwhile, the Tractor and Trailer Rides around the farm resume after the long winter, the majestic birds of prey provide the action in the Falconry Shows, and Entertainer Zoobie has a brand-new Easter Show. An Easter Egg Hunt will be held daily at 12:30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm with the Easter Bunny. There’s also plenty of action and adventure to be had elsewhere in the huge indoor soft play area Snorty’s Superslide Mania as well as bouncy castles, funfair and build & play sandpit.
Forge ahead
19th April onwards
Chedham’s Yard, Wellesbourne, free, www.chedhamsyard.org.uk
Wellesbourne’s Chedham’s Yard opens for the new season on Saturday, 19th April. It will welcome visitors into the historic wheelwright’s yard for tours, light refreshments and an impressive programme of 26 special Saturday events - from longbow-making to hedgehog care.
In readiness for the opening, volunteer Margaret Taylor has made 100 little fabric mice which are given as prizes to children who complete the mouse trail. Last year, more than 150 youngsters searched for wooden mice around the old workshops, the forge and the wildlife garden.
Margaret says: ‘I have great fun making the mice, and really enjoy watching them scampering off to new homes with our young visitors.’
The yard, considered by English Heritage to be ‘an almost unique site’, offers visitors a rare glimpse into our nearly lost rural past. Blacksmiths and woodturners bring the site to life with their demonstrations, and tour guides show visitors round the fascinating collection of tools and equipment left by five generations of the Chedham family. Tea and cake served from the visitor centre rounds off a visit for most people.
A very big house in the country
11th April onwards
Compton Verney, for prices www.comptonverney.org.uk
Spring is bursting out across the amazing Compton Verney landscape. Birds are calling, flowers unfurling and the swans are back on the lake.
The Easter holidays are taken care of with a host of workshops and events for all ages. Join the Easter Trail (12th to 27th April) and help the Easter Bunny find his lunch – there’s an Easter chocolate treat for all participants.
Budding architects will enjoy the Reflected Space (16th to 18th April) activities, where you can experiment building with mirrors, lights and reflective materials.
There’s a chance to get hands-on with Material Makers (16th to 18th April), as you mould, sculpt, twist and manipulate a range of pliable materials to make a sculpture of your own.
The popular Kineton RAF STEM (16th and 23rd April) are back with fun-filled days of design and engineering, and youngsters can celebrate spring at the family forest school in the Get Mucky Get Making sessions – build bird nests, make clay eggs and mix up muddy delights.
The Adam Hall will be filled with larger-than-life blocks for Play and Connect (19th to 27th April), a free space for building, stacking and engineering play.
Older children will enjoy the Animation Camp (22nd to 25th April), a four-day intensive where you can learn all the stages of making animation film, including stop-motion, set design and creating characters.
As spring makes itself known, join A Walk in the Park with Landscape Manager Fiona Tansey (11th and 25th April).
Egg-citing times
10th to 27th April
Stratford Butterfly Farm, see prices at www.butterflyfarm.co.uk
It’s all about the ‘Egg’ at Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm this Easter. Visitors can discover freshly laid eggs from tropical butterflies and see the caterpillars that have hatched out of them and the Pupae they turn into. Some lucky visitors may even see a butterfly hatch from its pupa within the Emerging Case.
Visitors can also discover the fascinating connection that Stratford Butterfly Farm has to the rainforests of Belize and the ancient Maya civilization. Their artefacts have been replicated and are on display throughout the Butterfly Farm. The Maya were skilled at growing crops such as maize, chili pepper, beans and squash. They also discovered the cacao pod giving us the delights of chocolate. Visitors can spot a couple of Cocao trees growing in the Flight Area.
Another delight to see are the Roul-Roul Partridge chicks which have started to hatch and are now taking a stroll with their parents in the Flight Area. This small partridge originates from lowland rainforests in south Burma, south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo where it lives singly or in pairs.
The fascinating world of bees is being explored on Wednesday, 18th April from 10am to 3pm in the Discovery Zone. Matthew Ingram, a beekeeper from bee farm Holt Hall Apiary, Staffordshire, along with his bees, will be teaching visitors all about these wonderful pollinators and how to interact with them.
During the Easter holidays the Education Team will once more be hosting the popular Meet the Mini-Beast, Butterfly Life Cycle, Beetle and Pupae demonstrations. These will take place daily in the Discovery Zone at 11:00am except Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday.
Parklife
14th April onwards
Warwickshire’s Country Parks, free plus events visit www.countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk
Spring into action this Easter with a cracking line-up of outdoor events and activities at Warwickshire’s Country Parks. From egg hunts to campfire treats, there’s something for all to enjoy in the great outdoors.
Families can book a variety of engaging sessions with the Country Parks Rangers at Kingsbury Water Park, Hartshill Hayes Country Park, and Ryton Pools Country Park. Activities include Easter crafts, pond dipping, minibeast hunts, and even toasting hot cross buns over a roaring campfire. Places can be booked via Eventbrite at bit.ly/cp-easter-magic, or by visiting the Ryton Pools or Kingsbury Water Park visitor centre from 9.45am to 3pm at the weekend.
Bardlife
12th to 27th April
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, see prices www.shakespeare.org.uk
The historic Shakespeare family homes in Stratford host an array of special events and activities over Easter.
From enjoying live performances in Shakespeare’s childhood home, to artistic workshops at Shakespeare’s New Place and hands-on Nurture in Nature sessions at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, there is plenty going on to keep everyone entertained.
Experience the sights and smells that would have been familiar to young William and his family at Shakespeare’s Birthplace. New for 2025 a specially created soundscape has been added to The Hall, transporting visitors back in time as the Shakespeare family prepare for a dinner party. Hear voices in the distance from Henley Street, and even hear Mary, Shakespeare’s mother, whistling as she prepares the room for guests.
Visitors will also experience the scents of the Tudor period, as they smell food, such as baked bread, being cooked by the Shakespeare’s in The Hall.
Daily during the easter holiday there will be live performances in the garden of Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Visitors can expect vibrant performances from the talented team at Events from History as they perform Shakespeare’s most famous scenes, with a focus on the female characters.
Starting from 13th April and continuing every Sunday during the school holidays, visitors are invited to unleash their creativity as Shakespeare’s New Place welcomes a different female artist to the home of Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna.
Every Wednesday, young children and their families are invited to get stuck in and create something special together in the scenic garden at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. For the first session on 16th April, attendees can look forward to making seedbombs, while on 23rd April, they can get crafty willow weaving to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday.
Happy trails
18th to 21st April
National Trust properties, nationaltrust.org.uk/easter
Taking place over the Easter bank holiday weekend (18–21 April) and coinciding with local school holidays there are dozens of trails and eggs-cellent activities taking
place across National Trust places in Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.
Each National Trust Easter trail features activities inspired by nature, beauty and history. From identifying spring flowers and wildlife to uncovering intriguing histories
and local legends, every single Easter trail is jam-packed with outdoor activities and experiences.
Every trail ends with a chocolate egg, or a vegan and Free From chocolate egg, made here in the UK using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
National Trust Easter egg trails cost £3.50 per child, plus normal National Trust admission/free admission for National Trust members/guests of National Trust holidays.
Raring for roaring
Warwick Arts Centre,for more activities and prices see warwickartscentre.co.uk
Take a trip back to prehistoric times at Warwick Arts Centre this Easter as Dinosaur World Live ( 22nd to 24th April) roars in.
Discover a host of impressive creatures, including every child's favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as the three-horned Triceratops, long-necked Giraffatitan, winged Microraptor and theropod Segnosaurus.
There's also a chance for young explorers and fledgling palaeontologists to meet some of the dinosaurs after each show too (along with their handlers/ puppeteers) .
The Great Chocolate Heist
12th to 27th April
Magic Alley, for prices and to book www.magicalleystratford.com/easter
Comedy crime-solving caper The Great Chocolate Heist comes to Stratford’s Bell Court attraction for Easter. … It was meant to be the most extravagant Easter celebration in history - a dazzling spectacle where the world’s most opulent chocolate creation, The Exquisite Egg of Indulgence, would be unveiled before an adoring crowd. Just hours before the big reveal, a scandalous crime was committed—someone has taken a huge bite (or possibly several) out of the prized chocolate egg! The Kingdom’s most elite confectioners, chocolatiers, and Easter VIPs were all in attendance to admire the egg—but now, they’re all suspects. Can you crack the case?
Follow the trail of sticky fingerprints, half-eaten evidence, and other deliciously dubious clues to track down the chocolate thief before the grand ceremony is ruined.
Do you have what it takes to solve the sweetest mystery of the season?
Perfect for chocolate lovers, mystery solvers, and families looking for an egg-stra special Easter adventure.
Vrooming into Easter
5th to 27th April
British Motor Museum, prices and more activities www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk
The British Motor Museum has got a cracking line up of egg-cellent Easter Holiday activities. Children and families can crack the code in the puzzling Family Trail, get creative with an egg-ceptional craft activity, and test their car dealing skills on a fascinating tour around the Museum. Over the Easter weekend from 18-21 April, there will also be a traditional Easter egg hunt amongst the car collection.
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