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There’s plenty of Easter-themed activities from the Eden Project’s Chocolate Unwrapped Festival to the Easter Egg Hunt at Willows Farm, Hertfordshire.
We’ve planned for various weather too, with indoor attractions such as the Chill Factore in Manchetser (ideal for rainy days) right through to Rhossili Bay, voted Britain’s best beach (particularly nice when sunny).
No budget? Fear not. Some of our suggestions, such as the National Museum of Scotland, need not cost you a penny.
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Show all 10 1 /10Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Eden Project, Cornwall Experience the sights, sounds and smells of the rainforest without having to travel to the Amazon in the largest greenhouse in the world. There are loads of activities for children to learn about nature and for Easter, there’s a Chocolate Unwrapped festival, including tastings, workshops, games, experiences and even the opportunity to make a bespoke chocolate bar.
Adult from £19.50 Children from £6.50; www.edenproject.com
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Chill Factore, Manchester If you missed out on the snow this year, why not visit this huge indoor snow centre where you can tube down the slope in huge rubber rings, whizz through the Luge ice slide or race each other Crazy Sledging. You can also ski or snowboard. As long as children are aged 10+, Mum or Dad can enjoy one activity and the children another.
Adult from £20 Children from £10; www.chillfactore.com
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Willows Farm Village, Hertfordshire Set in Hertfordshire countryside, Willows Farm Village used to be a working farm but is now one of the county’s most delightful family leisure destinations, offering farmyard animal attractions, indoor and outdoor adventure play, fun fair rides, children’s shows and more. Even when it’s really busy, there’s loads of space and there are loads of Easter activities, including the annual Easter Egg Hunt.
Adult from £13.99 Children from £13.99; www.willowsfarmvillage.com
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Rhossili Bay, Wales Voted Britain’s best beach, third best in Europe and ninth best in the World by TripAdvisor users, Rhossili Bay has three miles of gorgeous sand and coastline making it the perfect destination for everything from sandcastle building to extreme watersports. Situated on the Gower Peninsula, the UK’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Rhossili Bay has easy parking too.
Free; www.visitswanseabay.com
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Explore the diversity of the natural world, world cultures, art and design, science and technology and Scottish history, all under one roof at the National Museum of Scotland. The Museum is one of the ten most popular visitor attractions in the UK and in the top 20 most visited galleries and museums in the world.
Free; www.nms.ac.uk
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Alton Towers, Staffordshire The big news for Alton Towers this year is the launch of CBeebies Land in May, bringing some of the most-loved children’s characters the theme park resort. But there’s plenty to attract people in April, including 50 rides and attractions and a tropical waterpark, plus a new live pirate themed interactive dining experience.
Adult from £36 Children from £30.60; www.altontowers.com
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out London Aquarium With 14 themed zones and over 500 species including sharks and penguins, this is home to one of Europe’s largest collections of global marine life. Don’t expect to stare into fish tanks all day – there’s plenty of interactive feeding, diving displays, touch pools and more. New for this year is an exhibition of stunning crabs including the huge Japanese Spider crab, which can grow to 12 feet long. If it’s a sunny day, hop onto the London Eye just next door or explore the South Bank.
Adult from £18.36 Children from £13.52; www.visitsealife.com/London
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Warwick Castle, Warwickshire This medieval castle, which was developed from an original fortress built by Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, in 914, offers oodles of history, magic, myth and adventure to suit all ages. With stunning scenery inside and out, there are shows, battles and live entertainment and new for this Easter is the addition of the UK’s only free flying Andean Condor, the largest bird of prey in the world, on twice-daily flights.
Adult from £13.44 Children from £10.96; www.warwick-castle.com
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire This is one of the UK’s oldest wild animal parks in the UK, with over 80 species of wild animals roaming in 300 acres of beautiful parkland. It’s got a great record for conservation of endangered wildlife and kids will love the new attractions for this year, including a new Deer Stop on the Great Woburn Railway and Desert Springs, a walk-through enclosure with meerkats, mongoose and porcupines.
Adult from £20.99 Children from £14.99; www.woburn.co.uk/safari
Easter 2014: 10 best family days out The John Muir Way, Across Scotland This is a new 134 mile national pathway that stretches from Dunbar in the East to Helensburgh in the West, to mark the life of John Muir, considered the “father of America’s National Parks”. It takes in some of Scotland’s best walking paths and landscapes and is within walking distance of many major towns. Along the way, you’ll find splash and play areas and opportunities for cycling, skating, horse riding and more.
Free; johnmuirway.org
Verdict:
Alton Towers in Staffordshire is as fun-packed as it gets, while The John Muir Way, Across Scotland is a superb new 134 mile national pathway across Scotland, with plenty to keep the kids amused along the way.
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1. Eden Project, Cornwall
2. Chill Factore, Manchester
3. Willows Farm Village, Hertfordshire
4. Rhossili Bay, Wales
5. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
6. Alton Towers, Staffordshire
7. London Aquarium
8. Warwick Castle, Warwickshire
9. Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire
10. The John Muir Way, Across Scotland
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