What's going on:

Fun for all the family around the UK

Canvas opinion

So, you don't know about art but you know your budget won't stretch to a Picasso? Better catch the Affordable Art Fair in south London today. This seasonal event is becoming increasingly popular among novice collectors who share Charles Saatchi's passion but lack his spending power. Some 130 art galleries are taking part, putting on display the best of their wares whose prices start at around £50 and rise to an upper limit of £2,500. There's an eclectic mixture of paintings, sculptures, photographs and printed matter, so go along and browse at leisure. You may end up buying something just because it matches your Alessi fire tongs, but it could be a future masterpiece and the start of an investment collection that'll keep you in your old age. In Battersea Park, London SW11, 11am to 6pm today only, entrance £8. Call 020-7371 8787 or see www.affordableartfair.com.

Roman holiday

York is a veritable historical theme park of a city. It's hugely popular for family weekends, with a wealth of attractions designed to entertain, educate (and exhaust) any wide-eyed youngster. Travel there by rail between now and 30 April and you can grab a booklet of vouchers offering half-price entry to 16 of the city's best visitor attractions, including the Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum, Jorvik Viking centre (complete with authentic Viking aromas), York Dungeon, Ghost Walks and other on-foot tours. You can also claim special discounts at selected restaurants and bars, and who wouldn't welcome a cheap round of drinks after all that sightseeing? Don't miss out: pick up the special 'First Stop York By Train' booklet at York Station's tourist information centre when you arrive, showing your rail ticket as proof of eligibility.

Roman holiday

It looks as though spring has sprung – time to get off the sofa, before you have to be surgically removed from it, and head outdoors. Cornwall's milder climate benefits from being a few weeks ahead of the rest of Britain, so why not try a two-day driving break that takes in visits to some of its finest gardens and wildlife habitats, including the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Compass Holidays has recently added these garden-lovers' driving breaks to its well-established portfolio of outdoor activity holidays. The package costs £125 per person for two nights, including b&b for two sharing a double or twin room, a route pack to guide you round the best nature spots in the area and entry to one garden per day. For more information call 01242 250642 or see www.compass-holidays.com.

Hotpot hotspot

The City Life Food and Drink Guide to Greater Manchester is a bit of a mouthful in itself, but also contains comprehensive listings for some 250 restaurants, bars, pubs and cafés in the area, all independently reviewed. Manchester has long enjoyed a reputation as a place for going out and showing off, so this well-judged guide to its watering holes, both brand new and well-established, is a good accessory for a weekend of shopping and sightseeing around the increasingly fashionable city centre. It costs £3.50 plus 96p postage and packing: send a cheque to City Life Guide to Manchester, 164 Deansgate, Manchester M60 2RD.