What’s on for February Half Term
Updated: Feb 17
February half term is almost here and there are plenty of fantastic things going on across the North East to keep everyone entertained. After a pretty miserable January, I think most of us are looking forward to most attractions reopening, so that we can get out and about around again. I know we are! *this post contains ads
For more great ideas, check us out on Facebook, Instagram or twitter
I have tried to include a variety of options some free, some you have to pay for. If you are struggling and need more budget friendly ideas feel free to send me an email and I will do my best to come up with some ideas for you. You can email at Kelly@northeastfamilyadventures.com
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR MORE IDEAS AND KIDS EAT FREE DEALS
What's On For Half Term
🌼16th Throughout Half Term Soft Play in the Bridges Shopping Centre £2 per child includes crafts, games & goodie bag
🌼18th - 26th Hauxley Nature Reserve Spring Photo Trail INFO
🌼18th, 19th, 25th, 26th Empire cinema deal £2 tickets to see The Rise of Gru
🌼20th Roald Dahl Inspired Crafts - Holy Trinity Church Sunderland INFO
🌼20th The Art Room Sunderland - Kawaii Kids Art Club £7pp Suitable for ages 6-14, Terrific Teens Tote Bags suitable for ages 10+ £10pp
🌼20th Marvellous Mondays at Segedunum. Sketch, Emboss or choose a different craft
🌼21st Pup On Patrol Breakfast - Lanchester garden centre INFO
🌼21st Family Art at Pop Recs Ltd - Paint your own plant pot £5 per child
🌼21st Family Bird walk with Seascapes at Seal Sands INFO
🌼21st & 24th Play Sessions at Downhill Hub Activities, games and more. Suitable for ages 6-11 Includes a free lunch. INFO
🌼22nd Arts & Crafts at Geek Retreat plus free board games, playpen and arcade games daily.
🌼22nd Fulwell Mill, Ready Teddy Go INFO
🌼22nd-23rd Family Fun Days - Baltic INFO
🌼23rd & 26thHalf Term Heritage train rides. The museum also reopens - Stephenson Railway INFO
🌼23rd Paint a story with Pumpkin Pottery Design - Yarm
🌼23rd Family Fun Day - Raich Carter Leisure Centre Hockey, Indoor Multi-sports and Family Swimming sessions all free to book.
🌼23rd Treasures & Curiosities at Newcastle Cathedral INFO
🌼25th & 26th Durham Fire & Ice INFO
🌼Kielder & Hamsterley forest launch ZOG the new self led trail INFO
🌼Craft activities everyday at Durham Cathedral INFO
🌼Raymond Briggs Exhibition Running until 26th at The Bowes Museum INFO
🌼Half Term Trail at High Force Waterfall INFO
🌼23rd & 24th Wildlife Explorers Half Term Camp at Rainton Meadows (Booking required) INFO
🌼25th Meet Superheroes at Byron Place Seaham - Spiderman & Wonder Woman. Free Face painting. 10-2.30 INFO
🌼26th Freight in February - Tanfield Railway INFO
🌼 Howick Hall & Gardens Snowdrops will be appearing INFO
🌼Carnival Season based crafts and activities - All Newcastle Library branches INFO
🌼Preston Park Half Term Fun inspired by books INFO
🌼Butterfly World Stockton reopens INFO
🌼 Half Term Crafts at Jesmond Libraries INFO
🌼Coast to Coast with Rockpool School - Watergate Café INFO
🌼Air Trail Tees Barrage reopens for half term
🌼Stargazing Talks and Constellation crafts at Guisborough Forest
🌼Half Term Fun at Northumberland College Zoo
🌼Animals of High Force Woodland Trail
🌼Story trains on the Weardale railway
🌼Running until April Creatures of the night trail at Sutton Bank National Park Centre and Danby Lodge National Park Centre £3 per trail
🌼Half Term Train Rides at Locomotion £3
🌼Landscape trail at Northumberlandia
🌼Head along to Skipton Woods for an adventure- Download some fun activities HERE
Keep scrolling for more ideas
Beamish Museum (ad)
Discover Crimes of the Centuries
🌼Visit Beamish Museum during February Half Term (18th to 26th February) to investigate crimes of the 1820s, early 1900s, 1940s and 1950s as the museum prepares to open its 1950s police houses later this year.
🌼Discover the story of renowned Georgian quilter Joseph Hedley who was murdered in 1826 in an appalling crime that shocked the nation, and learn about crime and punishment in the Georgian period.
🌼Find out about the actions of some of the North East’s Suffragettes in The 1900s Town and visit the Masonic Hall to hear stories of a Sunderland bank robbery which took place in 1897.
🌼Visit The 1900s Pit Village to find out what happened to those who played truant and, in the back lane of Francis Street, learn about illegal games of pitch and toss.
🌼Head to The 1940s Farm to find out about the secrets of the black market during World War Two.
🌼There have been reports of sheep rustling at Spain’s Field Farm – can you help the farmer and the policeman find the lost sheep? (Spain’s Field Farm open weekends only).
🌼Practise your lock picking skills in The 1950s Town. In the 1950s welfare hall, see some of the fascinating policing objects the museum has in its collection and discover the planned room layouts for Beamish1950s police houses and office, which are due to open later this year.
🌼Plus, take part in the museum’s fun family activity trail and solve The Mystery of the Sleepy Salesman.
🌼Beamish Museum is open every day through February half term from 10 - 4. Did you know that your ticket lasts for a whole year? Great value!
Warkworth Castle
🌼Five young kings of Medieval and Tudor England will be waiting for you to join in a sword fight to find out if you can take on the kings.
🌼Armoury tent
🌼Sword school
🌼Kids Rule! Stories
WWT Washington
🌼18th -26th Mudfest
🌼23rd HT Crafts
🌼24th Author, Storytime & Crafts
🌼26th Pond Dipping
Find out more HERE
RSPB Saltholme
🌼11th - 26th Welly Dogs & Friends
🌼18th-26th Nest Box Building (Charges apply)
🌼18th-26th Harry Otters Valentines Trail (Charges apply)
Find out more HERE
Discovery Museum
🌼Transport Trail
🌼21st Discovery Days - Locomotives
🌼22nd The Cat, the mouse & the runaway trail
🌼22nd Street Scientists
Find out more HERE
Great North museum Hancock
🌼Half Term fun
🌼21st Relaxed opening
🌼Wonder Wednesday Monsters in the wild
Find out more HERE
Oriental Museum Durham
🌼18th Make a terracotta Warrior
🌼22nd Make a Bes Jar
🌼24th Print Power
Find out more HERE
Raby Castle
🌼Bear Hunt Trail - Plotters Forest
🌼Half term fun Raby Castle
Find out more HERE
National Glass Centre
🌼20th - 23rd Stained Glass window cards - Sunderland Landmarks Age 4+/ £3 Drop in
🌼20th Pattern Making, Age 5+ £3 / Drop-in
🌼21st-22nd Glass Painting , Age 5+ £5 / Drop-in
🌼21st -24th Glorious Glitter Globes
🌼22nd Photo From the Future
🌼23rd - 25th Fused Glass Artwork, Age 6+ / £12 / Booking essential
🌼Where's Whimsy Trail running until 26th
🌼Photo Memento running until 26th
🌼20th & 24th Sandcasting: Cat, Fish, Owl
Age 6+ / £20 / Booking essential
Find out more HERE
Souter Lighthouse
🌼21st & 23rd Make a bird ball
🌼22nd & 24th Build a bird box
Charges apply find out more Click HERE
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
🌼Chinese zodiac animal trail until 24th Feb £1 per trail / No booking required
🌼20th Football kit design workshop, FREE but places must be pre-booked
🌼24th Inspired by football tattoos, £2 per child / Places must be pre-booked/ Suitable for children aged 3+
To find out more click HERE
Ormesby Hall - National Trust
Running throughout Half Term
🌼Flight Of The Swallow Trail
🌼Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder
🌼Bird Box Building
Wharton Park - Durham
🌼20th Feb - Natural Wildlife Mosaics
£10 per child per session
🌼21st - Dark Skies Bright Lights
Make your own natural lantern
£12 per light
🌼22nd Animal Architecture - The building blocks of life
Build a bat box, bee hotel, insect hotel, Hedgehog house building
Prices and times vary
🌼Winter Fairies Trail
Download the Love Exploring App to enjoy this self led trail.
To find out more about events in Wharton Park Click HERE
Bamburgh Castle
🌼18th & 26th Follow the footsteps of Uhtred at Bebbanburgh
🌼20th Meet Marley The Pony
Find out more HERE
High House Barn
🌼16th & 22nd Family Stargazing Evening
£10 per person
🌼Meet the Blackberry Donkeys
🌼21st Bird Feeder making and Nature Walk
£5 per child - Adults go free
🌼23rd Crafting and Creatures with Angela's Ark
£10 per child Adults go free
🌼24th Reptile experience with Angela's Ark
£5 per person
🌼25th Family Scarecrow Making
£20 per scarecrow (max 5 people)
To find out more about events at High House Barn click HERE
Science at Life!
🌼Brand new area opens for the first time - WOW Zone! Sensory exhibits, light displays, The big machine which stands over 6ms tall and is controlled by you!
🌼Experiment Zone - hidden chemistry of the sea and the effects of climate change
🌼The Sea and Me - New Live Shows
🌼Head into the making studios and get creative with your own moving wave sculpture
🌼Take a tour of the night Sky in the planetarium
🌼Play zone is suitable for under 7s
Family of 5 is £40.50 To find out more Click HERE
Art Centre Washington
🌼Bright Lights: Youth Arts Exhibition 2023
2 February – 11 March
🌼22nd Stop-Motion Animation & Character Design, FREE/ Suitable for ages 11+
🌼25th Sound Design and Storytelling Workshop, FREE/ 13-19 year olds
Ocean Beach Pleasure Park
🌼Partially reopening for Half Term
Expect, Quasar and Arcades from 11am
Selected Rides weather dependant 12-5
🌼Food stalls all open
Wallington National Trust
🌼18-26th Snowdrop Planting
🌼18th Wildlife Safari
🌼18th Children's Wildlife photography
🌼You can also enjoy 4 play areas and various walking routes. Don't miss the crocus lawn!
Redcar Palace
🌼21st Mini Pride Activities
🌼22nd Seaglass Workshop
🌼23rd Clay Activities
🌼24th Palaeo Palace fossil finding
Re-opening for half term
🌼Tuesday-Thursday enjoy craft activities
🌼Fridays - Nest box making
🌼Flight displays every day from 2.30pm
🌼Montgomery Bonbon: Mystery Museum trail
🌼Grab an activity sheet at the museum to test out your detective skills, solve puzzles and more.
🌼You can also enjoy the large play area and woodland walk.
🌼Saturday art workshops encouraging you and your kids to get creative. Refreshments will be provided but bringing a lunch along to enjoy in the beautiful gardens is recommended.
🌼Make a bug mask between 12-3 daily. 🌼Visit the Wild Northumberland Open Exhibition and vote for your favourite in the People's Choice Award. 🌼Wander around the museum and find out what life was like for Coal Miners and their families. 🌼Visit the historic buildings where a whopping 600,000 tonnes of coal was mined from the pit each year. 🌼Dogs are welcome, and there's a lovely walk around the nearby country park if you want to extend your visit. 🌼Relax and have five in our cafe, we serve a range of food and hot drinks.
🌼Play in our outdoor play area.
An annual pass costs just £7 for an adult (£6.50 for an accompanying adult), concessions cost £6 and young people under 16 visit for FREE. Pay once and visit as many times as you want over the year.
Rainton Arena Tickets just £5 per child for the following two shows:
🌼Prince & Princess Ball 21st Feb
🌼Superhero Show 24th Feb
Get your tickets quick...this offer will end on Sunday!
On at the Theatre
🌼19th Little Red Riding Hood - Princess Alexandra Yarm INFO
🌼21st Ministry of Science - Princess Alexandra Yarm INFO
🌼21st -23rd The Singing Mermaid - Northern Stage INFO
🌼24th - 25th How long is a piece of string Hullabaloo INFO
🌼25th Jungle Book Middlesbrough Theatre INFO
🌼26th Jungle Book Playhouse Whitley Bay INFO
Find out more about what's on at a theatre near you HERE
Kids Food Deals
🌼Spotted Cow - Darlington Free kids meal with every full paying adult main meal. Wed- Fri. 12-5
🌼The Wolsey - Sunderland Kids Eat Free Mon - Sat with a full paying Adult
🌼The Alexandra Steakhouse - Sunderland Kids eat free with a full paying adult. Not to be used with any other offers.
🌼Geek Retreat Sunderland - Kids eat free with a full paying adult
🌼Harvester - £1 kids meals with a paying adult Mon-Fri
🌼Toby Carvery - £1 kids meals with a full paying adult Mon-Fri
🌼M&S kids eat free with a minimum spend of £5
🌼Ikea Kids meal + Juice only 95p from 11am
🌼Morrisons Café - Kids eat free with a every full paying adult meal 🌼Pausa Dunelm - Kids eat free with a minimum spend of £4 all day everyday
🌼Asda - All kids and adults over 60 eat for £1 all day every day with no other purchase necessary
🌼Chiquito's Newcastle / Metrocentre Free kids meal with a full paying adult Mon-Thur
🌼Inn Collections - Kids eat free every Sunday with a full paying Adult 12-5
Let me know if you run a food outlet and you have any special foodie deals running.
For more great ideas, check us out on Facebook, Instagram or twitter
Check out these other handy posts
Family friendly things to do in Durham
9 Train Themed Days Out in the North East and North Yorkshire.
Family Friendly Things To Do In Northumberland
Family friendly things to do in Sunderland
North East Reservoirs Worth a Visit