Easter Fun
From Easter Egg Hunts to art, intensive swimming to adrenaline-fuelled go kart driving, we’ve got some great ideas for you to keep the whole family entertained this Easter.
BOWOOD HOUSE & GARDENS
Calne
This Easter head to Bowood for a Big Spring Adventure. The Easter Bunny is back with his friends and has left clues around the Estate for you to find! Over the Easter weekend try and crack the secret code alongside the big Easter eggs to unlock the Easter basket!
Masses of open space and fresh air awaits you at Bowood House & Gardens. Explore the beautiful grounds with these trails…taking you around the lake and back to the historic house, look among the endless daffodils and winding paths, you may just see the Easter bunny! A hop, skip and a jump away is Tractor Ted’s Little Farm where children can meet friendly farm animals, see chicks hatching and watch Tractor Ted’s real action films. Outside, there is play equipment including a mini tractor track and diggers, all conveniently located near the Treehouse Café. Bounce over to the Adventure Playground too. Aimed at children up to the age of 12, it features a Pirate Galleon, aerial walkways, several thrilling slides, a huge scramble net and perhaps the most famous and popular of all, the Space slide with an exhilarating 19ft vertical drop! Children will be entertained for hours. Normal House & Gardens admission applies.
COURT FARM COUNTRY PARK
Weston-super-Mare
Open for more than 30 years as a visitor attraction, Court Farm Country Park is looking forward to another fun filled summer of entertainment for all the family. The park has been voted runners up in the Farm Attraction Of The Year competition twice in recent years, an accolade that the attraction’s owner, Peter Gwyn, puts down to the friendly atmosphere and the excellent facilities the farm now boasts. With over 25000sq ft of undercover attractions and playgrounds, all visitors can enjoy a day in the countryside whatever the weather.
If its animals you want – they have loads, from Shires and Shetlands to lambs and piglets. Budding adventurers will love the Safari Jeep track. There are two large indoor adventure playgrounds, which suit all ages of children and there are lots of friendly animals on show too. With twice daily bottle-feeding shows kids can marvel at the antics of the farm’s baby animals. Tractor rides, pony rides, and a whole host of other goings on will leave your kids begging to come back soon. Court Farm Country Park is open daily all year round, 10am to 5.30pm.
DRIVE-TECH LTD
Castle Combe
Drive-Tech Ltd are skid control, karting and 4×4 off road experts. Based at Castle Combe circuit (within easy reach of the M4 & M5) their ultimate driving experiences will help you build individual skills, increase your confidence, improve your personal safety, raise your awareness and provide white knuckle tension, all at the same time!
Any motorsport fan would love pushing their driving skills to new limits and there are options for everyone aged 10 and over – perfect for entertaining the kids during the school break. Gift vouchers, starting at just £38, open dated and valid for 18 months make great gifts too. For more details see the website or call their team on 01249 783010.
HAYNES INTERNATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM
Sparkford, Yeovil
Haynes International Motor Museum has, in addition to their permanent collection of amazing cars from around the world, a Celebration of Bentley, which showcases this famous and much-loved motoring marque, open for all to enjoy.
Younger Museum explorers can help find the cheeky Easter bunnies hidden across the Museum in a game of Bentley Bunny Bingo – whilst older children can test their skills with our fun facts and games quiz booklet. They will also have a chocolate treat for them to collect afterwards.
Throughout your visit you’ll also be able to enjoy the outdoor play area, interactive exhibits and of course Café 750 which serves delicious hot and cold meals, as well as tasty grab and go snacks.
HOPE NATURE CENTRE
Southwick, nr Trowbridge
There are a whole host of Easter activities happening in April at Hope Nature Centre in Southwick. From 6 through to the 22 April you’ll be able to take part in their Easter Egg Hunt, where you’ve got to explore the animal park and find four eggs to collect your prize! It’s all included in your ticket, so get ready for the hunt!
On Sunday 21 April they are also hosting an Animal Park Eggstravaganza! Enjoy a variety of activities including animal petting and grooming, face-painting, children’s crafts and egg rolling! You can also enjoy an Easter lunch at their on site café. A popular option is the two course lunch, which is £9.95 for adults and £7.95 for children. Pre-book your space by calling 01225 759075. Finally, on Sunday 22 April, you can enjoy an Animal Park BBQ and an Active Trowbridge Sports Roadshow!
LACOCK ABBEY
Lacock, nr Chippenham
Whether searching for puddles or spotting starlings in the grounds at Lacock, there’s lots for little explorers to enjoy this spring. Pick up an Explorer’s Guide to Lacock from the visitor reception and see what you can find. The guide will last you all year, with different animals and plants to spot for each season, perfect for visiting again and again.
After a recent refurbishment, the Fox Talbot Museum gallery is hosting a new exhibition from Hasselblad Masters Award winner John Paul Evans from the beginning of April. This month the Abbey is also looking forward to Easter and hopping from clue to clue, to claim a Cadbury’s chocolate prize. Their annual Easter Egg Hunt runs from 8-22 April and costs £2.50 (normal admission costs apply).
PLACES LEISURE
Various sites across Wiltshire
There are some ‘cracking’ activities on for children at Places Leisure centres this Easter; they’re sure to have your children feeling ‘eggstatic’ with excitement. The activities are also a great way to combat the inevitable chocolate overload!
Most of their centres with swimming pools offer a range of intensive swimming lessons for different Swim England stages. They are the perfect opportunity for children in lessons to improve their skills and aquatic ability by having lessons every day. For children not already in regular lessons, they are a great way to get your child started in the water, with help from friendly, fully qualified instructors. If your child is already confident in the water and fancies themselves as the next Tom Daley check out the holiday diving courses at Trowbridge Sports Centre. Bradford on Avon pool is also running specialist stroke sessions, so your child can make progress with their least favourite swimming stroke! Look out for trampolining and gymnastics at some of their centres too. Courses do tend to get booked up though, so contact your nearest centre and get your child booked on today!
POCKET PICASSOS
Trowbridge
Pocket Picassos is for kids who love art and want to expand their knowledge and skill in a fun and friendly environment. Run by art teacher and artist Lise MacDermott (BA, PGCE, MA) children make art in many different mediums including painting, drawing, printmaking, collage and sculpture. The classes cover different artists, styles and movements from junkbots and graffiti to fine drawing, casting and gilding. At a maximum of 6 children per class, a child’s individual thoughts and ideas may be explored and made.
Five-week term time courses run on Saturdays: 10am-12noon for age 4-7 and 2-4pm for age 8-11 and costs £30 for the five weeks. Over Easter the one-day holiday club runs from 10am-1pm at a price of £10 and there are three-day summer holiday workshops running from 10am-1pm daily at a cost of £30. Lise also runs five-week Wednesday after-school workshops for ages 10-13 and is also available for one to one tuition.
Details and bookings are available on the website and you can call/text Lise on 07505 621858 to discuss, and arrange a visit to the studio.
TOWPATH TRAIL
Bradford on Avon
The Kennet & Avon Canal towpath offers traffic free and easy cycling for all the family. Stretching from Bristol to Reading, through and along hills and valleys, the cities and towns along the way offer an interesting backdrop to the wonderful country path.
Towpath Trail is the original bike and canoe hire on the canal. Operating from Frome Road in Bradford on Avon, their bikes are in good condition – all less than 6 months old – and are ideal if you and the family want to head off to Bath (10 miles) or Devizes (12 miles), home to the famous Caen Hill lock flight. There are also child trailers, trailer bikes and child seats for hire should you need them. Alternatively, you might want to take to the water in a canoe. Their Canadian canoes are very safe and easy to use and are great for setting off on an intrepid aqua adventure – you could even pack some ginger beer and marmite sandwiches for a stop off en route! They can be paddled solo, or can accommodate mum, dad and two children, the choice is yours!
WHITEHALL GARDEN CENTRE
Lacock, nr Chippenham
Whitehall Garden Centre has just launched a new Jungle Grotto, arriving at their Lacock garden centre in time for Easter! Begin your quest through the Jungle with your map to complete tasks and answer questions. Find the monkeys and spot the parrots. Meet the lions but make sure not to disturb them, you might not make it out alive! The Grotto costs £3.99 per person and is open from Saturday 30 March until Sunday 2 June from 10.30am to 4pm. Outside of school holidays the Jungle Grotto is open weekends only. Book your spot online and your ticket will be valid all day on your chosen date, subject to availability.
