May Half-Term Family Activities 2024
It’s almost half-term and that means there’s more on than usual! We’ve pulled together a listing of the goings-on that families can enjoy together in the area and slightly further afield, with the local family activities also featured in our Calendar. We’re adding more and more as and when things are announced, so do keep checking back! For camps and workshops that children can enjoy on their own please check out our Half-Term Camps & Workshops Guide.
Richmond Borough & Nearby
- No special events but Chiswick House has lovely dog-friendly gardens to walk around, a great cafe, and an adventure playground for under 7s. Visiting information can be found here.
- No special events but Ham House is always a great place to visit with the family. It has gardens with big lawns, courtyard, secret areas and a huge kitchen garden; a fascinating, beautiful house to explore; and of course the obligatory National Trust cafe. This half-term there will also be outdoor games set up around the gardens. Visiting information can be found here.
25th May – 1st June, 12.00 & 5.00pm daily: Horrible Histories On Stage at Hampton Court Palace.
- We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead! So Horrible Histories is back with monstrous monarchs and revolting rulers from Britain’s barmy past! Can evil Elizabeth entertain England? Will you be hanged by King James for being a witch? Clap along with crazy King Charles and move to the groove with party Queen Victoria! It’s history with the nasty bits left in! The show is suitable for those aged 5+. Booking essential – please note that Horrible Histories tickets do not include palace entry but discounted tickets can be purchased. The Magic Garden is also open, and no trip is complete without a visit to the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze in the palace gardens.
- No special events listed at time of writing, but Hounslow Urban Farm is always a treat to visit with the little ones. Stroll around the pens with goats, pigs, donkeys, llamas, peacocks and owls, and you can even feed some of the animals. There are also animal encounters throughout the day, where you can meet and handle small mammals, reptiles and more. They usually put on some special activities during school holidays too. You can buy tickets at the farm or online.
- No special family events, but Kew Gardens always makes a great family day out, with the Children’s Garden, family kitchen & shop, log trail, treetop walkway, immense glasshouses, the Hive, and of course acres of gardens to run free in and explore. A new exhibition around the Gardens from leading contemporary artist Marc Quinn has also just started. Visiting information can be found here.
London Museum Of Water And Steam (Brentford)
27th – 31st May, 10.00am-4.00pm: Water Wonders at the London Museum Of Water & Steam in Brentford.
- Join the Museum for a week of fun to celebrate the wonders of water through a history tour, a cyanotype workshop and some water fun in the Splash Zone! The first weekend of half Term (25th & 26th) the engines are in Steam, so you can marvel at the amazing working pumping engines that helped make London the city it is today. Normal admission applies.
London Wetland Centre (Barnes)
25th May – 2nd June, 10.00am-5.30pm: Bing’s Nature Explorers at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes.
- Learn all about wetland nature and wildlife with a little help from Bing and his friends – become a Nature Explorer with activity trails, storytelling, character appearances and much more. Follow Bing’s Nature Explorers trail to discover fun-filled challenges and amazing wildlife facts. Pick up a map at the start and collect your sticker once you’ve completed the trail. Enjoy a Bing story with an interactive storytelling session. There will also be pond dipping, otter talks, a mud kitchen and permanent features of the wild walk and adventure playground. See what’s on board for timings of activities. Normal admission applies.
28th – 31st May, various times: Zoolab Animal Encounters at Osterley Park.
- Get up close and hands-on with real live exotic animals, just like those the great David Attenborough would have encountered throughout his life and travels. Learn all about these awesome creatures and meet the likes of snakes, snails and tarantulas in this fun interactive show all about our most loved animal enthusiast Sir David Attenborough. This ticketed session will last 45 minutes and you’ll have an opportunity to get up-close and hands on with the creatures while learning all about them. Normal admission also required.
- No special events, but the garden is free to visit and a lovely space for family picnics and relaxing (Sundays-Thursdays). Plus the house is well worth a look around for it’s architecture and interiors (Sundays-Wednesdays). Visiting information can be found here.
- No special events but a lovely place for a walk around the lake and a visit to the Great Conservatory. The Foodies Festival is also taking place from 25th – 27th May, and there is a fundraising event on the 28th to raise money for the Rainbow Trust, with fairground-themed activities on the walking trail. Visiting information can be found here.
Further Afield
27th – 31st May, 11.00am-4.00pm: Love Your Zoo Week at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.
- Battersea Park Children’s Zoo is celebrating Love Your Zoo week this half-term. The Hive cabin will be filled with new games, crafts and activities all themed around the Zoo’s Animal Champions! And what better way to finish off the week with a Wildlife Drawing class? Unleash your inner artist and get creative with animal-themed crafts. Create colourful badges and fun keyrings (£1.00-£2.00) to show off your love of animals. Let your imagination run wild! Roll the dice and invent amazing new animal friends in a ‘create your own animal’ game! Plus, become an animal champion! Test your skills with fun, animal-inspired mini-games. Normal admission applies.
25th May – 2nd June, 10.00am-5.30pm: Superhero & Princess Week at Bockett’s Farm, Fetcham.
- Lots going on at Bocketts Farm this half-term. Meet Spiderman and the Ice Queen; join in the fun at the Superhero Academy; get creative in Craft Corner; boogie in the Bubble Disco; meet the Birds of Prey and watch flying demos; pan for gold; enjoy a game of Water Wars; explore acres of outdoor and indoor play; hop on board the Tractor & Trailer ride; plus pony rides, pig racing, facepainting and more! Booking essential.
- No special events but this is always a great day out with the little ones, with animals to see (including meet & greet sessions) and indoor and outdoor play including a sky trail, bouncy pillows, secret sandpit, biplane racing, and a donut slide. Tickets can be bought online.
25th May – 2nd June, 10.00am-5.00pm: Garden Friends Trail at Claremont Landscape Garden, Esher.
- Claremont is delighted to bring award-winning author Rachel Lawston’s children’s books to life this half-term with a Garden Friends trail. Beautifully illustrated, they tell the stories of Finn and Mia as they learn about gardens, wildlife and nature. At this time of year, the garden is bursting with life from the chirping of newborn ducklings and goslings to bees buzzing amongst the flowering Rhododendron. With fun games and activities to try, the trail will help inspire and form deeper connections with the nature that is all around us. £3.00 per trial including a specially branded Kabloom seed bomb to take home.. Normal admission applies.
- No special events but the Pick Your Own is open, only for asparagus at the moment and subject to availability, as it is the beginning of the season. Please check their website for updates and details.
25th May – 2nd June, 10.00am-6.00pm: Reptile Record Breakers at London Zoo in Regents Park.
- The Zoo is celebrating the opening of its brand new exhibit, The Secret Life of Reptiles and Amphibians. Many of its reptiles and amphibians have record breaking strengths, so they’re challenging you to see how you match up against them! The reptile record breaker games will run on the main lawn behind the new exhibit. Test out your own skills on the lawn and afterwards you can go and see the animals’ skills in action! Normal admission applies.
- No special family events but a lovely setting if you fancy a change from the local National Trust offerings. Morden Hall Park is a place to explore the outdoors and maybe tick some activities off your list of ’50 things to do before you’re 11¾’. It also connects to Deen City Farm. Visiting information can be found here.
25th May – 23rd June, 10.00am-4.00pm: Bugs & Butterflies Trail at Painshill Park, Cobham.
- Be a nature explorer and find all the bugs and butterflies hidden around Painshill this May half-term. A trail sheet will be available to pick up at the entrance but you may wish to take a pencil if you would like to tick off the bugs and butterflies as you find them in the landscape. The trail is free but normal admission applies and booking in advance is advisable for non-members.
- No special events but escape to Polesden Lacey to explore, move, wonder and let imaginations run free. The gardens and wider estate are perfect for running, chasing, nature spotting and lots more. Whether you’re six or 60 there’s something for everyone. There is also the Kestrel Corner play area, built using wood from the Polesden Lacey estate. Enjoy the swings, tunnels and giant nests as you embrace your inner animal and get closer to nature, Visiting information can be found here.
25th May – 2nd June, 10.00am-6.00pm: Family Gardening Festival at Wisley Gardens, Woking.
- Plant the seeds of a lifelong adventure with plants this half-term at Wisley’s Family Gardening Festival with Burgon & Ball. There will be family craft activities, a garden trail, exciting entertainment and interactive theatre. Entertainment includes The Extreme Gardening Show with BBC’s the Skinny Jean Gardener on the 27th & 28th May;Muddy hands, green fingers sessions on the 30th; and Pif Pat – The Bee Cart on the 30th & 31st. The trail runs throughout half-term, where you can explore a year of family gardening, with handy tips on what to do and when, allowing everyone to get gardening together. Normal admission applies.
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