Half-term and Halloween fun in Suffolk this autumn

At Easton Farm Park the whole family can have lots of Halloween fun.  Heading into the Suffolk countryside, and close to the Suffolk Coast, children will be ble to see the animals on the farm, take the spooky trail, make a wand and a broomstick and complete a quiz to win a spooky prize.  The pizza parlour is going to be open for orders. 

Whatever the weather decides to do, pull on your wellies and have a wizard of a time.  This event must be pre-booked with prices just £6.50 for anyone aged 2 yrs and over attending.  You will have a dedicated time-slot to attend.

 In addition, the exhibition marks the 40th anniversary of Galactica’s landing in homes across the globe. This classic series was a spin-off to 1978’s Battlestar Galactica; displays will explore the franchise’s impact upon popular culture. There will also be small-screen action from the Tom Baker era of Dr Who plus used screen props and a chance to meet a real Dalek! The final highlight will be a rare opportunity to come face-to-face with a used Gremlin film prop from the mid-1980s cult classic.

The intergalactic exhibition for all ages is open Monday-Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sundays 12pm-4pm. Admission: adult £5, concessions £3; child £3 (5-16 years), family £15 (up to 5 people). Tel: 01284 758000, www.moyseshall.org. Face masks will be required and numbers limited to observe social distancing.

Enter a magical halloween world. Explore the spooky zones around Kentwell's Gardens and Grounds where you will be able to take challenges and activities all aimed at children from 3 to 14 years of age, and their families.

Dress up in your favourite Halloween or School for Sorcery outfits, for double the fun but do make sure you are wrapped up warmly and feel free to wear your magical wellies, as the activities will be outside, or beneath open-sided but roofed areas.

Advance booking is essential for this event as numbers will be strictly limited in particular areas, and on site in general.  After your little witches and wizards have finished their session, they are welcome to stay for the rest of the day until the event closes.  Ticket prices are from £12.95.  Under 3's are free.

Go along to the West Stow Anglo Saxon Village, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk between 24 October and 1 November and you will find some half-term horrors lurking behind corners for unsuspecting visitors. Take part in the Spooky Saxons fun family activities including quizzes and stories and dare you be brave enough to cast the last rune in the Witchy Workshop?

The site of an early Anglo-Saxon village, occupied from AD 420-650, over 400 years before the Norman Conquest, West Stow is one of England’s great archaeological sites. Explore the recreated Anglo-Saxon village surrounded by 125 acres of unspoilt countryside and discover more about village life some 1,500 years ago in the indoor galleries. Watch a film, dress up as an Anglo-Saxon and ‘meet’ the rare breed pigs and chickens.

West Stow will also be hosting The Real Middle-Earth Tour on Sunday, 25 October starting at 1.00pm. Find out about the links between Tolkien and the Anglo-Saxon world on a guided tour from a member of the Tolkien Society and a Middle-earth enthusiast.

Open 10am – 5pm. Admission: adult £6; child £3 (5-16 years); family £16 (up to 5 family members, maximum 2 adults). Tel 01284 728718, www.weststow.org/Anglo-Saxon-Village. Face coverings are required inside the museum, but not outdoors in the Anglo-Saxon Village. Social distancing will be observed but advance booking is not necessary.

Fancy staying the night?  Run under different ownership to the Village are West Stow Pods, a family-run glamping site offering a range of accommodation, including four cosy MegaPods, two Woodland Lodges and our star attraction: Pod Hollow; a halfling-inspired subterranean dwelling nestled in the side of a grassy knoll. 

Come and join The Crafty Foxes for a spooky Halloween workshop at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds. On Friday, 30 October children aged seven plus can paint a pumpkin using bright colours of their choice. Parents can drop and shop as space is limited, collecting their child and the decorated pumpkin after the session ends.

The next day’s family Spooky Halloween workshop, Saturday, 31 October, is a fun session for children under seven accompanied by one parent or guardian. Youngsters can try their hand at making a spooky bat, ghostly treat or monster lantern.

All children will be kept apart as much as possible on separate tables, spaced according to the COVID-19 guidelines, unless coming with siblings or people in their bubble, in which case two tables can be moved together.

Tickets for both workshops are £15 per child including a cold drink and biscuit. Old clothes or Halloween fancy dress recommended. Accompanying adults on 31 October can attend for free but must book a space and wear face coverings. Book online at www.theapex.co.uk or call 01284 758000.

The walk starts at Moyse’s Hall Museum; once a workhouse and gaol, the medieval building has been the focus of ghost tales for centuries. The oldest dates back to 1328, when a woman is recorded as saying she saw ‘a most horrible devil’ in the building’s cellar. In 1828, shrieks and apparitions were reported after the hanging of the infamous Red Barn murderer William Corder. These only stopped when Corder’s skull was duly buried.

Your guide will then lead you through the darkened streets telling stories of screaming skulls, mysterious ‘monk’ like figures appearing in cellars, burnings and hangings and more, finishing up in the dark and deserted Great Churchyard cemetery. Book a place if you dare…

Details about the Ghostly and Macabre tour priced at £7 per person and how to book are shown at www.burystedmundstourguides.org or call 01284 758000; due to the content of the tour, participants must be aged 14 years or over. The necessity for smaller group sizes and social distancing makes it essential to book early online.

If you’re feeling brave, then the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket is promising to scrare you!  You will be able to browse the beautiful artworks in the Palace; but hope you don’t mind creepy crawlies or the resident ghost. Beware the headless horseman and his devilish dungeon – his previous victims are buried close by.

After your bone chilling travels, enjoy a warming spiked hot chocolate or a mulled wine in the beautiful outdoor bar.

For those looking for something a little more family friendly, join us for our Family Friendly Fright Nights from Wednesday 28th – Friday 30th October, 4pm – 6pm.  Families and young children can dress up, take a tour by torchlight and watch history come alive.  There will be bats to find and goody bags too.

Please note, the majority of our Fright Night experience takes place outside so make sure you dress warmly. 

Tickets: £15 adults, £10 adults in fancy dress, £2.50 children under 16, children in fancy dress go free.

Christchurch Mansion and the Wolsey Gallery, in the centre of Ipswich, have extended the critically acclaimed Ed Sheeran exhibition: Made in Suffolk until November. 

As well as this exhibition you will be able to see paintings by John Constable and Thomas Gainsborough.   Wander through the Mansion which was built on the site of the Holy Trinity Priory, which was founded in the 12th Century.  You will see the walls and floors bare the scars of over 450 years of changing designs and the rooms are set in period fashions from the Tudors right through to the Victorians.

Timed entry visits are simple to book, just pick a time between 10am – 4.30pm (Tuesday – Saturday) and 11am – 4.30pm (Sundays). 

You can book your visit up to seven days in advance. Tickets can be booked online or by calling 01473 433100 between the hours of 9.30am – 5.30pm (Monday – Friday).

Admission: Free but timed entry essential