North East Family Fun

20 Dinosaur Themed Days Out for 2023/2024

It feels like every child goes through a phase of being obsessed with Dinosaurs. Some (like my Jack) don't grow out of it. I am sure he is going to grow up to be a Palaeontologist.

We have visited lots of dinosaur exhibitions and themed days out over the years, both here in the North East and further afield. I thought it was about time I shared them together in one post. Let me know if I have missed your favourite.

10 Reasons to Visit Locomotion Shildon

Locomotion is a railway museum in Shildon, County Durham celebrating the world's first railway town. It is free to visit (donations welcome) and open daily from 10am - 4pm. There is a large free car park and the attraction is accessible by public transport (just a 3 minute walk from Shildon train station and served by the Arriva Bus #1 from Darlington and #5 from Bishop Auckland).

The Three Lochs Forest Drive - A Good Spot for Wild Camping with Kids

We completed the Three Lochs Forest Drive in the Summer of 2019. It is one of those experiences which has really stuck with us and definitely one of our favourite adventures from the past few years. If you love nature, spectacular scenery and the great outdoors, you must add this trip to your bucket list.

FREE Slime & Craft Workshops at Hobbycraft

Hobbycraft stores up and down the country offer a selection of free and low-cost craft workshops for children across the school holidays. We popped to Hobbycraft Silverlink (aka Newcastle) to check out their FREE Slime Workshop during February Half Term and I have to say, I was really impressed.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for details of upcoming FREE and low-cost Mothers Day and Easter Workshops and links to book.

Kids Eat Free at Porky's - A Review

Prices & menu correct as of February 2020. This review is based on Porkys Bebside.

Porkys is a smokehouse and pizzeria in North East England. They have two locations - Bebside and Low Fell and are a fab place to visit when you are looking for a cheap and cheerful family meal.

How to find the Giant Spoon in Cramlington, Northumberland

* this article was originally posted in February 2020 and updated in March 2023

If you fancy a super short walk with the kids, I can highly recommend looking for the Giant Spoon in Cramlington, Northumberland. Scroll to the bottom of this post for exact directions and a postcode.

How to find the Giant Spoon in Cramlington, Northumberland

Planning a Summer Road Trip to France from Northumberland

Disclosure - AD - Votre Vacances is providing our accommodation and Puy du Fou is hosting our trip. All other costs have been covered by ourselves.

We fell in love with Vendee during our trip to France in Summer 2018. The weather was gorgeous but it wasn't too hot which suited us redheads just fine, the roads are super easy to drive on, there is loads to do and France really is home to the best food and wine in the world.

The Best Sea Life Aquariums in the UK

Over the years we have visited most of the UK's Sea Life Aquariums (which are operated by Merlin Entertainment). Sea Life Aquariums are usually educational, interesting for all ages from babies to pensioners and indoors so perfect for all weathers.

Over the past year, we have mostly used our pay-monthly merlin annual pass to cover the cost of our admission. It is always worth looking around for offers before you buy tickets as there is nearly always a kids go free or 2 for 1 deal around. Past deals have involved tokens from McDonalds, Walkers & Cadburys. Check out Money Saving Expert for deals before you book.

Howick Hall Snowdrop Walk & Sensory Garden

Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum has been the Ancestral home of the Earls Grey since 1319. Located in Northumberland between Craster and Alnwick, they begin the year with a Snowdrop festival and it is one of the best places in Northumberland to spot these beautiful flowers.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for directions, opening times and admission.

How to Apply for a FREE Blue Peter Badge and Start Saving Money on Days Out

The Blue Peter Badge Scheme can save you lots of money on both local and national days out. The Blue Peter Badge scheme is open to children aged 6-15 years and if you're lucky to receive one, your children will be entitled to FREE entry to over 200 UK attractions until their 16th birthday.

Applying for a badge doesn't seem too difficult either and I'm going to set the kids the challenge of applying for their own badge in the holidays. Applications take around 10 weeks to process, so if you're looking to enjoy a few discounted days out this summer, I'd apply ASAP.

How to Spend 5 Hours in Florence

Florence is somewhere we have always wanted to visit. During our stay in Tuscany over October Half Term in 2019, we were able to finally visit this Italian city.

Our closest train station was Arezzo - we parked here and bought our train tickets online via Train Italia (although our tickets were never checked). The trains were pretty easy to get to grips with in Italy.

20+ ways to save money during the school holidays

School Holidays can be an expensive time for parents, I have popped together a few ways we save money / make our £ go further. Let me know your ideas in the comments too.