100 FREE Things To Do In The School Holidays

This post is in the process of being updated for Easter. I will add new events as I spot them so please do pop back.

Ticketed free events do tend to go quickly so apologies if any of these have sold out. Ticketed events will remain on the list in case of any cancellations/last minute ticket allocation. Always check with venues direct for up to date info when setting out as the info in this post may have changed.
This post features a list of FREE (or cheap) days out to enjoy this February Half Term.

New Website Features

I'm really excited to share some new FREE features which have been added to my website recently. To access them, click the share button / heart in the bottom corner of this post.

NEW FEATURES INCLUDE:

A Search Box - Quickly and easily search for posts using this button
Save Posts - Click the heart to save a post to come back to at any time. To find your saved posts, simply click the heart again and select 'my bookmarks' and you can quickly find them all in one place
Share Post - Easily share posts with friends and family at the click of a button

To access all of these features, you do need to 'sign up' to my website which is quick and easy to do the first time you click the button. You should stay signed in once you have signed up. There will also be a prompt to sign up to my new monthly newsletter which will focus on key ideas for this to do in the upcoming school holidays. I really hope you sign up and make the most of these features.

FREE Days Out:

*Parking charges may apply

These events are all drop in unless stated otherwise.

Daily Mon-Sat - Fairytale Forest Creative Play at Theatre Hullabaloo (0-10)
25 March - 3 September - Myth Quest : Monsters & Mortals Interactive Exhibition at Great North Museum
1 April - Make a Cherry Blossom Picture at Oriental Museum Durham
1 - 16 April - Sunderland Easter in the City Tral and Activities
2 April - FREE Mini Train Rides at Exhibition Park
2 April - Create a Bee Friendly Garden Workshop at Dobbies (book)
3 April - Bronze Age Detectives at Sunderland Museum & Winter Garden
3 April - Souter Sports at Souter Lighthouse
4 April - Design a Beetle Suncatcher at South Shields Museum
5 April - The Wild Escape at Oriental Museum Durham
5 April - Create a Super Sun Pendant at Sunderland Museum & Winter Garden
5 April - Crafty Romans : Make a Beautiful Bird at Arbeia Roman Fort
6 April - Easter Egg Roll at Herrington Park (book)
8 April - Easter Family Fun Day at Ridley Park Blyth
8 April - Celebrate Easter & Make a Bunny at Oriental Museum Durham
8 April - Wor Seahorse Parade (Northumberland Street, Newcastle)
8 April - Beasts on the Street at Northumberland Street, Newcastle
8 April - Gosforth Park Easter Trail
11 April - Create a Flowering Collage at South Shields Museum
11 & 13 April - Little Seedlings Easter Club at Dobbies Stockton (book)
12 April - A Really Wild Draw at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
12 April - Crafty Romans : Wild Arbeia at Arbeia Roman Fort
12 April - Souter Sports at Souter Lighthouse

12 & 13 April - Make a Boat at Oriental Museum Durham
12 & 13 April - Little Seedlings Easter Club at Dobbies Morpeth (book)
14 April - Little Seedlings Easter Club at Dobbies Gosforth (book)
14 April - Make a Clay Pot or Sculpture at Oriental Museum Durham
15 April - Celebrating Vaisakhi at Oriental Museum Durham
15 April - Morris Dancing Day at Market Place, Darlington

Visit the Lost Spells Exhibition at The Sill - it's interactive and FREE
Various Dates - FREE My Pet Pals Autumn Workshops at Pets at Home
Various Dates - FREE Apple Workshops for Kids (here's what's on at Metrocentre)
Bolam Lake Circular Woodland Walk (suitable for pushchairs)
Visit Jesmond Dene and Pets Corner
Visit Plessey Woods
Spend the day at BALTIC, they have a free indoor packed lunch space and offer free tea and coffee too
Visit Laing Art Gallery - there is a small free play area for little ones
Great North Museum is FREE to visit and fab if your kids like animals / dinosaurs / Romans. It's easy to combine with nearby Exhibition Park if the weather's good
Locomotion Shildon is FREE to visit and brilliant if your kids love trains
Stephenson Railway Museum is FREE to visit and they often have free craft days in school holidays
The Dorman Museum in Middlesbrough is fab! The exhibitions are varied and it's free
Take a tour around Durham's FREE attractions - walk along the river, visit Palace Green, pop into Oriental Museum Durham and visit Durham Cathedral (£5 donation strongly enforced at the Cathedral)
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens is free to visit and the dinosaur models are pretty cool
Sign up here for a FREE National Trust voucher (one voucher covers up to two adults and four children). Make sure you do this well in advance as it can take a few days for vouchers to be emailed.
Visit Seven Stories and Ouseburn Farm - they are next door to each other and both FREE to visit. Read our guide to visiting Seven Stories here.
Download the FREE Love Exploring App and enjoy various VR Trails around North East Parks (we love the Dinosaur Trail at Hardwick Park)
Visit Shiremoor Adventure Playground. It's FREE with loads going on including farmyard animals and campfire cooking. Do make sure you check their FB page for this week's opening times before you visit.
South Shields Museum and The Word are both free to visit and easy to walk between. You can extend your day with a walk along the sea front or a trip to Marine Park too.
Try one of these North East coastal walks for kids
We had the best day at Eshott Airfield a few months ago. It's free to visit and watch the planes / air craft take off. Free tours are available too. Read our guide here.
Take a day trip to Holy Island and enjoy a walk around the island.
Visit one of Northumberland's Castles. Many are FREE! Check out our guide to Northumberland Castles
Visit the Lobster Hatchery in Amble, it's free to visit (donations welcome) and you can learn all about the life cycle of a lobster (and see lobsters in various life stages too). Why not team with a walk to Warkworth?
Visit some of the free areas of Hadrian's Wall - these include the area near Walltown Country Park, Cawfields Quarry, Benwell Roman Temple and Denton Hall Turret.
If it's not too chilly, wrap up and take the kids rockpooling / crabbing. Here are our favourite rockpooling spots in the North East.
Spend the day jumping across steppy stones
Visit Druridge Bay Country Park. It's the kind of place you can spend half a day. Expect a 1.3 circular (accessible) walk around the lake, playground, visitor centre, cafe and of course, a fantastic beach. Here is my guide to visiting.
Visit the Angel of the North and Saltwell Park - you can visit both by bus from Newcastle
Go Sea Glass Hunting at Seaham
Wrap up and visit a new playground. Here are 25 of the best playgrounds in North East England and most of them are free to visit.
Find the Consett Telescopes
Go and search for the giant spoon in Northumberland
Walk to Sycamore Gap - here is our guide