At the top: Events on all the way through half term
Scroll down for: Day-by-day guide to half term
🐰Pets at Home: Pet Pals (14th – 22nd February)
These FREE animal sessions are interactive and up-close. Pet and hold some of the animals (my boys held a rat last time 😶) and learn lots of interesting facts (we did a post on it here). Disclaimer: If you are talked into buying a pet after attending one of these sessions it’s not my fault!
👩🏼🌾 High Lodge Farm: Bale Play (14th – 22nd February)
It’s back – but this time indoors! We thank you! Same shenanigans as the outdoor one but with a roof over your head. Swinging, jumping, crawling, playing, plus the barrel train is back too. This hay bale tetris has it all!
♥️ Thomley: Half Term activities (12th – 17th February)
This extraordinary place is for children of all abilities and disabilities. Every day during half term is different and for different ages and abilities. Packed full of activities including laser tag, beat boxing, archery, animal encounters, sumo suits and loads of crafts! There’s also the huge bouncy pillow, soft play, bikes and bike track, sensory and construction rooms and more!
🌳 Waddesdon Manor: Kids go FREE this half term (closed Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th February)
FREE admission to the grounds for the kiddos this half term! Activities include Zoolab (paid for), birds of prey, trail and craft workshops (all free), snowdrops and walks. Dogs on short leads welcome! Remember the Woodland Playground is still closed for refurbishment.
🔨 Oxford Castle and Prison: DIG! (16th – 20th February)
Budding archaeologists unite! At Oxford Castle and Prison this half term you can dig for archaeological finds, create a replica of historical objects and learn about genuine relics discovered right on the Castle grounds.
🐏 Cogges Farm re-opens for the season (open daily)
Cogges Farm is coming out of hibernation as spring starts to show itself. Animal encounters, adventure play, crafts and a lovely kitchen café. Many an idyllic hour spent here with my boys exploring the 17 acres of grounds.
🌍 Festival of Tomorrow (Until 21st February)
Over 100 family-friendly performances, immersive experiences, drop-in activities and hands-on workshops right across Swindon. All of the children’s tickets are FREE, and most adults events are free or low cost. Some events require booking but many are walk-in.
🧱 Brick Madness at Banbury Museum (Monday 16th February – Friday 20th February)
Chuck A LOT of Lego and children together and you get Brick Madness! It’s a free play vibe where children can unleash their creativity. Sounds like a lot of fun! One morning session a day (10.30am- lasts for 90 minutes) each day for the bargain price of £3.
📚 The Story Museum Half Term activities (Open everyday in half-term)
Galleries, Small Worlds, half term activities and events – particularly excited for the ‘Design Your Own Videogame Character’ workshop...stepping into a book at The Story Museum is such a unique experience. And it’s open every day in the school holidays!
🌳 Waterperry Gardens Snowdrop Season (Until March)
Snowdrop season has started at Waterperry! More than 60 different snowdrop varieties carpeting the ornamental gardens and a spectacular show down by the walk along the River Thame. It’s a beautiful show! More pictures and info here.
Here is your day by day guide to half term:
SATURDAY 14th FEBRUARY
🌍Ashmolean: One World Festival
A celebration of the many communities and faiths of Oxfordshire with activities, performances, talks, and crafts for all ages. This year’s theme is Nature! From traditional Chinese and Nepalese dance to eco-pilgrimage lantern-making and Moroccan moon stories, there’s something for everyone!
📅 Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th February ⏰11am – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫 Drop-in ℹ️ Read all about it on the Ashmolean website.
🏠Bekonscot Model Village
Have you booked your ticket to the world’s oldest model village? It re-opened this weekend for the season and is the perfect half-term outing! ! So quaint, and the perfect place for the little ones to feel like giants.
📅 Open seven days a week ⏰10am – 5.30pm 💴 Adult: £13.50, Children: £8.55 🎫 Booking recommended for discount ℹ️ Visit the website or see our (very sweet!) pics and info here.
🐏 Oxford City Farm: Family Friendly Day
Visit the farm and meet the animals! There are chicks, chickens, goats, kids and sheep . There’s also an area for free play and much to learn about farm to fork in the vegetable patch. Bring your purse and re-useable bags to buy some of their farm-grown food. A true farm to fork lesson for children!
📅 Every Friday and Saturday ⏰ 10am – 1pm 💴 Free 🎫 Drop-in ℹ️ Never been to the farm? Check out our visit here.
SUNDAY 15th FEBRUARY
❄️Bridewell Winter Wander
The beautiful gardens of Bridewell are open for a winter amble. Your ticket includes a mug of hot spiced apple juice to sip as you wander round the garden. Bridewell wine and gifts will be available for sale. Wrap up warm, bring your own travel mug if you prefer! Children and dogs on leads very welcome!
📅 Sunday 15th February ⏰10am – 1pm 💴 £6 per ticket 🎫Drop-in ℹ️ Read all about it on the Bridewell website.
🎵JDP Cushion Concert
An introduction to different styles of music and instruments to children and their families. Bring your cushions to sit on and your best singing voice, dancing feet and clapping hands!
📅 Sunday 15th February ⏰ 10am / 11am 💴 All tickets: £7, Under 1: Free 🎫 Booking required ℹ️ See website for further details.
🏠Kingston Bagpuize House
Perfect your Dowager of Grantham face as this Downtown Abbey gem is ready for you! You don’t have to be prim and proper here though – run wild in the meadows, spot allllllll the snowdrops and enjoy tea and cake on the lawn. What a delight!
📅 Sunday 15th February ⏰1pm – 4pm 💴 Garden entry only: Adults: £8, Students: £4.50, Primary school aged children: FREE🎫 Drop-in ℹ️ See one of our visits here and future opening dates for house and gardens here.
🌍Ashmolean: One World Festival
A celebration of the many communities and faiths of Oxfordshire with activities, performances, talks, and crafts for all ages. This year’s theme is Nature! From traditional Chinese and Nepalese dance to eco-pilgrimage lantern-making and Moroccan moon stories, there’s something for everyone!
📅 Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th February ⏰11am – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫Drop-in ℹ️ Read all about it on the Ashmolean website
🚌Oxford Bus Museum: Free heritage bus rides
Such a fascinating museum with something for all ages. Hop aboard for FREE Heritage bus rides at 12.15pm, 1pm & 2.15pm.
📅 Sunday 15th February ⏰ 10am – 4pm 💴 Adults: £8, Junior: £5 Children under 5 : Free (cash) 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the Oxford Bus Museum website for more details.
MONDAY 16th FEBRUARY
🩻 Oxford Museum of Natural History: Spectacular Skeletons
Hands-on activities, crafts and touchable specimens, this family-friendly event is suitable for all ages.
📅 Monday 16th February ⏰ 1pm – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️More info on their website
TUESDAY 17th FEBRUARY (Pancake day! 🥞)
🏸Wantage Leisure Centre: Family Fun Day
Check out all these FREE activities: dance, badminton, boccia, pickleball, football (sessions for 5-7 years & 8-11 years), Family Dance Party and more! Booking in advance is required.
📅 Tuesday 17th February ⏰ 9.30am – 3pm 💴 Free 🎫 Booking required ℹ️ Book activities here.
🤖Barton Library: Robot Storytime & Coding Play Session (4-7yrs)
A fun storytime brought to life with a moving robot ball that helps act out the tale. After the story, children can enjoy free play with our robot cars learning early coding skills through hands‑on play.
📅 Tuesday 17th February ⏰ 3pm – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ More details here.
🐦 The Oxfordshire Museum: Colourful Silhouettes
Explore the theme of colour in nature, linking in to the museum’s Wild Colour exhibition. Have a go at sponge painting a wild colour background, and adding colourful silhouettes to make a fun picture.
📅 Tuesday17th February⏰ 10.30am – 12.30pm/ 2pm – 4pm 💴 Free, donations welcome 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Details on all the museum’s family activities here.
🎨University Church: Children’s drop in craft activities
Join in the Chancel on Shrove Tuesday for some carnival-themed crafts. Ideal for children aged 3-12 with a grown up.
📅 Tuesday 17th February ⏰ 10am – 11.30am 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the University Church website for more.
🌲Hill End: Family Forest Day
Explore the huge 67 acre site! The theme is bird nesting and you can make your own nesting box (extra charge, book time slot), create your own giant nest in the den building area or make crafts in the barn, follow trails and meet Oxford University bird researchers.
📅 Tuesday 17th/ Wednesday 18th February⏰10am – 2pm 💴 Adult: £11.50, Child: £9.50 (Under 2 free), includes lunch and parking 🎫 Book on the Hill End website.
WEDNESDAY 18th FEBRUARY
👀 History of Science Museum: Victorian Visual Wonders
Discover how the Victorians played with images before the invention of cinema. Try out a Zoetrope, Steroscope, Stanhope viewer and find out about how Magic Lanterns work. You can also make your own Victorian-inspired visual wonder to take home. Suitable for ages 7+
📅 Wednesday 18th February ⏰ 2pm – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the History of Science Museum website for more info.
🎲 Pitt Rivers Museum: Play! Games
Play games from across the world at the Pitt Rivers Museum! Make your own game from recycled materials. Free drop-in activities. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
📅 Wednesday 18th February ⏰ 1pm – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the Pitt Rivers website for more info.
🎨Modern Art Oxford Holiday Workshop: Positive Futures
Modern Art Oxford is 60 this year! Such an inspiring place – we are such regular visitors for years and especially love these creative workshops. In this one you can design a tapestry for the future (I feel like we need this!) taking inspiration from Suzanne Treister’s work in the main exhibition. Make sure you visit the disco café too!
📅 Wednesday 18th February ⏰ 11am – 4pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the Modern Art Oxford website and check out a previous visit here.
🚂 Pendon Museum: Junior Model Making
The Pendon Museum is such an interesting place! It’s a glimpse of rural life through extraordinary display scale models and large scenes of the rural countryside. We absolutely love following the railway around; especially as it passes so many places that we recognise! This hands-on model-making session (11am – 3.30pm) is run by expert modellers who create and maintain Pendon’s world-famous models. Each participant will work on their own small diorama to take home.
📅Tuesday 18th February ⏰11am – 3.30pm 💴 Adults: £9, Children: £6.50, Under 5: Free 🎫 Drop-in session is free ℹ️ Visit the Pendon website to see what it’s all about.
🎨Abingdon Museum: Half term craft session
It’s the National Year of Reading so come along and make yourself a notebook and bookmark in wintery colours!
📅 Wednesday 18th February ⏰ 10:30am 💴 Suggested donation: £1 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the Abingdon Museum Crafting Crew Facebook page for more info.
🌲Hill End: Family Forest Day
Explore the huge 67 acre site! The theme is bird nesting and you can make your own nesting box (extra charge, book time slot), create your own giant nest in the den building area or make crafts in the barn, follow trails and meet Oxford University bird researchers.
📅 Tuesday 17th/ Wednesday 18th February⏰10am – 2pm 💴 Adult: £11.50, Child: £9.50 (Under 2 free), includes lunch and parking 🎫 Book on the Hill End website.
THURSDAY 19th FEBRUARY
🎭The Sheldonian Theatre
Ever visited the Sheldonian? Its been part of Oxford’s tapestry for over 350 years yet so many of us won’t have visited. Change that this half term! As well as entry including access to the Auditorium, Old Printing Loft and Cupola there’s also loads of family friendly activities included! Interactive games and activity sheets, dress up in a cap and gown and building block challenges too. Their Instagram page has more info on their half-term activities and our Facebook post on our recent visit here.
On days when the access to the Auditorium is limited there are (cheaper) Cupola Views visits which also include 360-degree views across Oxford’s skyline from the spectacular viewing gallery in the iconic green-domed Cupola.
📅 Thursday 19th February ⏰ 10:30am – 4.30pm 💴 Adult: £8.25, Children (8-16 years): : £7 , Under 8:Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Visit the Sheldonian website for more info.
🐎 Museum of Oxford: Galloping into the Year of the Horse! Family Art & Celebration Day
Children and families are invited to explore Chinese New Year traditions through hands-on arts and crafts, including lucky symbols, magic origami designing, and festive fans, and to join a joyful mini performance inspired by Chinese celebration culture. Designed to be accessible, welcoming, and inclusive for families of all backgrounds and abilities.
📅 Thursday 19th February ⏰ 1pm – 2 pm/ 2.30pm – 3.30pm .💴 £1.50 per child (plus booking fee) , ticket includes accompanying adult 🎫 Booking required ℹ️ Visit the Museum of Oxford website for more info.
🦎 Natural History Museum at Tring
4,900 specimens- six galleries – four floors! This museum is quite the experience! It won’t be everyone’s bag – it’s essentially a museum of stuffed animals and replicas – but it is a truly fascinating experience. Life-sized lions, polar bears, penguins, giraffes, elephants, dodo, giant panda. seals, bison, snakes, kangaroos and thousands more! It’s quite something. They also have lots on during half term including ‘Cold-blooded animals’ where you can get hands on with their scaly specimens and discover what makes reptiles amazing. This free, drop-in activity is on from 17 – 19 February at 10:30am–12:00pm and 2pm – 3.30pm
📅 Museum opened Tuesday – Sunday⏰ 10am – 5pm 💴 Free, donations welcome 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ Check out our visit to the museum here and details on cold-blooded animals here.
FRIDAY 20th FEBRUARY
🐏 Oxford City Farm: Family Friendly Day
Visit the farm and meet the animals! There are chicks, chickens, goats, kids and sheep . There’s also an area for free play and much to learn about farm to fork in the vegetable patch. Bring your purse and re-useable bags to buy some of their farm-grown food. A true farm to fork lesson for children!
📅 Every Friday and Saturday ⏰ 10am – 1pm 💴 Free 🎫 Drop-in ℹ️ Never been to the farm? Check out our visit here.
🥕Sandy Lane Farm
A proper working farm with such a colourful farm shop. On Thursday – Saturday you can visit the farm, take a peek at the pigs and the horses and grab yourself a proper coffee (and cake!) from the coffee van they have. Perfect if you are looking for a low key, short outing rather than a proper ‘day out’. Great park around the corner too.
📅 Open Thursday – Saturday ⏰ 10am – 4.30pm (Thursday and Friday) 10am – 2pm (Saturday) 💴 Free 🎫 Drop-in ℹ️ Check out the Sandy Lane website.
SATURDAY 21st FEBRUARY
🔬Oxford Brookes Science Bazaar
Tickets still left for the annual Oxford Brookes Science Bazaar. We go every year and it’s brill. This FREE family festival is packed with mad experiments, creative workshops, hands-on activities and live shows. Whether you love robots, wacky technology, space, explosions, or just getting messy with science, there’s something here for everybody. Autism-friendly relaxed session for families who prefer a quieter, calmer and sensory-considerate environment from 9:30am – 11:30am.
📅 Saturday 21st February ⏰ 9.30am – 4pm 💴 Free,🎫 Booking required ℹ️ Visit the Brookes website for more info and to book.
💎Ashmolean Museum: Make a textured treasure
Create your own textured object using materials that feel interesting under your fingertips: rough, smooth, soft, bumpy, or shiny. Design it as a fan, a little book, a box, or something completely unique.
📅 Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February ⏰ 11am – 3pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ More details on the Ashmolean website.
😶Oxford Illusion Museum
Step into an upside down room, experience an infinity dodecahedron, cast spells with glowing wands, spin in the manuscript vortex and see the world flip with inversion goggles! 22 rooms of madness and mayhem await! My boys are OBSESSED with this place!
📅Open everyday ⏰ 11am – 6pm (quieter in the afternoons) 💴 Adults: £14, Children: £7, Students: £7 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ More information on their website and pictures from our visits here.
SUNDAY 22nd FEBRUARY
🐷 The Wild Pig
Sweet little farm and farm shop. Previously the Crazy Bear. Pigs (and usually cute piglets!), goats (including scary eyes), llamas (very rude) and sheep. You can walk from here through a little woodland (with so many fairy doors!) and then onto the Stadhampton playground. Easily half a day adventure. Do visit the Farm Shop and buy something if you can, it helps keep the little farm open and free.
📅Open everyday ⏰ 9am – 6pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ More information on their website and pictures from our visits here.
💎Ashmolean Museum: Make a textured treasure
Create your own textured object using materials that feel interesting under your fingertips: rough, smooth, soft, bumpy, or shiny. Design it as a fan, a little book, a box, or something completely unique.
📅 Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February ⏰ 11am – 3pm 💴 Free 🎫 No booking required ℹ️ More details on the Ashmolean website.
Looking for more?
Take in the glorious windmill views on the Turville 5k circular.
Get on your boardwalk at the Hinksey Heights Nature Trail.
Visit Modern Art Oxford (60 years young this year!) with it’s Rave Café, hands-on studio workshop, activity sheets and sensory backpacks.
Sail the high seas at Little Milton playground.
Search for 22 blackbirds on the Folly Sculpture Trail.
Browse the shelves of Caper, the wonderfully bonkers bookshop of dreams.
Get your swimmers on at Aqua Vale with slides, lazy river and jacuzzi chairs.
👀Give us a read…
Will the rain ever stop?! Our Top 5 mud-free walks may come in handy.
Read our Top 5 places to see snowdrops blog – it includes the UKs best show right on our doorstep!
