February Half Term Family Events in North Yorkshire
Wednesday 11th January, 2023 by hs-admin
Make History at Whitby Abbey
(11th – 19th February 2023)
If you’re looking for something fun to do on the North Yorkshire coast, head to Whitby Abbey. The English Heritage site has been welcoming visitors for nearly 1500 years so there’s plenty of history to uncover! A visit to Whitby Abbey offers breathtaking coastal views, incredible ruins to explore and tales of Vikings and Saints in the Abbey museum.
During the half term holidays specifically, Whitby Abbey hosts a Make History event where kids will love meeting characters from the past for historical hijinks and shenanigans. Expect songs, stories, dressing up and a day of fun! Booking is recommended.
Whitby is famous for its fish and chips so once you’re finished at Whitby Abbey, a visit to one of the restaurants in town is a must! A few of our favourites include Magpie Cafe, Trenchers, Hadleys or Abbey Wharf. For little ones who don’t like fish, Pizza West is a great choice for delicious sourdough pizzas!
Dark Skies Festival
(10th – 26th February 2023)
Did you know the North York Moors National Park is one of only 20 places in the world to be recognised for pristine, dark skies as awarded by the International Dark-Sky Association? To celebrate this, Dark Skies Festival is returning to the North York Moors again this year for the 8th year running! This incredible festival includes events and activities which showcase the night sky.
If your little one is interested in constellations and stars then the Dalby Forest Stargazing with Astro Dog would be perfect as it is a guided tour of the night sky learning everything about stars as well as planets and the moon. If your child loves animals, the Creatures of the Night Trail allows children to search for nocturnal animals and complete challenges to claim a prize. The Dark Skies Adventure Day is a fantastic option for a daytime activity. It takes place at Danby Lodges and includes story themed activities, rocket making and a star tracker challenge.
JORVIK Viking Festival
(11th – 19th February 2023)
The Vikings will be pitching their tents in York for the JORVIK Viking Festival this half term! This nine day extravaganza celebrates York’s rich Norse heritage and is jam packed with events. Lots of the events are free including storytelling sagas and combat displays at St Helen’s Square, or demonstrations at the meet the Vikings event.
Some of the activities require pre-booking. If your little one likes Horrid Henry, they may like the Feast with the King event which includes the author of Horrid Henry talking about what inspired her to write her latest Viking tales, with a chance to buy your own signed copy of Feast with the King! Tickets are £5 each for children aged over 5 and free if under 5. For children who like crafting, Viking crafts will be brilliant as it allows kids to try their hand at pottery, shield designing and wool-braiding! It’s £3 for one craft, £5 for two and £10 for up to five crafts.
Lambing at Spilmans
(11th – 19th February 2023)
For little ones who love animals, Spilmans is always a great choice! This family run farm in Thirsk runs a lambing event throughout the half term holidays where you can see newly born lambs and learn all about lambing. Spilmans have 74 expectant sheep ready to lamb and they can have up to 4 lambs sometimes! So there should be lots of lambs for your little farmer to meet as well as some friendly alpacas.
As well as the lambing event, there is also a farm shop and cafe at Spilmans so you can enjoy hot food, cold and hot drinks and sweet treats. You will need to book for Lambing at Spilmans so book now to avoid disappointment.