Half Term & Halloween Family Fun along the Thames

October - November 2024

Looking for things to do with the family this Half Term? The River Thames has plenty to offer from wonderful walks to fascinating exhibitions. Enjoy the fresh air and take a walk along the Thames Path National Trail or keep dry if it’s raining outside. Take a look at the Halloween events taking place.

Things to do in London during Half Term and Halloween

• Big Ben, The London Eye, Tower Bridge and more with City Cruises - See the best views in London with our River Thames sightseeing cruise, with City Cruises’ boats departing every 30 minutes and tickets starting at £10.00. We offer a range of ticket types, from single journeys to a hop-on, hop-off 24, hour river pass. Boats have café-bars with sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, wine, beer and more. Live or recorded commentary is usually available. Not yet decided on what to do with the kids this half term? Spending a day on the River Thames with your children is brilliant fun, a proper day out. From lunches with the best riverside views to sky high vistas from The Shard, we have got you covered.

SPECIAL OFFER 

24 HR FAMILY RIVER PASS - UP TO 3 KIDS GO FREE

50% off on 24h River Pass. Code: PASS50. Only valid online. Book and travel from now until 16/11/2024. Only valid on 24h River Pass ticket types. 

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Things to do in Berkshire during Half Term and Halloween 

Family Fun in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Keep the family happy, come rain or shine, and you’re on to a winner! Read on for some great ideas for days out, things to do and activities – indoors and outdoors.  What's On highlights include:

• Wildlife Halloween Mystery Family Trail at Windsor Great Park
• Windsor Royal Pumpkin Party & Halloween half-term trail. Windsor Royal integrates Windsor Yards and Windsor Royal Station Shopping Centres into one, fantastic offering
• Halloween Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND® Windsor - the LEGO Monsters are taking over and throwing a Monster Party to celebrate their favourite time of the year!
• Ascot and Royal Windsor Racecourses have firework displays.

Indoors: 

• Windsor Castle - What would a castle be without a dragon?! Free multimedia guides have a children’s version, where Scorch the dragon helps to guide you around the Castle. However that's not the only helping hand for parents, be sure to visit the Moat Room to learn about the Castle's history, and the Pug Yard Learning Centre in the castle grounds. The Centre is open for families during UK school holidays. The Centre is a great base for families to use during their visit.
• Windsor Leisure Centre - the dedicated leisure pool offers crashing waves, family slides, a dual rider slide, or for the more adventurous, wild rapids and water cannon interactive water features making it great fun for a family swim.
• Escape Rooms - Windsor has two to choose from suitable for older children from 7 years.
• Museums - The Windsor and Royal Borough Museum is an accredited, family-friendly small local history museum in Windsor’s impressive 17th-century Guildhall.  During the school holiday there are drop-in family activities for children ages 5+. For budding David Attenboroughs, the Eton College Natural History Museum is a family-friendly museum of British Birds and other collections.  It now houses over 15,000 specimens. Or how about flying a spitfire simulator at Maidenhead Heritage Centre?  It’s part of a superb permanent exhibition called ‘Grandma Flew Spitfires!’.  

Outdoor Activities:

• Windsor Great Park - walk down Park Street through the gates into the Long Walk – a beautiful, wide, tree-lined avenue that runs miles from Windsor Castle to the Copper Horse statue.  Windsor Great Park covers 4,800 acres, parts of which are open to the public.  There are refreshment points at the Savill Building and the Virginia Water Pavilion plus mobile cafes at various stops on popular visitor routes.  Take lunch at The Savill Garden and discover the gardens in Autumn.
• Bray Lake Watersports offers sailing, windsurfing or kayaking  o River Thames - From feeding the swans at the water’s edge to climbing aboard a Windsor Duck Tour, paddling a kayak, or taking a boat trip with French Brothers, there’s plenty of ways to enjoy one of the most beautiful stretches of the River Thames  
• Carriage rides - Slow down the pace and take a horse-drawn carriage ride from either Windsor Town Centre or The Savill Building.  Windsor Carriages and Ascot Carriages will take you and the family on a relaxing tour to remember.
• Bus Tours - A great way to see the local area with children in tow is to take a City Sightseeing Open Top Bus Tour
• Duck Tours - Have a quacking time on Windsor Duck Tour's amphibious 'duck' vehicle. Start on land in the heart of Windsor before 'splashdown' into the River Thames for a duck's eye views of Windsor Castle and Eton.
• Guard March - one of the highlights of a visit to Windsor and children will adore watching and marching alongside the soldiers and their band (weather permitting) as they travel between Victoria Barracks and Windsor Castle.  Best place to view this ceremony is along the High Street or on the Corn Exchange (the covered part of Windsor Guildhall).  Check the guards are marching by looking at the Guard March schedule.
• Theme Parks – Legoland, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park are all nearby.
• Extreme Motion, Alexandra Gardens - the adventure park offers a skate park, bike hire, adventure golf, bungee trampoline and Zorbing excitement in Sphere World.  
• Take a boat trip with French Brothers, 40 minutes or 2 hour trips available during Half Term
• Cliveden National Trust Gardens Nestled high above the River Thames with far-reaching views, the National Trust's gardens at Cliveden offer colourful planting schemes which give way to miles of woodland and riverside walks, whilst the giant maze and storybook themed play area are a favourite with families.  Check out the programme of events.  National Trust Members and under 5s go free.
• Enjoy a walk from Boulters Lock, Maidenhead and explore Ray Mill Island.The Island has an adventure play area suitable for children between 3 and 8 years, an aviary and guinea pig enclosure and wooden animals dotted around for imaginative play. 

Things to do in Reading

• Halloween Trail, Caversham Court Gardens, Reading - Friends of Caversham Court Gardens' Halloween Trail will be open in Caversham Court Gardens during daylight hours on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th October, offering atmospheric spirits, frights and ghouls.
• SPOOK-TACULAR POTION QUEST! Broad Street Mall, 26th October - 11am-4pm, families are invited to join us for a magical day of potion making adventures! Little ones will have the chance to dress up as witches and wizards, before being taken off by a fiendishly fun trail master around the centre to find weird and wonderful potion ingredients to make their potion.
• Join Matilda Too for a trip along the canal in the centre of Reading. 45-minute trips on Friday( during school holidays), Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays at noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm from May* to October.
• October Half Term Crafts Across Reading Libraries - Join us this October Half Term for children's crafts across our Libraries.  £1 per child, drop in.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.
• Autumn Half Term On The River with Thames Rivercruise

SPECIAL OFFER - 

During the October Half Term Holidays one child travels for free with a full fare paying adult on our 45, 60 and 90-minute river trips from Caversham Pier on Tuesday 29th, Wednesday 30th & Thursday 31st October.

Things to do in Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire during Half Term and Halloween

• October Half Term Fun at the River & Rowing Museum, Henley - There’s plenty for all the family including: Halloween Trail, Creepy Castles Crafting, Halloween T-shirts/Trick or Treat Bag printing, Autumn Storytelling & Puppet Making, Halloween Family Fun Day. Check the website for details.
• Explore Tumblestone Hollow and the Gardens at Stonor - Great for children and families to play together and explore the 10 acres. Suitable for all ages, but particularly for those aged up to 12 years.
• The Marlow Players, All Hallows Eve Ghost Night, Saturday 26th October at Liston Hall, Marlow - This new style event is shaping up to be an immersive evening full of chilling entertainment and ghostly surprises. No under 14’s please! Gather your friends and don’t forget to bring your spooky picnic treats and steady nerves to join in the fun.
• Oxford Castle& Prison, Halloween Ghost Tour  - An immersive and atmospheric tour of the Castle & Prison, with some jumps, scares and jokes along the way! Or let the children try Potion Making, Join our resident witches and warlocks for a half-term potion-making activity! Perfect for kids aged 5-8.
• Halloween Dining at Crowne Plaza, Marlow 31st October 2024. Join us in the superb Glaze Restaurant & Conservatory to enjoy a special Halloween Menu. Our Chef has prepared a menu of devilled, mummified, freaky and spooky dishes to tempt your palate!