Eight Easter activities in Yorkshire to keep the whole family entertained

Sponsored content

Adventure awaits at How Stean Gorge

How Stean Gorge in Pateley Bridge is all about adrenaline-filled and fun outdoor activities, surrounded by natural beauty. From abseiling off bridges and down waterfalls to caving underground and rock climbing, there are plenty of activities to keep kids and grown-ups entertained.

And this Easter, there will also be a Rabbit Trail taking place around the Gorge, where you can spot bunnies, and every young person receives a pair of bunny ears at the end. Pre- or post-bunny hunt, stop by the floor-to-ceiling glass café that overhangs the gorge for something to eat or drink. It’s open all year round and from 9am to 5pm throughout the holidays.

If you’d like to make a weekend or even a week of it, How Stean Gorge also offers accommodation; from spacious lodges with hot tubs to charming cottages and rugged bunk barns, you’ll find everything you need in its stunning natural setting.

For the full details, dates, and times of all the activities that How Stean George offers, call 01423 755 666 or visit this link. How Stean Gorge, Lofthouse, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate, HG3 5SF.

The Easter trail is £6 for children, £7 for concessions, and £8 for adults and is on from April 5 to 21.

Channel your inner wizard on this walking tour

Get your broomstick at the ready and head over to York and go on an adventure with The Wizard Walk of York.

Unlike other tours in the area, there are no spooky ghosts or scary stories on this walk. Instead, kids and grown-ups can go on a whimsical wand-er through the town, where they can find magical creatures along the way.

Ideal for Harry Potter fans, but no knowledge of the wizarding world is required; it’s the perfect activity for children aged five to 10 years old or bigger kids with a silly sense of humour. Expect fun and laughter for all the family; all you need to do is look at its reviews as to its popularity. It also offers private tours for birthday parties, school trips, kids clubs, and more.

Children and adults aged three and up are £11 per ticket; visit the booking page for dates and times. The Wizard Walk of York starts at the bottom of The Shambles, by the railings of St Crux Church (across the road from The Golden Fleece pub). 

Have a fun family day out at Beetle Bank Farm

There’s nothing like making memories to look back on in years to come, especially if you have young children. Beetle Bank Farm offers exactly this, where everyone can enjoy themselves all day long.

Meet the farm’s friendly animals, including newly hatched chicks, alpacas, pigs, goats, and turkeys, while also letting off steam in the fields where kids can go wild in the adventure playground, have fun in the sandpit, or ride on the tractors and play with the inflatables.

There’s also an education centre where you can find out more about its animals, running a working farm, as well as the farm’s many conservation and wildlife projects. During your visit you’ll need sustenance, so pay a visit to the café that overlooks the grounds and has homemade and locally produced food.

Under twos free, £8 per person, £30 for a family of four, £35 for a family of five. Annual passes are also available: £45 for a single, £120 for a family of three, £140 for a family of four, and £165 for a family of five.

Open from March 1 to November 4 2025, weekdays open from 9.30am-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm, Beetle Bank Open Farm, Moor Lane, Murton, York, YO19 5XD. For more information, visit the website.

Watch a show at Harrogate Theatre

This year Harrogate Theatre is celebrating its 125th year, and it has a trio of shows that are on during this time. 

The first is Northern Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel, with performances taking place at 12 noon, 2pm, and 4pm on April 15. Reimagining the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, expect a bold set, bright costumes, and awe-inspiring music and dance that tell the story of Hansel and Gretel. They take a trip into the forest, unaware of the damage they leave behind. When they get lost, the siblings meet a host of spirited friends who teach them how to better look after the planet – and have some fun along the way.

The second show is A Big Egg that's on at 2.30pm on April 17, and it's a magical mixture of live action, animation, and puppetry and is guaranteed to delight egg lovers, chocolate lovers, and chocolate egg lovers alike.

The third is West End Magic that's on at 1.30pm on April 19 and is an exciting, family-friendly show offering an amazing mixture of magic, comedy and variety acts.

For tickets, visit the website. Harrogate Theatre, 6 Oxford Street, Harrogate, HG1 1QF.

Go rock climbing and abseiling with Lost Earth Adventures

Lost Earth Adventures offers a variety of outdoor activities, and this Easter why not go rock climbing and abseiling with them at Brimham Rocks or Ilkley’s Cow and Calf? It also has a range of other routes available in the Yorkshire Dales for other dates.

Suitable for everyone from the age of five plus, the team provides routes to suit all aspirations so everyone on this group event can have the best possible experience and the opportunity to climb up to 80-100 ft high on outdoor cliff faces.

No prior experience is necessary, and all of the equipment is provided, there's a safety briefing and the instructor is always on hand to answer any questions. Climbers can move the ropes onto easier, harder, higher, or smaller climbs and abseils as needed.

Prices start at £69 per person for the three-hour adventure; for dates and times, click here to book.

Actionzone

Actionzone is a family-run, multi-activity centre in Harrogate with various action-packed adventures. Established in 2005, the founders's aim is to provide the best fun and a quality experience, and laser combat was their first passion, and what they say is perhaps the closest thing you can come to playing Xbox in real life.

Held on Actionzone’s 20-acre woodland in Harrogate it's filled with all kinds of obstacles and game scenarios, including the classics such as capture the flag and defuse the bomb. Teams and weapons are picked, each game lasts from 10 to 20 minutes, with five to eight different games. At the end of the session, everyone heads back to base camp, where they have a debrief and enjoy their own food in the shelter provided. 

There are various other activities that can also be played at Actionzone, including Nerf Wars, axe throwing, archery, air rifle target shooting, and bushcraft courses where you can channel your inner Bear Grylls and build a shelter, light a fire, learn some campfire cookery, forage, and use the resources around you to help you survive. And what is perhaps music to many parents' and caregivers' ears, the company also offers kids parties at affordable rates; what's not to love?

From £20 per person, Bilton Hall Drive, Harrogate, HG1 4DW. To book, call 07784 324 597, or visit this link for more information.

Yorkshire Air Museum

From pre-World War Two aircraft to iconic fighter jets of the Cold War, the Yorkshire Air Museum has some of the biggest collections of aircraft in the UK, with both indoor and outdoor planes on display.

Situated on the former site of Bomber Command Station RAF Elvington, this year the Museum celebrates its 40-year anniversary. In this time, it has been welcoming and teaching children and adults of all ages about its aircraft, that includes Victor Tanker, Hawker Hunters, Lockheed T33, Gloster Meteors, Buccaneers and Javelin, among many others.

On March 23, it is holding an Open Cockpit Day where visitors get a chance to get into the cockpit of some of your favourite aircraft. This will include the Buccaneer, Jaguar, Tornado, Nimrod, Vampire, Dragonfly and Tucano (subject to serviceability). This Easter, there will also be the opportunity to have a look around the mighty Pathfinder Airport Crash Truck.

As well as the aircraft to explore, there is a playground, café, cinema, and it is also the location of the Allied Air Forces Air Memorial. The site is 90 per cent accessible and is dog friendly throughout, including the café.

Open seven days a week with summer opening hours now in operation from 10am to 5pm (last admission is at 4pm). Yorkshire Air Museum, Halifax Way, Elvington, York, YO41 4AU.

Free for children four and under, £6 for children aged four to 17 years old, £15 for adults, £39 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children). Student and military veteran and serving personnel tickets are also available. Book here.

For the Open Cockpit Day on March 23, a wristband needs to be booked at £7 per person. Book here.

RHS Harlow Carr

This Easter, why not visit RHS Harlow Carr. Situated in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, it offers a variety of diverse landscapes in its impressive 58 acres, from woodland and wildflower meadows to still and running water features.

As well as being able to visit the garden throughout the seasons, it also makes for a popular day out, as there are woodland playgrounds to enjoy, while its extensive events and courses are also not to be missed.

Stop for tea and cake or a spot of lunch in The Harrogate Arms Café that’s at the heart of the garden. Housed in an elegant early Victorian building, it serves as a reminder of the rich spa heritage of the grounds but now offers a menu with fresh ingredients being supplied on a regular basis from the Kitchen Garden, only a few metres away.

Little ones and their grown-ups can walk on the paths that feature lavish main borders that are bursting with generous prairie-style planting on either side of them and see the lush, moisture-loving plants around the stream that runs through the gardens. Other stand-out features include the aforementioned Kitchen Garden, Alpine House, the Sub Tropicana Garden, the Queen Mother’s Lake, the Arboretum, the Sandstone Rock Garden and Heather Beds, the Lakeside Gardens and the Winter Walk.

RHS Harlow Carr is open seven days a week all year round, and this season it's open from 9.30am to 6pm (last entry 5pm) from March to October, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, HG3 1QB.

Free for children five and under, £5 for children five to 16 years olds, £12.50 for adult pre-booked tickets, £16.80 for adults on the door. Family and annual tickets are also available, as well as special offers available for selected groups – see the website for details.