Half Term Fun in Harrogate and Beyond!🍂🎆
With so much going on in our district this week, you’re in for a spooktacular Halloween and half term, as we give you our Top 5 Things to see and do, with fun for all the family!
1. RHS Harlow Carr – Harrogate
Families can enjoy the glorious colours of Autumn at Harlow Carr during half term (26 October – 3 November 2019).
Follow a daily Awesome Autumn trail around the garden, enjoy autumnal crafts and seasonal storytelling with the Garden Detectives.
You can even try to guess the weight of their giant pumpkin, for a chance to win a £50 RHS shop voucher!
Normal garden admission applies.🌳🍂
2. Autumn Open Exhibition – Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate
This prominent and popular northern art exhibition returns for 2019. Embracing of those with a connection to Harrogate, the Mercer Art Gallery Autumn Open Exhibition provides a high profile, visual platform for contemporary regional artists to present their work to the public.
All media are welcomed, including sculpture, ceramics, photography and jewellery.
From hundreds of entries, 120 exhibits will be displayed, with the overall winner announced at a special Preview Evening. Already open for entries, it’s time to get your paint brushes out and embrace the artist within!🖼🎨
Alongside this, throughout half term, the Mercer Art Gallery will also be running their Harrowing Halloween exhibition with seasonal activities for all the family.
See what else you can find amid the amazing artwork by local artists in the Harrogate Open exhibition this Halloween!
3. Stockeld Park – Wetherby
Head to Stockeld Park for spooky adventures this Autumn half term. 👻🎃
Special Halloween events include:
– The Monster Mash Show!
– NEW for 2019: Pumpkin Picking!
– Real Witches in the Enchanted Forest!
– Ghouls in the Maze
– Halloween Catwalk!
‘Stockeld Dark’ for teens and older families, opens from from 6-9pm, including:
– Ice Disco with DJ Bloodbath!
– The Haunted Farmhouse!
– Zombie Laser tag!!🧛♂️🧟♀️
Not forgetting their famous winter illuminations, which will be lighting up the park for Halloween too!
The Halloween Adventure starts Sat 26th October.🕸🧙🏻♀️🕷
4. Northern Lights – York Minster
See York Minster in a different light this Autumn, as the awe-inspiring Northern Lights returns by popular demand.✨
The sound and light installation, which debuted to sell-out audiences in June 2018, will again transform the cathedral’s cavernous Nave with images and audio inspired by the medieval Minster’s stained glass and stone.⛪️
Visitors will have the chance to explore the empty Nave after dark before the installation illuminates the space, spanning the full length of the ceiling and West End and surrounding the listener with soundscapes and music.🎆🎶
There are two time slots at 7pm and 9pm and tickets are £6 on York Minster’s website.
5. Himalayan Gardens & Sculpture Park – Ripon
Soak up the glorious colours of Autumn at The Hutts Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park before it closes for Winter from Sunday 3rd November. 🍂
The park is a real hidden gem just outside of Harrogate, near Ripon and is home to over 80 Contemporary Sculptures set within 45 acres, inspired by the Himalayas.
The landscape comprises of a beautiful valley with scenic woodland walks, enhanced by three lakes, a pagoda, summerhouse, Himalayan shelter, contemplation circle and Norse Hut!
Visit their website and social sites for more information.🎋🗿
Yorkshire Lavender 🌾💜
Situated 3 miles west of Castle Howard, Yorkshire Lavender in Terrington, York, is a picture perfect day out for all the family! 🌾💜
The award-winning family-run farm, gardens and plant nursery, are set in nearly 60 acres of panoramic land in the Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Vale of York.
The gardens are home to many different types of lavender and herb varieties, all beautifully displayed for you to admire and even buy from the plant shop on your visit.
Amongst all the stunning types of lavender, they have a fantastic selection of other plants and flowers in striking colours, throughout the gardens, including a sensory garden, where herbs, flowers and grasses have been selected for their scent, texture and even the noise they make in the breeze!
Marvel at the Grass Cascade and Mirror Pond, meander your way through lavender paths in the Lavender Maze and have some fun with hillside Snakes & Ladders on your visit!
There is a one of a kind Wibbly Wobbly Way and children will love the spacious play area too.
You can also find ‘The Spirit of Yorkshire’ – a sculpture installation depicting a cricket match, right here at Yorkshire Lavender
As the most successful county in English cricket history, Yorkshire is a fitting venue for the match.
When you’ve finished exploring the gardens, take a break in EJ’s Licensed Tea Room, with seating for 100 and panoramic views over the Vale of York.
They serve morning coffees, lunches and afternoon cream teas, with lots of delicious homemade dishes, such as their best selling lavender scones!
Their lovely produce can also be found in the Gift Shop, with a beautiful selection of handmade gifts.
From room spray to sleep balm, lavender chocolate and recipe books, there is something for everyone.
The Gift Shop, Tea Rooms and Plant Nursery are free to enter.
The Gardens are free between March, April & September and in the other months, are charged as follows:
Adults: £3.50
Senior Citizens: £3
Children (3-16): £2
Family (2+2) £10
Yorkshire Lavender are open daily between 23 March – 29 September 2019, from 10am-5pm, with EJ’s Tea Rooms closing at 4:30pm
More information can be found on their website:
https://www.yorkshirelavender.com/
The Greatest Showman Flashmob Fundraiser
Now we gave you a sneak preview into something exciting that was going to be happening in York earlier on this month in our last blog entry.
In case you missed it on our other Social Media pages, then here is the professional video of the flashmob that we took part in, raising money for Home Start charity in York!
Home Start York are a charity that helps families with young children.
Their friendly and caring volunteers are all parents themselves and therefore understand the joys, frustrations and challenges of bringing up children.
We were delighted to be involved in this wonderful project for Home Start who do such fantastic work with their charity.
Here are a few more photos from the day and we hope you enjoy the show as much as we did taking part!
To find out more on HomeStart’s work, visit their website:
