Merseyside is a historic and culturally rich metropolitan county in North West England with vibrant urban centres, iconic maritime and musical heritage, and strong transport links.
19 Apr, 26 Apr
Enjoy a breakfast barm and hot drink in the tearoom before joining a guided tour of the bluebells in Rufford Old Hall’s gardens and woodland. The tour explores the plants with guidance from garden volunteers.
24 Oct
Participants learn from local artist Lisa Howard how to decorate a pumpkin with pressed and dried seasonal flowers and plants, and take home their finished creation. All materials are provided during this two-and-a-half-hour workshop.
Rufford Old Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor and Jacobean hall house in Lancashire featuring richly decorated interiors, a notable sixteenth-century carved wooden screen, extensive Victorian gardens with topiary squirrels, and historical collections of arms and rural memorabilia. The site offers both indoor historical architecture and outdoor garden experiences.
10 Oct–12 Nov (next week)
Stranger Folk is an outdoor interactive adventure at Speke Hall, played using a free app and inspired by British folklore. Families with children aged 7–12 can explore a story featuring goblins, boggarts and other strange creatures.
30–31 Aug
Summer of Play at Speke Hall is a family-friendly event with performance play, hands-on arts and crafts, nature-inspired activities, scavenger hunts, and active games set in the historic outdoor grounds.
12 Oct–8 Nov (next week)
Visitors follow an outdoor trail around the grounds of Speke Hall, completing five activities to discover a magic word and reunite the Sorceress of Speke with her lost animal familiars.
Speke Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house in Liverpool, renowned for its historic timber-framed architecture, ancient yew trees, and scenic views over the Mersey estuary. Owned by the National Trust, it offers visitors both indoor exploration of historic rooms and outdoor gardens with walking paths.
9–13 Oct, 16–20 Oct…
Stranger Folk is an app-based adventure inspired by British folklore, featuring interactive games and creatures such as goblins and boggarts. Families can explore Rufford Old Hall and its grounds, follow the story and take part in additional on-site games.
9 May, 13 Jun…
A guided sound-bathing session in Rufford Old Hall’s Great Hall, beginning with breathwork and relaxation before participants listen to sounds from crystal singing bowls, chimes and drums.
1 Jan–31 Dec (another 83 days)
Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire offers a programme of scheduled talks, demonstrations, exhibitions, and drop-in activities throughout 2026. Events include daily house tours and talks, garden talks, a monthly dementia friendly café, music performances, traditional yarn spinning demonstrations, sports and games during summer, fencing drop-in sessions, a Victorian play exhibition, a woodturners market, and a scarecrow festival in autumn. Admission to events is free with normal venue admission charges applying.
23–27 Oct, 30 Oct–3 Nov…
A family scarecrow festival themed around pop stars and music legends. Visitors can explore the garden and woods to find scarecrows inspired by singers, musicians and bands.
WWT Martin Mere is a large wetland nature reserve in Lancashire managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, renowned for birdwatching with observation hides and hosting many rare species. It provides significant habitat for wildfowl and migratory birds, especially in winter, and supports important biodiversity.
31 Aug–5 Sep, 7–12 Sep…
The Hardmans’ Liverpool A Legacy in Light: From Street to Studio is a free photographic exhibition at Liverpool Central Library showcasing Liverpool through the nineteenth-century photographers Edward Chambré and Margaret Hardman's eyes, from evocative pre-war streets to nostalgic studio portraiture. The exhibition compares their vision with city life experiences today and does not require booking to attend. Normal venue admission charges apply.
St Johns Shopping Centre is a large covered shopping centre in Liverpool with over 100 retailers, a variety of food outlets, a historic market, and an adjoining observation tower. It offers a modern shopping experience in the heart of the city, with accessibility to public transit and a recent refurbishment of its food court and market areas.
23 Oct–8 Nov
The Scarecrow Festival 2026 at Rufford Old Hall invites you to create and display scarecrows in the grounds based on the theme 'Rufford Rocks: pop stars and music legends'. The festival runs from 23 October to 8 November 2026, and visitors can see the scarecrow displays during opening hours. Participants must register by email and deliver their scarecrows by 19 October. Stakes for scarecrows can be provided by the venue if requested. Normal venue admission charges apply for attending the festival.
17 Dec
Guests enjoy a festive dinner in the Victorian tearoom followed by a one-man performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in the Great Hall, with mulled wine and a mince pie served during the interval.
5 Feb, 12 Feb
Enjoy a breakfast barm and hot drink in the tearoom, followed by a volunteer-guided walk through Rufford Old Hall’s gardens and woodland to learn about snowdrops.
4 Dec
A Christmas breakfast in Rufford Old Hall’s Victorian tearoom, with guests choosing a barm breakfast and a hot drink or cold drink. The event takes place in one sitting and does not include a visit from Father Christmas.
15 Jan, 19 Feb
Enjoy breakfast in the tearoom before joining a guided behind-the-scenes tour of Rufford Old Hall during its winter conservation cleaning. The tour offers a chance to see the historic house and learn how its objects are cared for.
5–6 Dec, 12–13 Dec…
Guests can enjoy a Christmas breakfast in Rufford Old Hall’s Victorian tearoom, where Father Christmas visits and gives gifts to children. Breakfast options include barm sandwiches and a hot drink or juice/milk.
Hesketh Out Marsh is a nature reserve focused on restoring saltmarsh habitat through managed realignment, offering outdoor nature trails, wildlife viewing, and a picnic area. The reserve is accessible with wheelchair-friendly paths and parking, welcomes dogs on leads, and has no entrance fee or on-site food facilities.
31 Aug
The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trail at Speke Hall is an outdoor family-friendly trail event where participants can search the gardens for Mega Evolution Pokémon, learn about their powers, and complete challenges. Trail sheets are available on the day, and normal venue admission applies.
20 Forthlin Road is the childhood home of Paul McCartney in Liverpool, preserved by the National Trust as the birthplace of the Beatles. Visitors can explore the historic house where early Beatles songs were composed and rehearsed.
18 Jul–1 Sep
Summer of Play at Rufford Old Hall is a family-friendly event occurring between 18 July and 1 September 2026 (closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays). It features outdoor games, borrowing sports day kits, Victorian-style toys and games inside the house, and free sports activities like cricket, rounders, and croquet in the Orchard Paddock. Normal admission charges apply.
7 Oct, 12 Oct
Join a Formby ranger for a walk and talk about the conservation benefits of grazing English longhorn cattle on the dunes, with an opportunity to ask questions.
National Trust Formby is a coastal nature haven in Liverpool known for its significant sand dune habitats, rare wildlife including natterjack toads and red squirrels, prehistoric footprints, and shipwrecks. The site offers accessible paths, woodland and beach exploration, and horse riding opportunities. Major conservation work impacts some facilities through 2026.
30 Aug
Small Worlds: Treasures of Victorian Play is an exhibition at Rufford Old Hall that explores Victorian childhood through objects such as dolls and toy miniatures, offering insight into how children played and learned in the 19th century. The exhibition is a rare public display of carefully preserved toys from the Victorian era, providing a thought-provoking journey into social history, design, and childhood pasts.
9 Oct, 14 Oct…
Spooky Speke is an adults-only Halloween event at Speke Hall, beginning with tea or coffee and a sweet treat before a torchlight tour of the house and stories about its former inhabitants.
17 Oct (next Saturday)
A performance of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde, presented by Don’t Go Into the Cellar. Attendees can have tea or coffee and a sweet treat before watching the show in Speke Hall’s Great Hall.
251 Menlove Avenue, known as Mendips, is the childhood home of John Lennon in Liverpool, preserved by the National Trust and restored to its 1950s state. Visitors can explore the historic house famously associated with the Beatles legend.
4–6 Dec, 11–13 Dec…
A series of festive choir and instrumental performances takes place in Rufford Old Hall’s Great Hall on selected dates in December. Performances include choirs, lute and flute music, and hand chimes.
28 Nov
Jonathan Goodwin performs a one-man stage adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Gothic thriller The Hound of the Baskervilles. The event includes tea or coffee and a sweet treat before the performance in Speke Hall’s Great Hall.
The Beatles' Childhood Homes in Liverpool offer guided tours inside the historic houses where John Lennon and Paul McCartney grew up, providing a unique insight into the early lives of the iconic musicians. Visitors can explore preserved rooms and learn about the Beatles' origins through these intimate tours.
5–6 Dec, 12–13 Dec…
Children and their accompanying adults join Father Christmas in his study for a festive story, games and a photo opportunity. The session includes a drink, cookie and a gift for each child.
10–11 Oct (this weekend)
An immersive Halloween murder mystery at Knowsley Hall, where guests investigate a fictional haunting and murder over drinks and a three-course dinner. The offering also includes an overnight stay and breakfast.
29–30 Oct
Dinners of Diplomacy: Dialogue, Not Division explores the events leading to American Independence and the legacy of Yorktown, hosted by the Countess of Derby.
20 Oct, 27 Oct
A guided behind-the-scenes tour with Speke Hall’s House and Collections team explores apotropaic marks carved into the Hall’s timber frame and their history as protective symbols.
Knowsley Hall is a historic aristocratic mansion set within a vast private estate in Merseyside, offering guided tours on limited open days, exclusive use stays, and hosting events in a grand setting with distinguished interiors and a fine art collection.