The Big Draw at Mr Straw's House
8–10 Oct, 15–17 Oct…
The Big Draw is a display of drawings made by visitors showing their favourite spaces at Mr Straw’s House. Visitors can view the artwork and make a drawing to add to the display.
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a historic and culturally rich county in England's East Midlands, famed for Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood legends, historic towns, and vibrant urban centres with excellent transport connections.
Autumn Photography Walk
17 Oct (next Saturday)
Join volunteer photographers and fungi enthusiasts on a walk through Clumber Park to explore autumn colours and fungi, with photography tips and information about the park.
2 miles from Clumber Park
Clumber Park is a large National Trust country park in Nottinghamshire with extensive outdoor natural areas, gardens, a serpentine lake, and a historic Grade I listed Gothic Revival chapel. Visitors can enjoy indoor exhibitions at the Discovery Centre and the Duke's Study café, alongside exploring vast outdoor parklands and gardens featuring rare plant collections and wildlife habitats.
Located in Worksop
Worksop is a historic market town in Nottinghamshire known for its Priory, canal leisure activities, proximity to Sherwood Forest, and ties to coal mining and timber industries.
Halloween Crafts at Gainsborough Old Hall
17 Oct, 24 Oct…
Visitors can drop in to make Halloween-themed decorations to take home, with different craft activities offered on each date, including spooky silhouettes, masks and bunting, conker pumpkins, leafy ghosts and spiders.
Near Gainsborough Old Hall
Gainsborough Old Hall is a well-preserved Tudor manor house in Lincolnshire, showcasing medieval architecture, historic interiors including a medieval kitchen, and intriguing features like witches' marks and a reputed haunting. It is managed by English Heritage and open as a museum for visitors.
Located in Gainsborough
Gainsborough is a historic market town in Lincolnshire, England known for its medieval Old Hall, riverside charm, historic churches, cultural venues, and river heritage.
Bess's Dream
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
Bess’s Dream is a display in Bess of Hardwick’s bedroom exploring her life and the thoughts and memories that may have featured in her dreams near the end of her life. It features her letters, a 400-year-old gown and an eight-minute film.
Near Hardwick
Hardwick Hall is an Elizabethan country house in Derbyshire notable for its Renaissance architecture, large windows, and rich historical associations including as a WWII parachute brigade formation site. The venue offers house tours with period furnishings and tapestries, plus extensive gardens and the ruins of the Old Hall. Visitors can enjoy a significant indoor historic experience alongside outdoor exploration of the estate grounds.
Tales from The Workhouse
17 Oct, 19 Oct…
Meet costumed characters at The Workhouse and Infirmary, hear stories about the inmates’ lives and see them at their daily tasks. Activities include writing on a slate, helping with washing and learning to pick oakum.
Near The Workhouse, Southwell
The Workhouse in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, is a well-preserved 19th-century workhouse museum operated by the National Trust, showcasing historic rooms and offering educational programs for children. It highlights historic poor law practices and Victorian-era workhouse life.
Located in Southwell
Southwell is a historic cathedral and market town in Nottinghamshire, England, known for its beautiful Southwell Minster, rich history, and vibrant cultural festivals such as the Southwell Music Festival and Gate to Southwell Festival.
Bess: Unframing the family
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition about Bess and her family brings together portraits and other collection objects, exploring their creation, conservation and investigation. Visitors can learn about the technical analysis used on the portraits, watch a short conservation film and follow displays through the Hall.
Stranger Folk at Hardwick
7–31 Oct (another 22 days)
Visitors use the free Stranger Folk app to follow Old Mal’s directions and find folklore creatures around Hardwick’s outdoor estate, solving a riddle to begin and helping to seal a gap between worlds. The activity is recommended for children aged 7–12 and includes spooky themes.
Hallowtide Half Term Activities
17–31 Oct
Families can take part in Hallowtide-themed half-term play activities at Hardwick, including witches’ hat hoopla, a barefoot broomstick walk and traditional apple games. Visitors with a House and Gardens ticket can also follow the Apple Jack trail in the orchard.
Near Stainsby Mill
Stainsby Mill is a restored 19th-century flour watermill in Derbyshire, England, now operated by the National Trust within the Hardwick Hall estate. Visitors can experience both the historic indoor milling machinery and the scenic outdoor mill pond and surroundings.
October Half Term at Clumber Park
17 Oct–1 Nov
Two Halloween-themed trails at Clumber Park invite visitors to solve puzzles and uncover mysterious creatures and characters, or use the Stranger Folk app to encounter figures from British folklore and take part in activities such as worm charming and wassailing.
parkrun
10 Oct, 17 Oct…
A weekly, timed 5k run at Clumber Park, following a two-lap course over tarmac paths, stoned trail and forest paths. It is suitable for beginners and more experienced runners.
Near Clumber Park
Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire offers a vast 3,800-acre estate of historic parkland, gardens, woodlands, and a large lake, featuring indoor attractions like a Gothic Revival chapel and a discovery centre alongside extensive outdoor trails and gardens. The venue is accessible, dog-friendly, family-friendly, and has food facilities available, making it an ideal destination for both relaxation and exploration.
The Pikachu Art Adventure
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
A Pokémon-themed art trail at Hardwick featuring 30 Pikachu cards illustrated by different artists, with facts about Pikachu and an opportunity to design a trading card.
A Plum Pudding Trail
17 Oct–1 Nov, 7–8 Nov…
Visitors follow a trail around the Workhouse to find the ingredients used in a traditional Victorian plum pudding and complete its recipe.
October half term
17 Oct–1 Nov
A family-focused October half-term programme at The Workhouse and Infirmary includes a Victorian plum pudding trail, pumpkin decorating, garden and indoor tours, costumed storytelling and demonstrations, and Bramley Apple Day activities with a choir performance.
Floral Pumpkin Decorating Drop-In Sessions
17 Oct (next Saturday)
Create a floral pumpkin display with dried flowers, foliage and other natural materials during a relaxed drop-in decorating session with Side Farm Flowers. Pumpkins can be decorated in a range of sizes and styles.
3 miles from Langford Lowfields
Langford Lowfields is a nature reserve in Nottinghamshire transformed from a quarry into a thriving wetland habitat, featuring the largest reedbed in the East Midlands. Visitors can enjoy extensive outdoor nature trails, birdwatching including rare species like Bitterns and Marsh Harriers, and a visitor welcome hut. The reserve focuses on wildlife conservation and offers scenic viewpoints and picnic areas for visitors.