Make memories this February half term: Top 10 family days out in the North East

1. Get involved with family Viking activities at the Great North Museum: Hancock
2. Celebrate Lunar New Year in Newcastle at Discovery Museum
3. Create a landscape inspired by Monet at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery
4. Try Lego Coding at the Shipley Art Gallery
5. Travel back in time on a heritage train ride at Stephenson Steam Railway
6. Create your own hungry miner at Woodhorn Museum
7. Make a mosaic coaster at Segedunum Roman Fort
8. Create a masterpiece at the Laing Art Gallery
9. Get involved in the Big Schools Birdwatch at Stephenson Steam Railway
10. Explore the new museum Trail around the Great North Museum: Hancock

Browse all half term holiday events for families at North East Museums

Viking Experience Day

Ever wondered what life was really like in the Viking Age? Step back in time this half term during the Viking Experience Day at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle. Perfect for families, this interactive event lets children and adults explore Viking life through hands-on activities:

• Try untangling fiendish riddles and mysterious runes
• Make your own rune stone to take away with you
• Hear tales of magic and heroism drawn from the sagas of the Vikings.

Bring along the whole family for a fun and educational day out at one of Newcastle's most popular museums. 

Great North Museum: Hancock | Newcastle upon Tyne | Friday 20 and Friday 27 February | free, drop in

Chinese Lunar New Year

This February half term, drop into Discovery Museum in the centre of Newcastle to welcome the Year of the Horse, with a fun-filled day of family activities, crafts and tasty treats. Help decorate the museum, get creative with fun crafts, and discover the traditions and stories behind this vibrant annual festival.

Chinese New Year is an important celebration for Chinese and British Chinese communities, including here in Newcastle, where the city’s annual Chinese New Year parade is a much-loved community event. A traditional Lion Dance will take place at 2.30pm.

Discovery Museum | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tuesday 17 February | 11am – 3pm | free, drop in

Free Family Crafts

Drop into the learning room at South Shields Museum to create a landscape artwork, inspired by the current exhibition, Monet: In the Presence of Nature. 

Take a look around the exhibition and create a piece of work inspired by what you've seen. 

South Shields Museum & Art Gallery | Tuesday 24 February | 11am – 3pm | free, drop in

Lego Coding Workshop

Children can explore Lego and programmable components in this hands-on coding workshop in Gateshead's most-loved Shipley Art Gallery. 

Using an iPad and Scratch block coding, children can make their models move, light up, play music, or make sounds. The session introduces coding, digital literacy, problem-solving, and critical thinking in a playful, practical way.

Shipley Art Gallery | Gateshead | Wednesday 25 February | 12.30–2pm | tickets £10

Heritage Train Rides

Step back in time at Stephenson Steam Railway and take a nostalgic journey along the historic coal train route that once carried coal from the North East collieries to the River Tyne. 

This four-mile return trip offers a unique glimpse into the region’s industrial past, perfect for history enthusiasts and families. Will you be on board this half term? 

Stephenson Steam Railway | North Tyneside | Sunday 15, Thursday 19, Sunday 22 February | 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3pm | free museum entry, train tickets from £7

The Hungry Miner

For miners, dinnertime underground was a welcome break from the hard graft of digging coal. Each carried a bait box filled with simple food like jam sandwiches or bread and dripping.

Collage over the drawing of a miner (with a little charcoal for the face). Then create the food your miner will be eating for dinner

Woodhorn Museum | Ashington, Northumberland | 14–22 February | 12 noon – 3pm | included with Annual Pass admission

Mosaic Monday

Get creative, inspired by the colourful designs the Romans once used to decorate their homes. 

Children can design and craft their very own mosaic coaster to take home.

Segedunum Roman Fort | Wallsend | Monday 16 February | 11am – 3pm | kids go free, adult admission charge applies

Art Camp for 7-10 year olds

Young people are welcome to explore the galleries, talk about art, and create their own work in sessions led by a professional arts educator. 

Experiment with materials, learn new skills, and create a dynamic set of works in the Laing's Art Studio.

Laing Art Gallery | Newcastle upon Tyne | 17, 18, 19 February | 10am – 3pm | £35 per day

The Big Schools Bird Watch

Children can create their own bird as part of a free craft activity and then follow a bird trail through the museum and woodland walk to explore nature and learn about local wildlife. 

Using the Merlin Bird ID app, families can spot, listen to and identify birds in the surrounding area, making it a perfect combination of outdoor adventure, education and family fun.

Stephenson Steam Railway | North Tyneside | Thursday 19 February | 11am – 3pm | Free, drop in

New Museum Trail: Big Beasts, Little Beasts

Discover a new family trail at the Great North Museum: Hancock this February half term. Big Beasts, Little Beasts is an interactive museum trail that invites children and families to explore the museum and its collections through an engaging trail to find items within the collection, it's perfect for little explorers.

Great North Museum: Hancock | Newcastle upon Tyne | open during museum opening hours | free, drop in

Our February half term events are part of our Ways to Play programme of free and low-cost family-friendly activities. 

Make your Ways to Play adventure a great value day out by travelling to our venues by the Metro and/or Ferry. Up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free on the Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult. Metro is the convenient, fast and frequent way to get to your favourite attractions and now it's even more affordable. 

To find out more about kids go free on the Metro, visit the Nexus website.

Ways to Play is sponsored by Tyne and Wear Metro.