# Best places to head to across Britain for half-term > Halloween activities and autumn trails across Britain from haunted castles to affordable family trips. - Title: Best places to head to across Britain for half-term | Shortify - Summary: Halloween activities and autumn trails across Britain from haunted castles to affordable family trips. Britain offers Halloween events and autumn activities… - Keywords: britain, halloween, autumn, half-term, family, trails, haunted castles, cost, news, entertainment, Best, places - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/travel/article-16214129/best-places-Britain-haunted-castles-autumn-trails.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-10-16T16:00:46+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: britain, halloween, autumn, half-term, family, trails, haunted castles, cost, news, entertainment ## Halloween in London London hosts spooky events including Halloween Evening at Holland Park with free activities and a gothic flea market. > Meet a giant talking frog and mysterious bubble-making professor, dodge fire jugglers and follow woodland trails for hidden sweets in Holland Park’s free but ticketed Halloween Evening (4.30pm to 7.30pm). It follows the day’s gothic flea market. ## The Tower of London The Tower of London offers torchlit trails and Crown Jewels views with family-friendly pricing for Halloween. > Families can follow a torchlit trail across to the Bloody Tower and the execution site on Tower Green, while costumed characters tell gruesome historical tales. Plus, see the Crown Jewels without daytime crowds. 5.30pm to 9pm; adults £34.80, children £17.40 (you need to book). ## Diwali in Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square features Bollywood dancers, puppet shows, and street food during Diwali celebrations. > With 200 Bollywood dancers, puppet shows, live music, martial arts demonstrations and street-food, the traditional Indian Diwali celebration takes over the square. ## Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum hosts free family story time with author talks and workshops. > The museum’s free family festival features wartime stories, famous children’s author talks, guided tours plus drawing and music workshops. ## Hyde Park Halloween Hyde Park offers free creepy-crawly discoveries for kids with bat detectors and nocturnal animal skulls. > The Discovery Centre’s enclosed grounds host free creepy-crawly Halloween discoveries for kids in a witches’ den, with bat detectors, rodent skeletons, nature trails and nocturnal animal skulls. ## Dover Castle Dover Castle provides spooky storytelling and themed adventures with free entry for Halloween. > Conquer the clifftop fortress with spooky storytelling by Georgian soldiers, themed underground adventures, ghost trails round ramparts and, of course, plenty of pumpkins. Prizes for best visitors’ costumes, too. Free with normal entry (£14.50-£29). ## Richmond Park Richmond Park hosts wild deer and stags during peak breeding season with roaring antlers. > The park is home to 600 wild deer and this is peak time for noisy stags, which mark breeding season by roaring across glades and clashing antlers. ## Southampton Pumpkins Royal Victoria Country Park in Southampton features monster pumpkins and scarecrow villages. > Monster-sized pumpkins are the stars among a scarecrow village, chainsaw woodcarving, live music, dog show, falconry and bouncy castles. Entry £5-£9.80. ## Lyme Regis Fossils Lyme Regis Museum offers fossil hunting with ammonites and beach expeditions. > Fossil experts lead daily beach expeditions after heavy autumn tides reveal fresh prehistoric treasures from crumbling cliffs. Families learn to crack open stones to find ammonites to take home. Adults £18.95, children (6+) £12.75. ## Westonbirt Arboretum Westonbirt National Arboretum features autumn tree species and family-friendly trails. > Explore the collection of 2,500 tree species during the peak autumn colours. Highlights include an elevated tree-top walkway, family and dog-friendly trails, rangers’ storytelling sessions and craft workshops. Adults £16, children (5-17) £4. ## West Somerset Railway West Somerset Railway offers steam train rides through autumn woods and coast. > Ride historic steam trains through 20 miles of autumn woods and coast with special visiting vintage engines, twilight rides and hop-on, hop-off tickets between ten stations. Adults £32, children £16. ## Otter Estuary Otter Estuary provides free wildlife expeditions for spotting migrating birds at night. > Wildlife experts lead a free after-dark estuary expedition spotting flocks of migrating birds under the stars. Kids can hunt for bats and owls with sonic detectors. ## The Box, Plymouth The Box in Plymouth hosts free city-planning art projects with Lego design zones. > Join a free huge city-planning art project, decorating giant fabric strips to redesign the city’s skyline, build architectural models and experiment in Lego design zones. ## Royal Albert Memorial Museum Royal Albert Memorial Museum features a night at the museum themed silent disco. > Dance among galleries of stuffed animals, mummies and exotic ancient artefacts at the Night At The Museum themed fancy-dress silent disco. Entry £12.50. ## Babbacombe Model Village Babbacombe Model Village offers tiny 1:12 scale world illuminations for families. > The tiny 1:12 scale world gets lit up for half-term with thousands of miniature house windows, streetlights and neon signs. There’s a special spooky family walk too. Adults £16.50, children (3-17) £13.50. ## Alton Towers Alton Towers hosts Halloween-themed rollercoaster rides with live-actor scare mazes. > Ride rollercoasters in the dark at Alton Towers’ Halloween makeover, which includes four live-actor scare mazes. From £37. ## Key takeaway Britain offers Halloween events and autumn activities for families during half-term with specific costs and dates.