Step back in time to Mary Arden's Farm

Get back to nature at Mary Arden’s Farm and relive the daily routine and skills that the young William Shakespeare would have known from visits to his Grandparents house in the 16th Century. Watch the farmer's wife prepare home-grown food over the fire in the farmhouse kitchen and learn about Tudor table manners. Help with tasks like basket-weaving, bread-making and animal-tending and experience the real workings of a Tudor farm. Why not extend your stay at Northmere Cottages in the heart of rural Warwickshire and experience farm life in the 21st Century!

Visit Britain’s ultimate castle- Warwick Castle

Visit Britain’s ultimate Castle – Warwick Castle and discover centuries of Horrible Histories™. Nuggets and foul facts from history come to life with activities inspired by the children’s books and devised especially to reflect important chapters in the story of WarwickCastle. Set in the grounds of the medieval castle, Horrible Histories™ promises medieval mayhem at wicked Warwick!
Stay nearby in one of the many family friendly B&B’s in historic Warwick.

Family adventures in Stratford-upon-Avon

Quirky contraptions, dancing lasers, rolling ball machines, roaring mechanical dinosaur heads and whirligigs are bound to send you and the kids mad at the MAD Museum – a family museum with a difference in Stratford-upon-Avon! Keep the adrenaline going with a visit to Arachnoland at Stratford Butterfly Farm and get up close and personal with spiders, stick insects and beetles. Let little ones watch in awe as hundreds of spectacular and vibrantly coloured butterflies fly overhead in an exotic environment with splashing waterfalls and fish-filled pools. After all the fun, relax with a family break at the Crowne Plaza, Startford-Upon-Avon where kids can let off steam in the swimming pool and adults can recharge with a glass of wine overlooking the River Avon.

Whether you want weekend with a home from home feeling at one of our many self catering cottages or want to take advantage of a great holiday break with a Schools out special offer at Ardencote Manor there are plenty of family break accommodation offers for you.

For a family experience with a difference stay at Britain’s Ultimate Castle – Warwick Castle - in one of their amazing teepees.  Warwick Castle offers one of the most unique glamping experiences in England, so you can experience life in the castle grounds at first hand and give your family an experience they will remember forever!

There are many family friendly hotels in our towns including Crowne Plaza, Stratford-upon-Avon, The Falcon and The Mercure Shakespeare in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon or some great value bed and breakfasts too. Visit Where To Stay to find the perfect family hotel 

Centrally located Shakespeare’s England is also an easy location for families to travel to so you will be there before they get bored of the car!

Discover Britain’s Ultimate Castle – Warwick Castle. Experience the thrill of watching the trebuchet being fired and the terror of the infamous dungeons or take your time to enjoy the grounds of one of the country’s most famous attractions.

Take the kids to the fantastic outdoor play area at Ragley Hall, Park and Gardens or head to Compton Verney where they can explore the great outdoors on the nature trails or simply have fun in the adventure playground.

There are a wide variety of activities in Shakespeare’s England for those wishing to understand and experience Tudor Life. Show your children what it was really like for those living in England in the 16th Century. Mary Arden’s Farm (the home of Shakespeare’s mother) casts you back to the Tudor times and lets your children experience life on a Tudor farm, complete with animals and themed events throughout the year.

Head indoors to the Stratford Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon and enjoy the unique pleasure of watching hundreds of the world's most spectacular and colourful butterflies flying all around. You can see them feeding and flying in a wonderful tropical environment.

Get your children excited about the fabulous history and heritage of the British Motor Museum or science with weird and wonderful mechanical machines of The MAD Museum.

Why not take in a show at the Playbox Theatre in Warwick - a theatre specifically tailored to younger audiences, with family friendly shows and activities taking place throughout the year. 

Day 1 - spend the day in Warwick

Warwick Castle 

Experience an award winning day out at Britain's Ultimate Castle. Have an epic adventure with all the family surrounded by jaw-dropping history, magic, myth and adventure! Stunning scenery, inside and out, shows, battles and live entertainment.

Immerse yourselves in over 1000 years of jaw-dropping history, come rain or shine. Ancient myths and spell binding tales will set your imagination alight and your hair on end. Experience castle life for yourself from mediaeval battles to the splendour of the Georgian State Rooms, meet Henry VIII and his wives, witness a State Banquet with the Queen and re-live the preparations for battle. Prepare to be amazed at the daily jousting tournaments and the incredible Trebuchet Fireball Show.

With stunning scenery, inside and out, shows, battles and live entertainment, Warwick Castle guarantees a great day out for all the family! 

Stay overnight at the Ardencote Manor – a wonderful manor hotel with sporting and other excellent facilities ideal for families - there are also Schools out kids go free specials too. 

Day 2

AM - head to Stratford-upon-Avon and visit the MAD museum 

Come and step into an eccentric world of moving art; the MAD Museum is a wonderful place to experience and interact with an extraordinary assortment of both modern and old fashioned, yet highly innovative machines.

The MAD Museum (Mechanical Art & Design) holds an exciting assortment of weird and wonderful Kinetic Art, Automata and Steampunk.

It's perfect for the whole family, not only does it provide loads of interactive fun, it will interest those who are fascinated by physics, design and clever intricate moving contraptions. If your kids have an interest in science, art and engineering, you won't want them to miss out on this truly unique experience.

PM - Finish your day off at the Butterfly Farm

Stratford-upon-Avon's Butterfly Farm is the UK's largest tropical butterfly paradise. Rain or shine, discover many of the world's most beautiful butterflies in an exotic environment of tropical blossom with splashing waterfalls and fish-filled pools. Watch in awe as hundreds of spectacular and vibrantly coloured butterflies fly and feed around you. 

See the amazing lifecycle of a butterfly in action in the Caterpillar Room. Some of the world's largest and most camouflaged caterpillars are on show with cocoons, giant silk moths and shining pupae hanging on the plants.

The Butterfly Farm has the largest live insect display in Europe. Observe the fascinating and strange in Insect city where you will find stick insects, beetles and praying mantis. Marvel at the size of giant millipedes, snails and crabs in the mini-beast section. Get close to the deadly and dangerous behind the safety of glass in Arachnoland, home to the world's largest spider and a rainforest scorpion colony.