The Peak District National Park is a fantastic place to explore at any time of the year, but Spring is especially beautiful and the Easter Holidays provide lots of eggs-citing opportunities to have fun here with your families.
So grab your chicks and check out our pick of the best events and attractions in and around the Peak District to enjoy over Easter!
Chatsworth
Enjoy the school holidays at Chatsworth for a family fun day out in the garden, farmyard and playground. All activities are included within the normal admission price, unless otherwise stated.
Easter Egg Hunts
28 March to 1 April 2024
Join the hunt for hidden chocolate eggs – maybe you’ll find a golden egg and win a special prize!
Easter egg hunt tickets are included in the price of admission to the farmyard and playground for visits from 28 March to 1 April. Tickets for the egg hunt are available on a first-come, first-served basis and given out when you arrive at the entrance to the farmyard and playground.
Get crafty
28 March to 14 April 2024
Get hands-on and creative with free spring-themed crafts in the Oak Barn.
Animal Handling and Feeding
28 March to 14 April 2024
Little adventurers are invited to handle the smaller furry friends and learn more about them in the Farmyard. You can also meet the larger animals up close and feed them a snack (a small additional charge for feed applies).
Tractor & trailer rides
2-14 April 2024
Enjoy a tractor and trailer ride through the park (a small charge applies).
For more information about Easter events, as well as timings and prices, visit the Chatsworth website HERE.
The Heights of Abraham
2024 is a year of light and colour at the Heights of Abraham, as they celebrate 50 years since the Pugh family took over stewardship of the estate and began a remarkable restoration project to establish this wonderful place as one of England’s top visitor attractions. Take a thrilling cable car ride from Matlock Bath up to the top of Masson Hill, where you can explore this beautiful hilltop park, with tours through illuminated caverns, exhibitions, magnificent views, adventure playgrounds, restaurants, shops, woodland trails and much more.
This Easter at the Heights of Abraham will be a real extravaganza. To mark the fact that Queen Victoria visited here when she was a child, this year’s event is perfect for princes, princesses and knights of the realm! From 30 March – 1 April 2024 you can take on an adventure trail to find the hidden crowns around the estate, and report back to Queen Victoria to claim your prize! Why not come dressed in fancy dress to add to the fun?!
Open daily 10.00am – 4.30pm. Your Cable Car ticket gives you access to the entire Estate and all attractions.
For more information, visit the Heights of Abraham website HERE.
Matlock Farm Park
If your children love animals, Matlock Farm Park is always a great place to visit. Here you can get up close and personal with wallabies, meerkats, alpacas, emus, deer and tortoises, as well as sheep, cows and pigs. There are also opportunities to handle small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and reptiles, and pony rides are also available. This Spring there’s sheep racing and ferret racing too, and daily Easter Egg Hunts over the Easter weekend!
And it’s not just about the animals; there are wonderful play areas for the children, including the UK’s largest jumping pillow, the indoor Rainforest Playcentre and the Enchanted Hamlet!
Easter Weekend Events
This Easter sees a range of special events, including shows from The Snow Sisters on Good Friday, Circus Skills & Bubble Fun on Easter Sunday, and Pirate Training Classes on Easter Monday! Free with Farm Park entry.
For more information about prices and timings, visit the Matlock Farm Park website HERE.
Buxton Pavilion Gardens
The Easter Extravaganza in Buxton’s beautiful Pavilion Gardens spans all 4 days over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and offers a great weekend of fun for the whole family.
Every day from Good Friday to Easter Monday, there will be more than 50 stalls in the Octagon Hall and on the Promenade, plus children’s entertainment including Easter Trails and Inflatables. On the Promenade and in the park there will be hot and cold food stalls, children’s rides*, the Miniature Train* and boats* on the boating lake (* additional charges apply for these activities).
For more information on Easter Events, visit the Pavilion Gardens website HERE.
Poole’s Cavern
Poole’s Cavern in Buxton is an all-weather, dog-friendly attraction, suitable for all ages, where you can explore spectacular limestone caverns that have delighted visitors from all over the world for hundreds of years. Expert guides will take you on a journey through the beautifully-illuminated chambers on paved walkways to discover the magnificent underground scenery of the Peak District.
Enjoy holiday fun with activities every day from 29 March to 7 April 2024. Over the Easter Weekend, come and meet the Easter Bunny at the Visitor Centre and grab a selfie, before helping him find his friends in the cavern during your guided tour. Afterwards, you can enjoy Easter treats at the Café.
For more information, visit the Poole’s Cavern website HERE.
Hardwick Hall
Head to the National Trust’s beautiful Hardwick Hall on the edge of the Peak District near Bolsover for plenty of Easter family fun. The kids will love the activity trail in the Stableyard, Old Hall and formal garden areas, with different stations inspired by the creativity of the Hardwick collections, as well as nature in the gardens and parkland – each station is more exciting than the last! Once your little chicks have raced from each activity, encourage them to plant a seed at the very last stop and pick up their prize. £3 per child (for both NT members and non-members).
What’s included?
Trail activities, bunny ears and a chocolate egg. There is also the option for a vegan and free-from chocolate egg made using Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa.
For more information on Easter events at Hardwick Hall, visit the website HERE.
Crich Tramway Museum and Village
Crich Tramway Village is always a fabulous place to spend a day, with plenty to keep the whole family happy. It is home to the National Tramway Museum, with more than 60 vintage trams for visitors to admire in airy exhibition halls. There is also a beautifully-recreated period village on the site, complete with a pub, café and olde-worlde shops.
This Easter, from Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April 2024, help Mr Bernie Bunny find all his friends and win an Easter themed prize! (Cost: £1 per child.) Throughout the day you can also have fun making rabbit ears, egg rolling (eggs provided), watching the Easter shows, and meeting the cuddly rabbits visiting from White Post Farm. Watch out for the Easter Bunny visiting too!
For more information on this event, see the Crich website HERE.
Tissington Hall
The beautiful Tissington Hall is a Jacobean manor house built in 1609 by Francis FitzHerbert. It is now the family home of Sir Richard and Lady FitzHerbert, who inherited the estate in 1989, and is one of only 300 homes in the country in which the descendants of the original builder still live, 400 years later.
The very pretty village of Tissington is a perfect place to spend a day. In the south of the Peak District, near Ashbourne, it is a well-kept gem, complete with old stone houses, a tearoom, a 12th Century church, a village duckpond and many independent shops, including a Craft Centre, Candle Workshop, Butcher and Plant Nursery. It’s surrounded by wonderful Derbyshire countryside, close to easy walks along the traffic-free Tissington Trail.
The doors of Tissington Hall are opened for guided tours on selected dates throughout the year, including the following dates over the 2024 Easter Holidays: 1st, 2nd and 3rd April. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit this beautiful family home in a wonderful setting.
For more information about visiting Tissington Hall over the Easter Holidays, visit their website HERE.
Hall & Gardens Adults £16 / Children (5-17) £8.00 / Under 5 Free Gardens Adult £8 / Children (5-17) £4.00 / Under 5 Free
Bolsover Castle
There’s nowhere quite like the fairytale castle of Bolsover, with its flags waving from battlements high on a hill overlooking the Vale of Scarsdale on the edge of the Peak District near Chesterfield. Inside it’s just as impressive, with the elaborate ‘Little Castle’ (actually huge) to explore, the impressive ruins of the Terrace Range, and the beautiful gardens to run around in. Bolsover Castle is managed by English Heritage.
This Easter, the kids will love a cracking adventure quest at Bolsover Castle, when they can hunt for clues in the castle grounds, track down the Easter eggs and get rewarded with a tasty chocolate treat.
You can take on the quest every day of the school holidays, and it costs just £2 to take part. This is for each child, whether you’re an English Heritage member or not, in addition to the usual ticket price. There’s no need to book, and you can pay when you arrive at the site.
The Easter event at Bolsover Castle runs every day from Saturday 23 March to Sunday 14 April 2024, from 10.00am – 5.00pm.
For more information about the event, visit the Bolsover Castle website HERE.
Gulliver’s Kingdom
Experience a great family day out with the Spring Spectacular at Gulliver’s Kingdom in Matlock Bath, where there’s a large selection of rides, shows and attractions. They’ll also have some very special appearances from the Easter Bunny.
Join the Easter Bunny and Candy Crew for mad-cap antics and candy activities this April at Gulliver’s. Discover Lollipop Trees, Colossal Candy Canes and take some Sweet Selfies along the way.
The Easter Bunny will be making special appearances plus you’ll be able to take part in brand-new family games and attractions, all with a candy-themed twist.
Gulliver’s Kingdom has a selection of rides and attractions that are perfect for children aged between 2 and 13, including soft play areas for toddlers.
For more information on this event, visit the Gulliver’s Kingdom website HERE.
