Because half term and Halloween aren’t stressful enough individually, Halloween has to take place during the October half term this year. With the 31st falling on the Thursday, it’s likely to be the centrepiece of the week. So there are lots of spooky activities going on to entertain the kids next week. We’ve come up with a few suggestions.
Preparing for the big night can provide hours of entertainment creating costumes, carving pumpkins and making spooky decorations. If you have a wheelchair user involved take a look on Thursday at the creative costumes we found which make the chair part of the costume. Possibly a lot of effort but it will keep everyone busy!
As well as the Halloween night itself, there are loads and loads of Halloween themed events to take a look at over the course of the week. For instance, London Zoo is hosting Boo at the Zoo – a collection of activities and events relating to the scariest animals they have there. It includes creepy crawlies, spooky nocturnal creatures and terrifying tigers at the new tiger territory. The zoo is, with the odd exception, generally accessible for less able visitors.
Many other zoos are doing similar ‘Halloweeny’ things throughout half term. Chester, Bristol, Colchester, Whipsnade… the list of zoos who are seizing the chance to jump on the Halloween bandwagon goes on and on. It’s quite likely that your closest zoo will be doing something fun to make a half term trip extra special. We haven’t the space to list every zoo here but take a look online. It’s a good (although exhausting) day out.
It’s not just the zoos which are ratcheting up the fear factor this half term. If you want to give your kids a real fright then you can take them to a scary tourist attraction like the London Dungeon or Nottingham’s Galleries of Justice. They’re both interactive tours that look into the more sinister aspects of traditional British crime and punishment.
Unfortunately neither of these attractions are entirely accessible but they still both provide plenty of things to see for the less able. Sadly, neither of the rides at the London Dungeon are accessible to wheelchair users but there is still a step-free tour which lasts roughly ninety minutes. There are some other issues to be aware of and you can find out about them here. The Galleries of Justice is also only partially accessible due to the historical nature of the building but they have an interactive tour so you can still see everything. There’s more information about access there in our specialist museum guide.
Although neither of these are ideal places to go in terms of access they are both real experiences. They’re never likely to be the most practical attractions for those who are less able but they are a lot of fun and kids love them so we thought it’s a good time to make people aware of their accessibility. If we don’t do it during Halloween when can we do it? They’re worth a visit all year round but particularly during October half term when they will be upping the ante in the horror stakes.
Blenheim Palace, one of Britain’s most famous palaces and birthplace of Winston Churchill, is embracing the American style commitment to Halloween with a special Ghouls and Goblins theme this half term. They’re hosting spooky tours of the palace and a trail of creepy riddles and clues in their maze. You can also make Halloween inspired pottery and take home a Jack o lantern. It’s a rather surprising place to see such festivities but they sound like fun.
The State Rooms – where the majority of the indoors ‘Halloweeny’ stuff is – are all on one level and accessible by a lift however the ‘Untold Story’ exhibit is accessible only by stairs. Outside, there are some gravelled and cobbled areas which aren’t too convenient. The maze has tight corners and narrow pathways which might not accommodate all wheelchairs. For more details check their access statement – good to see they’ve gone to the effort to make this available!
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is a haven for Harry Potter fans. You can see all the props they used in the movies as well as getting a chance to actually go into some of the sets they used, including the Great Hall and Diagon Alley. During October there is also an extra Ghostly Goings On theme celebrating the scarier parts of the films. You can see how the slimy troll snot and unicorn blood used in the films were made and Diagon Alley will be taken over by petrifying Death Eaters.
The access is generally pretty good with the odd minor problem. The main problems being the cobbled surfaces in the Diagon Alley area and the slate floor in the Great Hall. On top of that, there are a couple of props from the films (a bridge and the Knight Bus) which are not accessible but that really reflects more on the disabled access at Hogwarts than this tour.
They ask that wheelchair users give notice that they’re coming in advance because there is a short film at the beginning and the cinema has limited seating. Assistance dogs are welcomed.
Much like the zoos across the country, many castles are putting on haunted Halloween events this half term. There’s a good chance that the nearest castle to you is ‘the most haunted in the country’ because they all seeming to be making that claim at the moment! Haunted tours, scary shows, late openings and more are being provided. The history of these buildings makes them ideal for Halloween tie ins however it also makes accessibility a bit of a problem.
Most castles will inevitably have a lot of narrow stair cases and uneven or cobbled floors but they also have lots of accessible areas. Generally, you can see that they’ve at least tried to make the buildings more accessible than the people who lived in them would have bothered to, not to say that they can’t try harder. They also tend to have informative accessibility guides on their individual websites so it’s easy to check out meaning you don’t have to just risk it.
